Introduction to Sell Your Home Fast in a Buyer’s Market, Continued

Buyers are also looking to move into a home in pristine turnkey condition. "Turnkey" means that the home is ready for occupation, that no changes are necessary for the new owners. Many families are already overwhelmed with children and jobs and have neither the time nor extra money to make changes. Make your house completely turnkey and priced right and it will sell quickly.

Ways to make your home eco-friendly will also be found throughout the book. A green home, you will discover, is healthier for you and the environment. Eco-friendly features are also becoming increasingly sought after by buyers.

You may be familiar with the concepts of "staging" and Feng Shui. The term "Home Staging" was coined by a woman named Barb Schwartz, who understood that a clean, organized home without the seller's "memories" sold faster than ones that were left untouched. I depart from traditional staging in that I don't like the literal "staging" part, as it seems fake. Instead, you will discover how to create an environment that feels and looks authentic. You will create a home that feels like a sanctuary. Buyers will gravitate to your home because it looks and feels so good. They will want to step into the lifestyle that you have created. Furthermore, you can apply what you learn about making your home look and feel good to your next place.

I have studied and practiced Feng Shui for many years, and if you are familiar with the practice, you will see principles of Feng Shui applied in this book. You will discover the importance of how energy flows throughout your home and how the placement of objects will help sell your home. Specific Feng Shui principles will help you get the most money possible for your home.

Central to understanding how to sell your home quickly is to understand what it is the buyer does when they shop for a home. When a buyer looks at a home, they invoke four senses:

• Sight
  
• Sound
  
• Smell
  
• Sixth sense: "how it feels"= the energy of a place
  

This book will explore the many ways to make your home delight the buyer's senses. When all four senses are positive, your home will sell quickly.

Currently, the overwhelming majority of buyers shop online for homes, finding places they will ask their agent to see. Buyers are not going to ask to see homes that don't look great, so it is crucial that you make your home look as inviting as possible and that good photographs are taken.

I wanted this book to be as current as possible, with input from real estate professionals working in this economy. Therefore, in 2009, I interviewed dozens of agents, staging professionals, interior designers, mortgage bankers and others in the real estate field around the country. They are quoted throughout the book for their expertise.

Keep in mind that above all other matters, price is the key factor that will sell your home and Step 2 is devoted to the subject.

To sell your home in a buyer's market, it is a given that it must be clean, clutter-free, and looking its absolute best. Additionally, you will need to decide what upgrades, home improvements and appliances to buy based on comparable homes in your market. For instance, it makes no sense to put a professional grade refrigerator, granite countertops and top-of-the line cabinetry in the kitchen you are selling if you own a starter home.

Making upgrades using eco-friendly choices will give your home a competitive advantage over similar homes in your market. Your home will sell faster than the competition because buyers are seeking out what is now becoming increasingly desirable. As the trend toward "green" renovations grows, buyers will feel as though they are hip for buying a home that features these cutting edge upgrades.

If you read and follow the advice in this book, you might end up transforming your house or condo into the home of your dreams! In fact, this book has a dual purpose--as a designer, my hope is that this book both helps sell your home and enables you to create your dream home in your next place. So, think about the project you are about to embark on—selling your home—as practice for your next place!

Instead of viewing this process as a chore, consider it a life-changing adventure. Once you have created the space that will sell your home, you will experience what it is like to live in it; even for a short period of time. You will understand what it is like to reside in a really clean, clutter-free, organized space with vibrant energy. If you are like most people, you will feel liberated, be more organized and calmer with less stuff in your life.

You can choose to read the book in its entirety and then do the work, or read and do the work Step by Step. Preparing a home for sale can be overwhelming. Try to give yourself plenty of time to get your home ready and focus on the task at hand, instead of worrying about everything that needs to get done.