Even if you do not consider yourself an investor, if you own a home, you are in fact, a real estate investor. Upsizing or downsizing your primary residence is actually one of the best (most lucrative) investments you can make, because your financial gain of your primary residence can be tax free! Upsizing, downsizing, or relocating, you want to make as much money as possible on your home sale. Regardless of why you are selling, most people want to sell fast because it can be exhausting to keep your home in show-ready condition at all times.
Here are a few ways to maximize your return when selling your home. Some require money, some require time, some require good advice from your experienced Realtor. There are certainly a few ways which you can use for selling your home fast without compromising on your profit. This blog includes 7 suggestions that generally help promote a quick sale with reduced stress.
Let the Realtor you select help you in prioritizing what you should do based on your budgetary constraints.
- Clean Your Home
Scrub and clean your home like your in-laws are visiting for a few weeks!
- Say goodbye to clutter. Pack it up into boxes and store it.
- Your entire home needs to be sparkling clean for EVERY showing or open house. You want all guests to know that the home is loved and well cared for.
- Rearrange your furniture so that it makes the space appear larger.
- Pick neutral but sophisticated colors to paint your interior walls. A fresh coat of paint can make a world of difference, yet is an affordable upgrade.
- Paint outdated kitchen cabinets and consider upgrading countertops if color is offensive.
- Have your heating and air conditioning units serviced and inspected. This should be done twice a year regardless. It is not uncommon for it to be left undone for several years, so if you have an inspection report with a recent service stamp on the units, it increases Buyer confidence that an expense problem will surface in their inspection.
- Remove and pack all clothing that you can live without during your home sale. Help closets appear to have ample space, by reducing bulk.
- Bedrooms should have the beds made, nothing on the floors, very organized, with minimal furniture.
Improve Your Curb Appeal
The first impression is key in selling a home fast. Improve your curb appeal to help a Buyer fall in love with your home. Here are a few ways to improve your curb appeal:
- If you are concerned about the condition of the roof, have it inspected by a professional. This is important because if a roof has a limited life, and you do not replace it, it can seriously reduce the number of Buyers who are getting a loan that requires a low down payment. At very least, remove any moss and clean the gutters.
- Mow the lawn on regular basis and keep the landscape well-groomed at all times.
- Plant some flowers to add some vibrant colors to add appeal to Buyers.
- If you have a front porch, freshen with a new coat of paint and create a nice sitting area.
- If you have any peeling paint, that can limit the number of Buyers that can get a low down loan, so it is important to address.
- Depersonalize Your Home
Create an environment that a Buyer can easily imagine their items in your home. Avoid distracting them with family and pet photos.
- Children toys should be put away when not in use, otherwise your home will seem messy and disorganized.
- A genderless look towards your home is preferable as you never know what a Buyers needs are. Tone down your bright pink room with a nice neutral tone that can easily be agreeable to both boys and girls, men and women.
- Take the smells out of the equation. If your home smells like dinner, go ahead and open the windows to help air out the area before a showing.
- Depersonalizing your home would definitely give a chance the buyers to visualize it as their home while touring.
- Hire a Professional Realtor
Select a professional Realtor to hire to market and sell your home quickly. Have them come over before you complete any renovations to make suggestions and help you prioritize. They will help you identify what will be an issue for a Buyer getting a loan on your house , which are definitely priority issues to deal with when putting a home on the market to sell quickly. A professional and experienced Realtor will not only save your precious time but they will also help you sell your home quick and for more money. They will do what they can to increase competition for your home.
- Select a Realtor that you feel comfortable with.
- Choose a Realtor who is technically oriented to ensure your home is being aggressively marketed.
- Work with a Realtor who is working Full Time.
- Interview more than one Realtor if you questions their productivity or professionalism.
- Set a Competitive Price
Sometimes Sellers overprice their home, sometimes they underprice, both can be painful. A Realtor will produce a competitive market analysis to show Sellers recent comparable sales, helping to guide them towards a fair market value pricing. We are currently in a Seller’s market, which means Buyers are waiting for new sales to hit the open market. It requires Buyers to act quickly and to write desirable offers. If a home sits on the market, a Buyer has the right to be suspicious that the Seller has overpriced their home. If a home is priced well, it may receive multiple offers to select from. A professional Realtor can help you find the most competitive pricing for your home so that you may sell it fast.
- Look over comparable sales.
- Consider current competition.
- Evaluate the Lending that will be available to Buyers on your home.
- Learn if loan interest rates are high or low.
- Have Your Home Ready Before Your Realtor has Photographs and Video.
When a home hits the MLS with a Realtor, it is going to get the most activity and everyone is clicking through your photographs and video to see if a match has been made. Waiting Buyers and Realtors are anxious to see the new listings that hit the market to see if it might be a fit for them, or their clients. If your listing photographs show up looking unkempt, or disheveled, you have wasted an awesome opportunity to make a great first impression to Buyers and their Realtors.
- Have all work you have discussed with your Realtor completed if it will be noticeable from the photos or videos
- Have home clean, freshened, and show ready!
- Open Blinds and windows to bring in as much natural light as possible.
- Have all beds made nicely and all clothing put away.
- If the weather outside has blue skies, it is ideal but not required.
- Lawns mowed and fresh flowers in bloom.
- During video, make sure if sound is being recorded, wait until the neighbor is done mowing the lawn.
- Light Your Home Up
Make your home light, bright and happy. You can use artificial or natural lighting to improve the lightening of your home.
- Make sure all light bulbs are operational. Use the high wattage light bulb to brighten up your space and create the best first impression.
- Open blinds and bring on the light. If you have dark curtains, remove them if they detract from the light, even if they are beautiful.
- If you are painting the interior, select a color that is light. No dark or dreary colors please!
- Thorough cleaning of your home and using few furniture items would also make your room larger.
Bonus Tip: Pick the Right Time to Sell Your Home
The time can be selected because of the time of year, or because of market conditions. Let your Realtor help you decide if you should wait, or if you are smart to act now and sell your home
