Hot Tips
For Home Sellers

Getting prepared for showings

First Impressions

First impressions are critical. You can spend thousands of dollars in advertising to get the buyer to the door, but if the buyers first reaction is negative, you are back to square one.

Pretend that you are the buyer. Go out to the street and sit in your car. Then get out and walk up to main entry slowly. Have a really good look at your home. With pen and paper, make a list of all those things that you would want fixed if you were buying the home right now. These are the same items that any real buyer will want you to fix. Buyers are a poor judge of the cost of repairs, and they always build in a large margin for error.

Make the home look attractive and welcoming from the outside. Plant flowers in the front yard to add color and warmth. Get your lawns mowed and have shrubs well trimmed. Put away all your garden tools, they don't impress a buyer, they make them think "lots of work to look after this place". Park your vehicle across the road and not in front of the house where it will obscure a buyers view of the property.

Preferably leave you car out of the garage. You want to show how spacious your garage is, not that you need to be a supermodel to squeeze out from the drivers door.

Welcoming In

The main entry and hall must create a welcoming impression. If the access is difficult, make it better. The house should have a light and pleasant odor. Keep lights turned on in darker rooms and make sure all blinds and curtains are wide open.

Clean and Uncluttered

Eliminate refrigerator art. Clear all counter tops of all but the most basic appliances. Make sure taps aren't leaking and make all stainless steel shine. The same goes for bathrooms. Think uncluttered, light, clean and sparkling.

Make sure that none of your furniture impedes traffic flow around the house. Perhaps rearrange to create more space and maybe put a few pieces in storage if necessary. Piles of anything are bad news. Box it up and store it while your home is being shown.

Keep these out or away

Pets can cause allergies or be frightening to potential buyers. Take them out for a walk, or keep them occupied well away from the buyers.

Keep yourself away too if an agent is showing the property. Your presence can make a buyer feel they are intruding in your home, causing them to leave prematurely. The longer a buyer stays in your home, the more chance there is that they will make an offer.

NEVER apologize, no matter what shortcomings your home may have. Your home is the greatest place to live and a positive attitude from your agent or yourself can easily rub off on the buyer.

Exposure

Exposure in the current buyers market is critical.  When choosing a Real Estate Firm and an agent you want to select an agent that is going to present your home in the best possible manner and will utilize the tools currently available to agents.   

               Tips for gaining the most exposure

Virtual Tours - 90% of buyers go on-line and having a strong Virtual Tour draws in a buyer and will hold their attention, plus it will give the buyer a good idea if the property meets their needs.   

Realtor.com - This website is huge and your presence there is critical.  This is by far the largest and most visited website in the Country.   You want to be a Showcase listing on Realtor.com.  This gives you more photographs, Virtual Tour links, more text, and features your agent.   If you are not a Showcase listing on Realtor.com, the exposure and presentation is weak at best.  

Photographs - This sounds simple enough but given how critical your internet presence is, so is the need for great photographs.   You want photographs that are clear, crisp, and have appropriate lighting as well as capture the positive attributes of the property.  

Pricing -  In the current market, putting the correct price on the house is key.  Markets are going through a correction at the present time and the price your house may have sold for last year is irrelevant.  What you paid for the house and what you owe are also irrelevant.   When you are trying to determine how to price your house, be sure your agent uses appropriate comparable sales data.   Also the age of the comparable sales is important.   You simply cannot use any recent sales older than 6 months.  You may find yourself overpriced and chasing the market if you use comps that are older.   The most ideal comp comes from your own neighborhood, subdivision, and/or area and is similar in Square Footage, age, style, and materials.   This is not always easy.   Don't forget to also factor in the comparable properties currently on the market.  It's not just about pricing your house on what has sold in your neighborhood but also those properties currently on the market.   Pricing is still one of the most critical elements.  Once you have the best marketing plan in motion, you're not testing the marketing...your testing the price of your home against the market.   Warning....select the agent with the strongest marketing plan, then work together to determine the correct price.