How To Get The Best Price for Your Home
Originally posted on www.ShielaHanlon.net.
We know that selling your home is a stressful. For most people, selling their home is the biggest financial transaction they will make in their lives.
Selling your home comes down to three key areas:
Price
You want to price your home at or just below market value. Your real estate agent will provide you with information on comparable homes that have recently sold in your neighborhood. This, in consideration of your personal situation, will help you make the best decision on how to price your home. As your agent receives feedback from prospective buyers and other real estate agents, you can revisit the price, if needed.
Presentation
You want to show your home in the best light possible. And, you want to make
your home appeal to the broadest audience. The more prospective buyers your home attracts, the higher the chance you will sell your home quickly for a good price.
This is the hardest part of selling a home. You have to “de-personalize” the very place that has been a reflection of your individuality; your personal expression of your lifestyle and beliefs. Now, you need to step back and let prospective buyers envision themselves and their life in the home.
Access
You want to make it as easy as possible for buyers to see your home. It’s not easy to do while you’re living there. Allowing a “For Sale” sign to be placed on the property, leaving a lockbox on the door, and keeping the amount of time required to give notice of a showing are all great ways to make your home as accessible to prospective buyers as possible.
Your Home’s Benefits
Every home has at least one key feature that is especially desirable to buyers. Your real estate agent can help you determine what is the best aspect of your home to focus on when staging and marketing your home.
General Staging Recommendations
Suggestions to best show your home to sell quickly in today’s market.
All of these suggestions are to make your home look as big and bright as possible. Why? Because this is what most buyers want.
- Neutralize, de-clutter, and de-personalize to attract the largest potential buyer audience possible. Remember, you want to sell your home! People often have different tastes, different beliefs, different lifestyles, etc. Your goal is to make potential buyers feel comfortable viewing your home.
- The use of each room should be defined. A “multi-use” room confuses potential buyers. When you leave things “up to their imagination” potential buyers may not imagine things in a way that leads to an offer.
- Each room should look as large as possible. You are selling square footage. A 1200 square foot home can “feel” like a 1500 square foot home – and the reverse is also true!
- A prospective buyer should be able to easily move about every room in the home. Nothing should be blocking their way to a window. Especially a window that looks out onto pretty landscaping or views.
The Aroma of Home
We are often focused on how a home looks, but how it smells is nearly as 
important. Smell is a very powerful sense that can evoke pleasant – or unpleasant — memories. You want your buyers to feel that “aroma of home.”
- If you have pets, it is best to have a friend or family member take care of them – or board them – while you are selling the home. If this is not possible, be sure to have somewhere they can safely stay (like a carrier or penned-in area) during showings.
- We get used to the smell of our pets. The smell of a home is very important. I have personally seen buyers walk out of a
home without touring it because they didn’t like the way it smelled.
If possible, keep the areas that your pet(s) can roam around in to a minimum. - If you smoke in the house, stop now. Like pets, a smoker does not realize how smoke residue smells to non-smokers. Switching to electronic cigarettes is one option.
- Use a pleasant-smelling, but not too strong, plug in. Vanilla, cinnamon, and the like are good options.
- Keep a can of Febreze nearby. A little spray around the rugs, bathrooms, and furniture before a showing can do wonders.
Getting Help
You may want to consider hiring help to clean, paint, and repair. Your real estate agent may be able to recommend some vendors. Otherwise, Yelp, Angie’s List, Thumbtack.com and HomeAdvisor are all good sources. Always get at least three bids for larger jobs. Check reviews and references. See Resources below.
You don’t have to go it alone! Partnering with an experienced Realtor® can help you prepare your home to sell as quickly as possible — for the best possible price.
Shiela Hanlon is a Houston-area Realtor® with many years experience selling residential homes, commercial properties, and land. There are many benefits to working with Shiela. Learn more here.
Resources
https://www.yelp.com/
http://www.angieslist.com/how-it-works.htm
http://www.homeadvisor.com/
https://www.thumbtack.com/