6 Tricks to Help You Sell Your Home Faster
As we prepare for our Spring Parade of Homes tour (opening March 4th in the Twin Cities), we thought it was a great time to share some excellent tips about preparing your current home for sale from our guest blogger, Beth Kotz. It’s a sellers market right now, so if you’ve been thinking of upgrading or downsizing, a new home that you can find on the Parade of Homes may be just the ticket!
Every homeowner wants their property to sell as quickly as possible when it’s put on the market. In fact, a home that remains on the market for too long is actually seen as a possible lemon in the industry.
Avoid a long wait by using these tips to sell your home fast – buyers may be knocking on your door tomorrow!
Show Off the Property
Find your inner photographer and shoot the property from nearly every angle. Buyers want to see photos of every major space, including the living room, hallways and bedrooms. Take the pictures from an angle that makes each room appear large. A home may be only 1,000-square feet, but a properly aligned photo can make it look like a mansion. Don’t forget to photograph the exterior elements too. In essence, buyers want to take a virtual tour of the home through your photos before hopping in the car. The right photos will draw in buyers from all corners of the neighborhood.
•Show the same room from several angles, like the beautiful living room in our upcoming Parade of Homes #102 from Key Land Homes.*
Be the Early Bird
Selling a home in May and June is the most common time for real-estate transactions. However, this time period also means that competition is fierce between sellers. Put your home on the market by March or April if possible. This late-winter time period requires you to fix up the home as quickly as possible. Consider paying for smaller repair projects with a rewards credit card, so you can spread the payments across several months while immediately benefiting from the included rewards.
Focus on Exterior Accents
The home’s exterior is the first feature that’s evaluated by buyers, so proper maintenance is key to a strong first impression. Walk out to the sidewalk, and look at the home with a critical eye. Trim the bushes, trees and lawn before putting the home on the market. Add pops of color by using strategically placed pots filled with flowers. Consider a pressure washing to the home’s exterior walls. Wipe down the exterior windows. All of these chores can can result in a rapid sale. Buyers ultimately want a home that’s turnkey ready, especially when many properties are available in the same area. (Editors Note: While it’s still winter in the Twin Cities, you can still clean up those scraggly bushes, keep your roof free from snow (and avoid ice dams), and add some spruce tips with colorful bows to invite the eye.)
Lights, Camera, Action
Regardless of the time of year, accent the home with distinct lighting. Add fixtures under kitchen cabinets so that the countertops can shine brightly. Consider exterior lighting that highlights new siding or an attractive walkway to the front door. Lights can also be installed at tree bases so that a huge species can be the focal point as visitors walk up to the property. Light up the interior with track or recessed lighting too. No area should be without lights because a darkened space only turns buyers off.
Replacing a dated chandelier over the dining room table with a new fixture can give a room a whole new look. The pendent version shows off perfectly in the home by David Weekley Homes that appeared on last Spring’s Parade of Homes.
Become a Model
Pictures of your family and collectible mementos may dot your property. Although these are treasured objects to you, they may not accentuate the home for potential buyers. Clear out the clutter by renting out a storage unit. Make the home into a model that you might see in an architectural magazine. As buyers walk in the door, they’ll be able to visualize themselves in the living room or cooking in the kitchen. Removing the clutter also makes the space bigger, which is attractive to almost every buyer.
Explore the Internet
Your real-estate agent will keep up with the advertising portion of your sale, but let curiosity set in by searching for your house online. Go to the Trulia, Zillow and Realtor.com websites, and type in your address. Verify that all of the information is complete and truthful. Edits can always be made if dimensions or other data is slightly off. In addition, ask your agent about their social-media presence. Advertising the home through the agent’s online contacts is another way to quickly move the property into escrow.
Work closely with your real-estate agent so that the sale can be as rapid and lucrative as possible. These professionals have insider information that can be used in specific regions, especially when it comes to good schools or top amenities in the homes.
By listening and respecting your agent’s advice, and following the tips we’ve listed above, your home can be a top seller in no time!
Beth Kotz is a business writer and contributor to Credit.com. She has also been featured as a writer and editor for numerous blogs in the energy, entertainment