So, selling a home. Any tips?

[MichelleCarmen]

The plan is to put my house up on the market in about a month.

So far, on my list is:

* rent storage unit to store stuff so house isn''t cluttered
* clean house/windows (obviously)
* cover outside ground in beauty bark
* remove 1/2 of furniture so house is more open and less "personal"

PLEASE help with some other great tips! It''s nerve racking to think of the amount of stuff that needs to get done in only 30-35 days.

 

[steph72276]

Well, b/c my hubby''s job has moved us around so much, I am pretty much an expert! Our last home was on the market for a week....3 people saw it and we got 2 contracts. Here is what i can think of right now.

Make sure walls are a neutral color...when things are brightly colored, people are looking at what work they would have to do to paint it.
Always make sure things are clean, clean, clean!
Remove family pictures so people can visualize themselves there
Bake a batch of cookies before it is shown or get a good scented candle to burn before they arrive
Have some plants out front
Have brochures with all the features and talk about school district if you are in a good one.

That''s all I can think of off the top of my head! Good luck!

 

[crystalheart1]

Hi

We are going through this now and are probably doing more than necessary. Not only paint , but it is also a good idea to replace door handles on bath, bedroom, and closet doors if needed. Also, make sure door jams are in good shape

Make sure all woodwork is painted - no knicks or scratches.


Lots of curb appeal. First impression is stong when potential buyers first see your house.

Remove most of your personal items on display. LESS IS more..

Make the house smell yummy. I just bought some of those Scented reed thingys and they make the house smell fresh and clean.

If you have pets, try not to let any of their items around the house

 

[DivaDiamond007]

I agree with the others but would like to add - bake something yummy in the oven. When DH and I go to open houses I love walking in and smelling cookies or a pie baking. It really makes the house feel like home.

Jess

 

[lyra]

It sounds like you have a handle on everything. I so hate selling houses! Clean, clean, clean and declutter. There''s too much pressure on you these days from all those shows on tv about house staging, I swear!!! When we look at houses, we totally ignore everything but the bones of the place anyway, but I guess you have to be competitive with everyone else''s open houses. Good luck!

 

[monarch64]

I would suggest using clear plastic runners for showings. They''re not super expensive and and a potential buyer would appreciate that the current owners are trying to keep things clean for the next. Oh, and make sure your fridge and freezer are super clean, nothing worse than peeking into a dirty, crusty refrigerator. (Yes, I looked inside fridges when we were house-hunting..I have no shame.)

 

[monarch64]

I forgot something that was a deal-maker for me when we chose our house: there was an info packet (basically just a few computer printed pages stapled together) that concisely stated all the upgrades/modifications the previous owners had done to the house on the bare dining room table for us to take and keep. The info served as a handy guide for us to refer back to, it really highlighted a few really important things like all new electrical, new furnace, etc., and the years each had been updated or installed. It was easier to read than the realtor''s brochure and imo was a big selling point. We bought this house when the market had exploded back in ''04, but we had looked at 10 other houses prior to this one and it had the "it" factor because these previous owners had really done their homework. It was on the market for only 5 days before we saw it and put an offer on it.

I just googled "helpful tips on showing house for sale" and came up with lots of other goodies...peaceful background music, all lights turned on, all doors open, no pets in the house or loose in the yard, etc.

Good luck, MC!

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Date: 3/21/2008 8:50:52 PM
Author: lyra
It sounds like you have a handle on everything. I so hate selling houses! Clean, clean, clean and declutter. There''s too much pressure on you these days from all those shows on tv about house staging, I swear!!! When we look at houses, we totally ignore everything but the bones of the place anyway, but I guess you have to be competitive with everyone else''s open houses. Good luck!

I agree. You can paint and replace certain fixtures that you don''t like and it won''t cost a lot of money.

I also tend to think that not too many prospective buyers care if you have family pics out or other not too personal items. None of it will be there when you move in so why does it even matter?

Good luck on your sale MC!

 

[VegasAngel]

I have to say about the pictures my realtor mother in law always recommends removing pictures. Not only because people want to be able to picture themselves in the home but also, & this is terrible, some people judge the home based on who lives in it (Black, white, asian etc.) I cant believe some of the things she tells me clients say.

Already mentioned but declutter, make it feel homey by adding some plants or a fruit bowl, a welcome mat or home sweet home type of thing, make sure yard is maintained. Also, be sure & hide all your valuables, checkbooks, bills any identifying info that someone with bad intentions may take during showings. GoodLuck!

 

[Elmorton]

We've been attending open houses every Sunday for a weeks, so here are some things from a potential buyer's perspective:

1) Closets - we will ALWAYS open the closets and take a peek inside. I can't tell you how many closets I've opened that don't have any sense of organization and there's crap just jammed inside every which way. You can make a decent sized closet look REALLY small doing that. Closet organizing systems are a HUGE plus for me.

2)If there is wallpaper, please, please take it down. Every time I see wallpaper, I think "Oh great, not only would I have to paint, but I'd have to deal with that, too!" Same goes for bright colors. We went to an open house more than a month ago that had a huge red hallway/stairway and mallard duck wallpaper in the bathroom. It was a turn-off, for sure.

3) Take your shampoo and stuff out of the shower, put tooth brushes away, make sure there is nothing in the sink.

4) Yes, those flyers are AWESOME. Take pictures of the best rooms and put them in the flyer, too.

