If you’re thinking now might be the ideal time to put your home on the market, you’re certainly not the only one. Summer's one of the hottest home buying and selling seasons. It's also the favorite season for families with children in school to buy and sell. This Summer is finding low inventory of homes for sale in many areas. That limited inventory can give sellers an advantage. As a seller, you still want to prepare your home for the market if you want top dollar. These sizzling Summer tips will get you off to the right start.

Sizzling Tip #1 – Keep Your Curb Appeal Sexy

One of the most important areas to focus on when selling a home in the Summer is the exterior and your home’s curb appeal.  A home with a poor or neglected exterior will take longer to sell and likely will sell for less than it should. The exterior and curb appeal of a home can give a potential buyer a pretty good idea of what to expect in the interior of your home. Make potential buyers want to see your home by making sure it is clean, crisp, and attractive. In the past, we’ve discussed important Spring home maintenance tips, so hopefully you’ve completed many of the tasks that should be completed when selling a home during the Summer.  However, here are some things to focus on when preparing the exterior and enhancing the curb appeal of your home for a fast summer sale.

1. Mow your lawn twice a week - Grass grows faster in the summer so mow your lawn regularly.

2. Water the lawn to avoid a burnt or brown lawn.

3. Trim bushes and shrubs.

4. Water the plants to avoid dead plants.

5. Weed and mulch the flower beds.

6. Touch up any exterior peeling paint.

7. Paint and/or clean up the front door – even replacing the front door is a good idea. It is the biggest return on investment when updating.

8. Seal the driveway if you have cracks or holes. 

Sizzling Tip #2 – Highlight Outdoor Living Space

Since we’re discussing the exterior of a home, another excellent idea for selling a home during the Summer is to focus on the outdoor living space. Here in Northern California we are often blessed with warmer weather through October, so many home buyers will be excited to spend as much time outside enjoying the weather as possible during the Summer. Many buyers will put a premium on a great outdoor living space so highlighting the outdoor space is a great way to impress potential buyers.  One of the best staging tips is to help buyers envision themselves spending time relaxing outside. If you’re home has an incredible outdoor BBQ or a large concrete patio, make sure it’s inviting!  Showcasing to a buyer how amazing a home’s outdoor living space is for entertaining friends and family will have buyers lining up with a purchase offer in hand.

Sizzling Tip #3 – Address Necessary Repairs Prior To Listing

One of the quickest ways to scare away potential home buyers is by not addressing necessary repairs.  For example, if a home has a very old roof with visible damage, not addressing this prior to listing will likely result in you potentially losing out on a fair amount of money from their sale. Homeowners who complete repairs prior to listing their home not only will likely end up with a higher sale price, but also reduce the chances that a buyer will request a lot of repairs be made after a home inspection.  A few examples of common “necessary” repairs to be on the lookout for include; broken windows, peeling paint or damaged exterior or siding, dry rot, non-operational air conditioning or heat and damaged roofs.  It’s important when selling a home during the Summer that a buyer is not distracted by repairs that have been neglected but is focusing on all the positives your home has.

Sizzling Tip #4 – Keep the Home Cool

Going from an air-conditioned car to 100-degree heat can dampen anyone's mood.  Set your thermostat so buyers are greeted with a comfortable temperature inside. It should be pleasantly cool but not freezing.  If you have ceiling fans, leave them on the low setting. Stock the fridge with bottled water and maybe a few other beverages.  Leave a note asking the buyers to help themselves to a cold drink. This is a nice treat on a hot day. 

One of the biggest reasons to have a home inspection is to ensure the home’s HVAC system is working properly. If a home’s central AC unit isn’t working, it’s a potential red flag for a buyer that other things may be wrong with the home. Even if the home is new, it is good to have the HVAC system checked. One time, I sold a brand-new home and recommended that the buyer have an inspection because the home didn’t feel like it was cooling down correctly.  When investigated by a HVAC technician, he discovered that there were gaps in the ducting that was helping to cool off the attic better than some areas of the home.

Sizzling Tip #5 – Depersonalize & Declutter the Home

When selling your home during the Summer, another easy to take care of but effective tip, is to depersonalize and declutter your home. As a home seller, if you act and follow this tip you will give yourself an advantage over sellers who decide it’s not important. A home that has a lot of personal effects such as family portraits, a report card or a hundred magnets of every place you have ever visited on the refrigerator can cause buyers to be distracted when viewing your home.  Some buyers get sidetracked easily and will be more interested in seeing what your family looks like rather than looking at the features of your home. Not too long ago, I showed a beautiful home that was ideal for my buyers until they approached the master bedroom.  Although, the master included a great seating area and a spa-like master bathroom, the buyers could not get past the fact that there was a nude mural painting of the seller’s wife directly on the wall over the bed. Some things you just can’t unsee. My clients were uncomfortable and we left this home immediately.

When selling a home during the Summer, take the time to walk through your home and evaluate what you need to live comfortably while selling your home.  If you believe you can live without things like heavy blankets and a closet full of heavy coats while selling your home, consider moving them into a storage unit or into the garage.  Decluttering a home is one of the best tips for staging a home on a budget.

Sizzling Tip #6 - Stage the Home to Reflect the Summer Season

First and foremost, staging a home alone will not sell it.  There are some professionals who will convince home sellers that staging is necessary to sell their home and it’s simply not true. Staging certainly can enhance the appearance of a home which can make a positive impact on a seller’s bottom line, if the cost to do so doesn’t outweigh the potential return on the investment. An excellent opportunity for home sellers who are selling their home during the Summer is to stage it to reflect the season.  Summer staging tips such as placing bright flowers on a dining room table, planting bright flowers in a window box, and having Summer scented candles are all relatively simple and inexpensive, but can make a home stand out!

