7 Tips for Selling Your Home from a Seasoned Veteran

There are many reasons for selling a home. Two things are certain, however. When that sign is placed in the front yard, the hope is that the property will sell quickly and that the final selling price will be close to the asking price. If you’re realistic about the value of your property, and if you prepare diligently, you should be able to do just that.

There is a wealth of good advice, if you seek it out, to help you prepare a house for sale – advice about updating, decluttering, cleaning, making repairs and enhancing street appeal, and about pricing the property correctly. But, let’s face it, for most of us, moving is an emotional roller coaster. All the preparations are exhausting, and the turmoil, seemingly, doesn’t end when the moving vans appear.

There is the uncertainty. There is too much to do; too many decisions to make; too much disruption to handle. And, in this information age, there is sometimes too much information.

If you are contemplating a move, considering selling a home, here are seven tips, learned through experience over the course of a lifetime. I have moved a lot. Through circumstance or by choice, I have not yet in my lifetime been able to retain the same address for five consecutive years. Chalk it up to incurable, insatiable wanderlust, a fickle personality – or to a lack of commitment – but it’s true.

1. Make the decision first. Really, consciously make the decision to sell; wrap your mind around the idea. Commit to the thought. And then get to work. Never reconsider. Never waiver. Look forward to your new life in a new place. Hold that thought.
2. Do the necessary work. That means both the “homework” and the physical labor. In the “homework” category are all those phone calls to Realtors and contractors. The Realtors will give you information that you need to make a proper decision on price and timing. The contractors, if needed, will help you return your property to tip-top condition.
3. Clean, clean, clean. Repaint and repair, both inside and out. Replace light bulbs, fix doorknobs, recaulk bathtubs, install towel bars, replace window shades and blinds. Pull weeds, mow the grass, plant flowers, trim trees. Hang a new mailbox. Install larger house numbers.
4. Pack it up. Put away all out-of-season clothing, and at least half the kids’ toys. Pack half the books in the shelves. Pack half the dishes in the kitchen cabinets. Clean out the garage. Rent a mini-warehouse if necessary. Put away many of the very personal photos, partly for security and privacy reasons, but also so that prospective buyers can form a mental image of themselves in the space.
5. Consider calling a professional home stager, if your Realtor doesn’t suggest it first. And listen to the advice given. It is not a reflection on your decorating taste, nor on your housekeeping skills. Home staging today is a marketing tool; many Real Estate professionals have a Stager on their “team.” It works: Nationally, staged home sell in about half the time, and for about 30 percent higher prices.
6. Take out the trash daily. Resolve never to leave a pair of shoes by the door, a coffee cup in the sink or a pile of towels on the bathroom floor. Resolve never to leave the dog’s dishes on the floor; or the cat’s litter box untended.
7. Open the blinds, spray vanilla scent, turn on ALL the lights and leave the house for every showing.

Soon enough, you’ll be asking for unpacking assistance, whether your move is across town or across the country. You’ll be happy you did so much work upfront; the bonus is that if you packed well and labeled boxes properly, the move-in will not be such a chore. Organization pays off, on both sides of the move.