The first impression is the only impression

No matter how good the interior of your home looks, buyers have already judged your home before they walk through the door. You never have a second chance to make a first impression. It’s important to make people feel warm, welcome and safe as they approach the house. Start looking at your house in a different way, as you drive home take an alternate route to the house and park on the street. How does the roof look? Are the gutters clean? Walk up the walkway to your front door. Does your yard look like it just won “Yard of the Month”? How is the front door? Is your door knob secure and does it lock and unlock smoothly? Is all the paint in good condition? Spruce up your home’s exterior with inexpensive shrubs and brightly colored flowers. You can typically get a 100-percent return on the money you put into your home’s curb appeal.

Take the home out of your house.

One of the most important things to do when selling your house is to de-personalize it. The more personal stuff in your house, the less potential buyers can imagine themselves living there. This includes personal paint colors, paint is cheap and neutral colors let potential buyers test drive your home. Get rid of a third of your stuff – put it in storage. This includes family photos, memorabilia collections, and personal keepsakes. Hire a home stager to maximize the full potential of your home. Staging simply means arranging your furniture to best showcase the floor plan and maximize the use of space.

Let the sunshine in!

Maximize the light in your home. After location, good light is the one thing that every buyer cites that they want in a home. Open the drapes, clean the windows, change the lampshades, increase the wattage of your light bulbs and cut the bushes outside to let in the sunshine. Do what you have to do make your house bright and cheery – it will make it more sell-able.

Get in Shape!

Quick fixes before selling always pay off. Get a new fresh coat of paint on the walls. Clean the curtains or go buy some inexpensive new ones. Replace door handles, cabinet hardware, make sure closet doors are on track, fix leaky faucets and clean the grout. Have your home inspected by a qualified inspection company prior to going on the market. Their trained eyes will catch things you won’t. Plus if you do find things you have time to shop around for the repair company. Waiting for the inspection period when you are under contract will cost you money. In addition, you are going to have time constraints and the emotions of the buyers to work around.

Pricing it right.

Use three different opinions. First, what do you think the house is worth, second what is your agent recommending and third what does a “market value” appraisal done within the last 30 days suggest? Average these numbers, then shave 15 to 20 percent off the price. You’ll be stampeded by buyers with multiple bids — even in the worst markets — and they’ll bid up the price over what it’s worth. It takes real courage and most sellers just don’t want to risk it, but it’s the single best strategy to sell a home in today's market.

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