Sizzling Tip #7 - Hire A Top Selling Real Estate Professional

There are dozens of reasons why choosing a top realtor when selling a home is vital to the success of the sale.  And, there are a lot of good agents out there.  But choosing the wrong realtor can be the kiss of death for you as a home seller (and buyer). When selling a home during the Summer, or any season, having a top agent in your corner cannot be understated.  Knowing the right questions to ask a potential realtor can be the difference of making the right choice.  What are some of the most important things to ask real estate agents and to consider when selling a home during the Summer? 

Here are just 5 of the most important!

1. What marketing strategies do you feel sell homes?

2. How do you vet home buyers and their agents?

3. How do you market online and via social media?

4. What methods do you use to determine what price to recommend to your sellers?

5.On average, how long do your listings take to sell?

One key takeaway when choosing a real estate agent to sell a home is that not all agents are the same.  Even real estate agents who work for the same company, are not the same.  Each real estate agent uses different techniques to price a home and market a home, among other things, so choose carefully! We would love the opportunity to interview with you to show you our Top Dollar Home Selling Strategy. This includes;

1. A Customized full color market analysis.

2. HD Photographs of your home.

3. A Matterport Virtual Tour – this is the top of the line virtual tour that we have helped us sell homes to vetted buyers from Europe, Asia, Hawaii and other states.

4. Facebook and YouTube syndication.

5. And of course, advertising of your home on the radio.

If you would like to interview with us, please call us today at 916-269-3337.  That’s 916-269-3337.  Or go to theradiorealtors.com.  That’s theradiorealtors.com.

Sizzling Tip #8 - Consider Having A Pre-Listing Inspection

Before listing a home for sale during the Summer, another great tip is to strongly consider a pre-listing home inspection.  There are many benefits of a pre-listing home inspection, one of the most important being that it can reduce the chances of a buyer being scared away after completing their own inspection.  As your realtors, we can help you evaluate whether it would be money well spent or not.  In most cases, having a pre-listing inspection is well worth the cost because even newer built homes can have issues that the owner is not aware of. No one likes bad surprises. Finding out that you have things to repair before you sell is much better than dealing with problems during escrow.

Sizzling Tip #9 - Let Us Price the Home Right…From the Beginning!

There are 4 major factors as to whether a home sells or lingers on the market.  The first major factor is that the home is getting enough exposure and being marketed correctly, which should be taken care of by hiring a top realtor.  The second factor is location. The third factor is condition of the home. But, the fourth factor and it is a major factor is whether the price of the home is right or wrong. The home must be priced right, from the beginning.  One of the worst real estate pricing mistakes made is overpricing a home to leave room for negotiation.  Pricing a home incorrectly, often results in a seller receiving less for their home than if they were to price it correctly from the start. Simply, an overpriced home generally will sit on the market until the sellers decide to reduce the price to an acceptable list price, which sometimes can take several months if they are stubborn.  When a home sits on the market for an extended period, it will become stigmatized and buyers begin to wonder if there is something wrong with the home, which typically results in them not making an offer or submitting a lowball offer. How can you be sure that you’re pricing the home right, from the beginning? Allow us to provide you with a pricing recommendation, typically generated by completing a comparative market analysis, frequently referred to as a CMA.  A CMA is an analysis of one home to other similar homes that have been sold within the past 6-12 months.  We will make adjustments, both positive and negative, for features that your home may or may not have when comparing to the similar homes that have recently sold. The bottom line is to make sure your home is priced correctly, from the beginning.  Nobody wants to leave money on the table because they overpriced their home.

Sizzling Tip #10 - Get Ready and Be Ready for Showings

This last tip for selling a home during the summer is certainly not the least in importance.  A seller to this point has maneuvered through the process of getting their home ready for the market, hiring a top agent, and pricing their home correctly, the last thing they want to do is not prepare their home for showings. There are a lot of great ideas for preparing a home for showings when selling during the summer.  Here are some things to consider when selling your home in the Summer.

1. Put out a refreshing beverage for potential buyers, such as lemonade, iced tea, or cold water.

2. Turn on all lights – make it very light and bright. Even little lights like the microwave and oven lights can accent your kitchen.

3. Open blinds to let natural light in.

4. Set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature.

5. Clean up after your children and/or pets. Pet odors can ruin your home sale. Clean up the dog poop in the yard.  You also want to make sure that you clean up after the kids.  One of my most effective sellers had a toddler and a dog.  She had a bin for the baby’s toys and one for the dog.  When someone called regarding a showing, she would quickly put items in the bins, grab the baby and the dog and scurry out the door.  The home was ready to go at a moment’s notice.  And guess what? We sold their home for over asking price in a down market.  

Final Thoughts - During the Summer, there are more buyers. The change of seasons naturally encourages people to start thinking about options to move to a new home. Many buyers may also be excited to move forward with a home purchase because interest rates are at historic lows right now. While mortgage rates vary based on the individual financial history and current market conditions, the Fed’s decision helps many first-time home buyers start shopping for a home confidently.

As with your home’s exterior, there’s no reason to slack off when it comes to preparing your house to impress would-be buyers. That means decluttering the house, emptying closets to make them appear larger, moving some furniture to storage to help rooms look bigger and keeping counters clear and show-ready at all times.

If you’re ready to consider selling your home, contact us today for a free price evaluation and market analysis. The Real Estate Report with Brent Gove and Robert Lewis show can be heard on the radio Saturdays on Newsradio 1530am and 93.1fm from 4 to 5pm, on AM1380 The Answer on Saturdays from 4 to 5pm and on Money 105.5fm on Saturdays fro 9-10am.  Our number is 916-269-3337 or www.theradiorealtors.com.