Here are the top 10 tips to ensure a speedy sale.
Setting the right price and making an excellent first impression are both essential to attracting buyers, but what else can you do to get the offers rolling in?
1) Price it right from the start
Sellers often think they should start the asking price high and then lower it later if the house fails to sell.
“The first 30 days” activity of your house being on the market is always the best activity you’re going to see.
If the price is to high, many buyers will stay away, assuming you’re not serious about selling or your unwilling to negotiate.
Make sure you’ve taken the time to complete a comparable market analysis.
2) Enhance your home’s ‘curb appeal’
This could mean adding new sod, planting flowers, painting the front door or replacing the mailbox.
Prospective buyers form an opinion the moment they spot the home.
A good ‘curb appeal’ is essential.
Driving into the driveway and walking into the front door sets the expectations.
3) Update the interior and exterior
New fixtures, fresh paint and updated landscaping are all fairly easy and affordable ways to give your home a makeover.
Painting is one of the least expensive things you can do and it makes the biggest impact.
It’s got to look up to the current market conditions and what’s in style.
Experts recommend using neutral colours like beige, white, off-white and grey because they create inviting living spaces and attract more buyers. Colours to avoid include pink, lime green or lavender because they evoke strong emotions.
4) Clean, declutter and depersonalize
They say cleanliness is next to godliness, and when it comes to staging your home for sale, a little elbow grease goes a long way.
The fewer things there are in the home, the larger it will look, so remove knickknacks and excess furniture.
Also take down family photos, religious items and political posters so prospective buyers can envision their family in the house, not yours.
Finally, consider hiring a cleaning service to do a deep cleaning.
5) Stage the house to show how the rooms are supposed to be used
If you have odd rooms with no obvious role, give them one.
An odd alcove off the kitchen could be staged as an office or a pantry, for example.
6) Make the property easy to show
The more flexible you are about visits, the more people will be able to see your house.
Be ready for prospective visitors early in the morning, at night and weekends, with little notice.
Would-be buyers should feel free to move about without feeling like intruders and discuss the home’s pros and cons honestly.
7) Remove your pets
Also remove their paraphernalia, such as dog dishes and cat little boxes (or at least hide them).
A prospective buyer shouldn’t even know that a pet lives in the home if you can help it.
8) Ensure the listing has good photos, and lots of them
Most home buyers start their search online and decide which homes they want to see based on the photos.
You want to showcase the best elements of your home.
9) Share information about life in the neighborhood
The listing should include photos not only of the house, but also of nearby recreation, dining and shopping areas.
If the schools, or local playgrounds are good, make sure that information is in the listing.
You are not only marketing your home – you are marketing a lifestyle.
10) Choose the right finance partner
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