As the real estate market returns to some kind of semblance of normalcy, like many other homeowners you may be looking at ways to improve your chances when it comes to selling your home. There are a number of factors that play into whether you can get full value for that home, from where it is located to the kind of neighborhood it is in and even how long you have owned it. But while these are not factors you can do anything about, you can improve your chances of selling, and for the price you want, dramatically. Here are a few tips to help you get that house ready to be on the market and selling fast.
The Outside – Curb Appeal
When a prospective buyer walks up to your doorway, what do they see? If you think that all that matters when selling your home is the physical property or house, you would be very mistaken. That all important first impression is what is going to help sell your home. Have you done your homework and made it as appealing from the curb to the front door as you can?
This would include a bit of landscaping to make sure that it looks valued and cared for from the front yard, clean and uncluttered in both front and back yards and a clean safe well lit pathway from the driveway to the front door. A small investment in flowers for front yard flower beds would be worth every penny. If you have trees, be sure to have a professional look them over and trim them if the season is right for it. Just as you wouldn’t head out to a meeting with your hair uncombed, don’t invite potential buyers without first neatening up the yards.
The Inside – Time to Declutter
Now that you have cleared up the front entrance to make it more welcoming, it is time to do the same with the inside of the house. While it may be just common sense to remove toys from the floors and piles of laundry from the bedroom, there is more to decluttering then just this. Walk through your home and try to see it from the vantage point of a potential buyer.
When you remove the knick-knacks and other type of clutter from bookshelves, take away the big clunky chair you may love but blocks the room entrance and maybe store away extra bits in the closets, the room opens up. If you have curtains, you may want to be sure they are fully pulled back or even removed. A big bright room will sell a house faster than the latest improvements.
Making the Pitch – Staging for Fast Sale
For some homes, getting a professional to help you to stage the house can also make a big difference. Some real estate firms even offer this service for free. This is a way that many realtors help to make a home more appealing by actually creating an artificial look, usually based on the furniture in the home that is meant to convey a specific look.
If you have ever seen photos of homes in magazines about living you will know what a staged room looks like. They look like a stage for a theatrical production; all they need are the actors. In this case those actors may actually be you, or they may be your realtor. Regardless, these methods will all help you to sell your home quickly.
