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Contact Tina
for a Free no obligation in-home consultation and market analysis.
503-267-9378
It is critical to list your home at the right price and it is important to get it right the first time. The original list price is the single most important factor to selling your home. Read our complete list of Tips for Setting the Price of your home.
Nothing turns a Buyer off faster than a dirty house. Kitchens and baths are critical. If you don't have time, hire someone. If you have pets, make sure your house doesn't smell like pets. Keep them in the garage while you are trying to sell, so your house continues to look and smell good. If you smoke be prepared to have that fact be a deal breaker for most Buyers. I have not found a way to remove the cigarette smoke smell short of a complete interior make over. Similarly with pet and strong food odors. These can be difficult to remove and will turn many buyers off.
This home selling tip is often overlooked and yet one of the most powerful. A good option is to rent a storage unit and temporarily store most of your personal items and excess furniture. Get it down to a few good pieces of furniture in each room that coordinate well together. Look at pictures of homes online and in magazines to get ideas of what a perfect home should look like and try to get your's there. You can hire an Interior Designed by the hour to help you. Remove all those family photos and personal mementoes. The Buyer needs to be able to picture themselves living in the home and they can't do that while looking at 20 years of your Grandchildren. Pay particular attention to the kitchen. The countertops should have as little as possible on them and the refrigerator should be totally free from magnets and photos. In the bathroom, hide all your shampoos and products. Empty counters, showers, and tubs show best.
Landscaping is far more important than most Sellers realize. If the house isn't appealing on the outside, many Buyers won't even bother looking at the inside. Again clean is at the top of the list. No dead plants or empty pots sitting around. Trim any overgrown bushes, mow the lawn, get the flower beds weed free and full of color. Next look at the house. Paint any areas with chipped paint, power wash the steps, wash the windows and make the front door shine.
Most Buyers are not going to appreciate the multi colored bedrooms or murals your children love. If your home has a different color in every room, you should paint the entire house the same color. Stay away from white and look for a "mocha" or some other neutral color. The paint store can help you pick the best color for selling. We call it "Realtor Beige". If most of your house is nicely coordinated then only paint the rooms that don't blend in. If you don't have the time or money to paint then at least 'touch-up' areas that are chipped or stained.
If you can afford to hire a professional it can make a difference. Staging can be expensive. Most Stagers use their furniture or rent it. Depending on the size of your home and the number of rooms you have staged, the cost could be between $1000. and $2000. per month. A less expensive option is to hire a Stager by the hour to work with your furniture. The cost is around $50 to $75 per hour and is well worth the investment. If your home is vacant even a few items and accessories can help it look more appealing.
Realtors often hire professional photographers to take the pictures of your home. The cost is around $100, and money well spent.. Some Realtors are very good at taking photos, but not all. Most Buyers shop for homes on the internet and look at photos to determine which houses they are interested in viewing. Bad photos mean no showings.
In a Buyers Market like the one we are in right now, Sellers need to be very flexible about when your home can be shown. There are so many homes on the market that a Buyer will skip right over yours if your schedule doesn't match theirs. Remember, a Buyer can't buy what they don't see. You want them to see yours. Keep extra items in your car if you have children (snacks, diapers, water) so you can be away on short notice. You should NEVER be present during a showing. Let the Buyer's Agent do the selling, after all they are the professional.
Don't be afraid to share any ideas you might have with your Agent; remember you are selling your home, and being a partner with your agent will help. Contrary to what you might hear, an open houses won't sell your home. Buyers do extensive research online before venturing out, so the days of wandering the neighborhoods looking for open house signs on Sunday are long gone. Buyers know what they want and typically where they want to live before looking at houses. Keep a stack of flyers in your home and fill the flyer box as it empties. Call your Agent every time your home is shown to give them the Buyers Agent's information. Following up with the Buyers Agent provides important feedback that will help your agent sell your home. Traditional marketing like newspaper ads don't work anymore. The Internet is the most important place to advertise and the MLS is only one site. There are other sites like Zillow and Craigslist where your home may benefit from exposure .
Homes are taking months to sell. Ask your Realtor how long the average home in your neighborhood is on the market. Remember statistics are averages and may not translate into what happens for any single house. Many factors will affect how long your house takes to sell: Price, condition, uniqueness, competition near by, neighborhood, and many others. Your home must look its best and be a good value as well. Would you want any less when you buy a new home?
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