Tips for Selling Your Home
Are you trying to sell your home? It is something that my family and I have done before. I have found that it may take some work and patience, but it can be done. The way I see it, every home sells eventually. With that said, here are a few tips for helping the selling process along:
Do Your Own Research
Do your homework. Before making contact with a realtor it is a good idea to look at what comparable homes are selling for in your neighborhood, how long the homes sat on the market and who sold them. Doing so will help you form a realistic idea of what you might be able to get for your home, how long you might have to wait for a sale and what realtors are actually moving properties.
Pick the Right Realtor
Over the course of my lifetime, my family and I have dealt with many rotten realtors. We have also encountered a few brilliant ones. The worst one showed up at our home intoxicated. After we fired her she spent the rest of the night drunk dialing our phone number. We found her in the phone book. One of the best realtors we’ve ever encountered worked her butt off to sell our house quickly and get us the price we wanted. We found her thanks to a recommendation from someone who had worked with her before.
Therefore, based on my experience, I’d suggest that homeowners search for a realtor as if they were looking for someone to watch over their piggy bank. Interview, interview and then interview some more until you find the one that you trust. Talking to the realtor’s former clients isn’t such a bad idea either. It might give you a better perspective on whether or not that realtor is really someone you want to work with.
Impress But Don’t Over Invest
Resist the urge to over invest in home improvements that will not increase your home’s selling value. Sure, that new granite counter top and heated, travertine floor will look good during the open house but will it really get you a return on your investment? That’s what you need to ask yourself each time a realtor suggests that you make a home improvement in order to move your home faster. My family and I always take the cost of the improvement and weigh it against what it will potentially do to the home’s asking price. If the numbers don’t make sense, we invest the money elsewhere into something that has the potential to give us the return we need.
Remove Personal Items
One of the first things that I learned about selling a home is to remove all personal effects. They can be distracting to potential buyers. I once made the mistake of leaving my antique photo collection on display and the potential buyers spent more time looking at the photos than they did the house. Remember, the goal is for the potential buyers to envision themselves living in the home with their things, not leave them with a lasting impression of your things. As such, I’d suggest that you pack away all personal items before the first showing. Just think of it as getting a head start on moving day.
Killeen Gonzalez has owned several homes in her lifetime. She has also completed home improvement projects with her family.
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