The following post is by MPFJ staff writer,Laurie Blank. Laurie is a wife, mother to 4 and homesteader who blogs about personal finance, self-sufficiency and life in general over at The Frugal Farmer. Part witty, part introspective and part silly, her goal in blogging is to help others find their way to financial freedom and to a simpler, more peaceful life.
Real estate experts say spring is the busiest home buying season, with June being the peak month for home sales. However, simply listing your house for sale during the busy season won’t necessarily get it sold quickly. Appearance and marking still play a part.
Here are 7 things you can do to help your home sell fast no matter what the market.
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Use a Good Realtor
As with any other profession, not all realtors are good at what they do. Ask for referrals from friends and family, and interview at least three realtors before choosing the one who will help you sell your home. A good realtor can mean the difference between a pleasant home selling experience and a not-so-pleasant one.
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Stage Your Home Well
Staging your home means making it look as much as possible like a model home you would see in a new housing development. Staging well involves taking special care to make your home shine using the following techniques.
Do Some Serious Decluttering & Depersonalizing
The goal with staging is to enable those who view your home at showings to be able to see themselves living there. Put away all items that personalize your home, such as family photos, monogrammed items and stuffed animals.
Also, minimize the amount of stuff that is in your home, even in closets and storage areas. You want your home to appear as if there is plenty of room in it and as if it is well taken care of and kept super clean. This might mean needing to rent a storage garage or having to give away lots of “stuff” to local thrift stores. Your home should look its very best, being clean, shiny and uncluttered.
Remove Overly Worn and Tacky Furniture and Accessories
That singing fish you got from Uncle Joe last Christmas? Yeah, that needs to go while your house is on the market. So does any overly worn furniture or accessories. If you need to replace overly worn items, do so by buying stuff you were going to purchase anyway or by getting super good deals on replacement items at thrift stores or on Craigslist. Make sure any new items you bring into your home match the current décor and don’t carry with them any odd smells or stains.
Update the Interior
If you’re still boasting mint green and peach walls and bedding, now might be the time to change things up. Paint where necessary using modern and neutral colors that appeal to a large variety of tastes on your walls and for your bedding, etc.
Don’t Forget Curb Appeal
The last but possibly most important part of staging your home to sell is to make sure your lawn looks neat and attractive. Make sure that the lawn is mowed, weeds are eliminated and any flowers or bushes are well trimmed. Remove and clutter from the yard and be sure the entrance area appears welcoming by adding a small mat, sitting bench, flowers or other accessories. Your house should shine on the outside as well as on the inside.
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Price it Right
Your realtor should be able to show you comparable sales and listings that can give you an idea of what price you should list your house for. Use your own research too, checking online for similar sizes and conditions of homes in similar areas to help determine what you should price your house at. Pricing too high will result in a longer market time, and pricing too low will mean you lose out on thousands in cash.
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Make it Easy to View Your Home
Be accommodating to prospective buyers and be ready to leave your home for showings on short notice, keeping it clean and organized at all times. Prospective buyers who have to try two and three times to see your house may just give up and shop elsewhere.
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Remove Evidence of Pets
Where possible, remove all pet paraphernalia such as litter boxes, pet toys and feeding bowls. Also, make sure your house is thoroughly vacuumed and get the carpets cleaned if necessary, so that pet evidence is minimal to none.
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Ensure the Listing Has Good Photos
Photos on your listing should be of good quality, accenting the best features of your home. Have a large kitchen? Make sure your realtor takes the picture from the view that will best highlight that. Does your master bath have a Jacuzzi tub? If so, include that in the pictures. The photos on your listing should help your home put its best foot forward.
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Be Willing to Negotiate
When buyers make an offer on a home, they will often ask for perks such as seller paid closing costs or the inclusion of furniture or other items. Your home will sell faster if you are flexible on your price and/or other aspects that make potential buyers feel like they are getting a good deal.
By taking the steps above you are creating an environment that will help your home sell quickly and easily.
How about you all? What features attract you when you are home shopping?
Share your experiences by commenting below!
***Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/cloneofsnake/727899051/sizes/l
