Preparing to sell your home includes deciding what needs to get done, hiring an agent (unless you do it yourself), agreeing on a price, and listing your home, which includes taking photographs.
As you are reading, I suggest you record what work you plan to do in the "Notes" section at the end of the book. Before you contact agents, complete the list of changes you would like to accomplish.
I find a fresh perspective really helps people determine what changes to make in their home. To really "see" what your home looks like, try the following at night: turn the lights on inside your home, go outside and look in through the windows of your house. Doing this exercise will give you a new point of view and truly captures what your home looks like. My husband and I do this periodically; it feels as if we are looking at a TV or movie set and it helps us to determine if we want to make any changes.
Looking inside your home in this manner will help you see the clutter, the outdated kitchen, the oversized furniture, the worn-looking sofa and other problems. Write down all the changes you would like to make.
I also recommend that you take photographs of your property and inside the home as this will also help you decide what needs to be altered.
You may be tempted to sell your home on your own, thus avoiding paying an agent, but I strongly advise against that practice. An agent can market your home far better than you can, and in this buyer's market, you need all possible advantages.
Additionally, after reading this book, you will be pretty certain about what you need to do to make your home sell. However, if you are considering any major renovations, I strongly advise you to seek the advice of a real estate professional before you do anything. The agent can tell you what condition comparable homes are in and what renovations will help sell your home.
An agent will also know what specific home improvements are trendy and hot in your market. Most importantly, an agent will give you a realistic price to sell your home. Also, you can ask what the selling price would be if sold "as is" and then after the changes you plan to make are implemented.
If you don't have a budget yet, this might help determine what you choose to spend, especially when it comes to major renovations.
However, you may be discouraged that your planned improvements might not raise the value as much as you would like. However, keep in mind that in a buyer's market, selling your home is the goal. By improving the look and feel of your place it will make it sell much more quickly. Homes that sell quickly get closer to—or more—of the asking price than homes that languish on the market.
Before you hire an agent, you can get an idea of what your home is worth by using a real estate appraisal website. Here are several:
You can also look for comparable homes to yours at sites that list homes, like www.Realtor.com.
You can begin the process of finding an agent while still doing homework on what changes you need to make in your home. Your homework involves seeing what comparable homes look like and what they are selling for.
Visit homes for sale when they have their open houses. In addition to seeing prices on homes, study the features inside and out. During an open house, listen to what potential buyers are saying about the different features, what they like and dislike.
Go to online sites like www.Realtor.com for even more information. You can insert your zip code in the search box and compare houses similar to yours. The key is to see what type of features they have and how long the house has been on the market.
Study what is hot or trendy in decorating. While buyers know they aren't buying your possessions, having a stylish look—as opposed to an outdated one—will make your home look current. Buyers will assume that if you keep your look up to date, you will also have maintained your home. In addition, a great looking home will be associated with increased status and good taste—something buyers seek.
Put another way, imagine your home is decorated with doilies, teacup collections and plastic covered furniture. Potential buyers will see an obsolete home. Nobody wants to move into a home that will make them feel old and behind the times!
You can also flip through magazines for what's hot in decoration and eco-friendly features. Here are some good magazines to read:
- Natural Home
- Dwell
- Better Homes and Gardens
- InStyle Home
- Oprah's Home
- Home
Things to look for in magazines include trendy colors. Every year has its hot colors and they show up in magazines. You can use trendy colors with things like pillows or candles. Trendy colors feel fresh and people will respond to them.
Note that magazines never feature homes crammed with stuff; rather, there will be minimal amounts of objects, and you will likely see only a couple beautiful accessories and lots of space between furniture.
As you study homes in your price range, see what features they have. Do the homes have granite countertops or tile? Is there carpeting or hardwood floors? In this market, make improvements to be on par or even a notch above comparable homes, especially if there is a glut of homes in your area.
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