5)Take EVERYTHING off of the counters - the toaster, the coffee pot, everything. In the houses where the toaster was sitting there, I've thought that there wasn't enough counter space. In the ones with their stuff put away, I've been impressed with the counter space.

6) OPEN THE WINDOWS! We went to a couple houses where I was shocked that there was no light until I realized they had dark, dark curtains or blinds pulled down, etc.

7) Take your pets and all pet stuff with you. One house we went to was gorgeous, but we got to meet the family's cat, then found bowls for another cat, and then bowls for the dogs and beds for the dogs downstairs. Even though we have pets, I started worrying about stains, odors, etc.

Did someone say paint the woodwork??? We've been looking at old houses, and any time we see natural woodwork painted over, we want to cry. If your home has character, play it up - that the kind of stuff we're looking for and notice.

 

[Haven]

You have some great advice here. We just spent the last six months searching for a home, so here''s what I noticed while we were on the hunt:

- Definitely declutter. I''d remove everything I could get away with. I know you have children so that probably makes it a bit more difficult, but the the people who one the home we just bought (YAY!!!!) have two small children, and all of their toys were neatly placed in bins and containers so it didn''t look bad at all.

- I LOVE the homes with fresh-baked cookies. It''s not a deal-maker or breaker, but I can tell you that my FI definitely remembered all the homes that came with cookies during an open house, and he was enthusiastic about going back for a second look when I asked!

- I''d avoid bold colors on the walls if you''re thinking of repainting. I saw a great home during an open house last week, but the walls had ridiculously bold colors--bright red, vibrant yellow, burnt orange--it was the first thing I said to our realtor when she asked about it. The funny thing--my realtor had spoken to the homeowners who told her they repainted all of the walls for the sale.

- This is probably just a personal thing, but I''m much more interested in a home if I think the owners have good taste in books and artwork. Okay, I''m SURE this is unique to me, but if I like a home and then I see that the owners have some really great literature on their bookshelves, I''m more open to it. I think I feel like they''ll leave some good energy behind, or something. SO, that being said, if all you read are James Patterson hardcovers--hide ''em! (I''m kidding, a bit.)

- Staging is important. I think people even hire professionals to stage their furniture, so if you have the flexibility I''d play around with your furniture and see which setups make your home look more spacious.

Good luck to you, MC! I know it''s tough to sell a home, and I wish you good luck and a great offer!

 

[LegacyGirl]

I know you want to get as much as you can for your house but make sure you price it right. I''ve seen so many houses sit on the market because they are just priced way too high. The longer it sits there in this market the more money you lose. Price it right from the begining so you don''t have to deal with it sitting there for years (like the house down the street from me that''s been sitting there for 2 years empty and still hasn''t lowered their price).

 

[Haven]

Date: 3/22/2008 5:19:40 PM
Author: LegacyGirl
I know you want to get as much as you can for your house but make sure you price it right. I''ve seen so many houses sit on the market because they are just priced way too high. The longer it sits there in this market the more money you lose. Price it right from the begining so you don''t have to deal with it sitting there for years (like the house down the street from me that''s been sitting there for 2 years empty and still hasn''t lowered their price).

GREAT advice, Legacy. I have to say that we basically passed up any home that was priced too high for the market because we figured the owners had unrealistic expectations for what they could get. I know that might sound harsh, but there are so many homes for sale that we just didn''t have to deal with unrealistic sellers.

In fact, I still go back through the MLS listings that my realtor has been compiling for us over the last six months and all of the homes that are priced too high are still for sale, while the reasonably-priced homes are all sold by now.

 

[VegasAngel]

Date: 3/22/2008 5:19:40 PM
Author: LegacyGirl
I know you want to get as much as you can for your house but make sure you price it right. I''ve seen so many houses sit on the market because they are just priced way too high. The longer it sits there in this market the more money you lose. Price it right from the begining so you don''t have to deal with it sitting there for years (like the house down the street from me that''s been sitting there for 2 years empty and still hasn''t lowered their price).

You mean like the house in my community that has been market since 2005? LOL.

It is the only house I have ever seen around here sit this long. Last year they were asking $409,000 (WHAT!?) while bigger, nicer houses were selling for $350-375-explain that one to me.

 

[Anastasia]

Date: 3/22/2008 5:19:40 PM
Author: LegacyGirl
I know you want to get as much as you can for your house but make sure you price it right. I''ve seen so many houses sit on the market because they are just priced way too high. The longer it sits there in this market the more money you lose. Price it right from the begining so you don''t have to deal with it sitting there for years (like the house down the street from me that''s been sitting there for 2 years empty and still hasn''t lowered their price).

Ditto on this. Price is the most important factor.

My neighbors just put their house on the market. The house next door to it just sold three weeks ago. The houses are esentially the same house (exact same floorplan, very similarly upgraded), but the house that has already sold had better curb appeal. House number 1 sold in two days with multiple offers. The house that was just listed is listed for $45,000.00 MORE than the identical (but slightly nicer)house next door. They are getting very little activity.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Thanks everyone for your advice. My husband and I are nervous wrecks right now! We''re looking for a house to rent right as we do not want to buy at this unpredictable time, but finding an inexpensive rental in my son''s school district is nearly impossible, so we are dealing with insomnia, etc., over all this.

I went shopping for some new clothes yesterday, but on the way home already felt anxiety again. New Free People shirts & Xanax only go so far in relaxation.