Even though it’s been a very cold winter, spring is just around the corner.  Since spring is fast approaching and we’re working with quite a few homeowners to get their homes ready to sell, I wanted to give you five tips to prepare your home to sell quickly and for top dollar.

  1. Make sure your home is show-ready before going on the market. We don’t want you to spend money on projects that you won’t get a return on. Fresh paint, new carpet, and landscaping can completely change your home and bring you huge dividends.
  2. Only use professional photography of your home. Most of the buyers who see your home will see it online first, and your pictures are your storefront. What people see online will determine whether they want to come inside your home or move on to the next one. Additionally, don’t post your listing if your pictures aren’t ready; if it says your pictures are coming soon, buyers may not come back to it.
    “What people see online will determine whether they want to come inside your home or move on to the next one.”
  3. Make the repairs that you know need to be made. Buyers, for the most part, don’t want to make repairs, and if they do, they want to be compensated for the time it takes and the risk of things that could happen while they do it. We’ve had great success with pre-inspections and telling buyers to make their offers contingent on that. It makes for a smoother transaction and it’s a known quantity that stops you from going back and forth on negotiations.
  4. Put on your “buyer glasses.” Do you need to declutter? Do you need to move some furniture into a storage area? Also, when people come through the home, leave on the lights and have the curtains open. People want lots of natural light; if they can’t see it while they tour the home, they’ll assume it’s not there at all.
  5. Price your home properly from the beginning.This is especially important. Time on the market is not a good thing for a home. Think of it like a salad; it won’t get better with time. History has shown that the closer you price your home to market value, the less negotiation you’ll have, and the more return you’ll get.

Selling a home is a process, and there are a lot of moving parts. Know your target market and know how to best market to the needs of that group, and it will pay massive dividends.

If you have any questions or need any help, please feel free to reach out. I’d be happy to help you.