Notice your window coverings.
There’s no doubt that window coverings are expensive but they’re also very noticeable, so you need to make sure yours aren’t turning buyer’s off.
If they’re cotton curtains make sure they’re clean, but not faded and not beginning to disintegrate from facing that hot sun all day, every day. It also looks extra nice if they’re pressed or at the very least make sure they aren’t wrinkled and uneven.
If your curtains/window coverings are much more elaborate have them dry cleaned and pressed or dust and vacuum them if you have shades.
A simple, inexpensive, colorful, cotton curtain that is clean and pressed, and hanging straight, looks far better in a bedroom, for instance, than an old, musty smelling, faded curtain that’s seen far better days, but may have once been very expensive.
FYI: I have found great prices on window coverings and hardware at Big Lots. From what I can tell they often have cast offs from other stores like Linens & Things. If you’re looking to outfit the entire house with matching curtains you’re probably out of luck. But if you’re like me and you don’t mind a different curtain on most of your windows you can get some excellent deals here. And for the record, I would much rather see a new, freshly pressed (different!) window covering on each window than I would see matching curtains that are hanging crooked and smell like they came straight from Miss Havisham’s living room.
photo credit: Ben30
Mind your entertainment center manners.
The entertainment center is a big attention hog and it often behaves rudely in front of potential buyers viewing your home. What do I mean by rudely? I mean that it insists on getting all the attention in the room. It’s often oversized and cluttered and tends to loom over the family room in an uncomfortable manner.
Many homes include a family room with a gorgeous fireplace or a breathtaking view and yet the homeowners obscure these things with their giant TV, stereo and 6,000 DVD’s and CD’s. Let me add that the fireplace is NOT an entertainment center!! I understand that it seems to be an awfully convenient place to place a television but please cut it out!
Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against television. In fact I love television. I’d be lost without it. There aren’t too many things in this life that I find more relaxing that settling down to watch an episode of Bones or Ugly Betty or an old episode of Buffy on DVD but when you’re trying to sell that house get that huge TV the hell out of the family room! Or at the very least put it in an obscure corner with as little clutter as possible around it.
As big as TV’s are getting they just make many rooms seem smaller. Especially when they are arranged as the focal point.
Shove the TV aside, get some new window coverings to frame that gorgeous view, or place a fresh flower arrangement on the fireplace, and sell your house!
photo credit: simply Rik
Rent storage space.
This goes along with your basic de-cluttering tips. Get that junk out of and away from your house, period! The best part is, there are companies that practically make this easy now. You pack the boxes, they bring the giant storage locker right to your house, you load it, they come and take it away and store it for you, and when you move they deliver it to your new place. After all, you’re going to have to pack all that anyway when you move why not do it now, so you can sell your home faster and for more money?
And before you even ask, NO you are not allowed to leave the storage locker in the street in front of your house while your home is on the market!
Here are some addresses of storage services for you to research (note that I’ve never personally used these companies so I can’t attest to their reliability):
http://www.pods.com/
http://www.boxcart.com/
http://www.pspickup.com/
Psst! Don’t tell anybody but you don’t really have to de-personalize everything.
Not surprisingly this tip comes with exceptions.
I tell sellers that it’s perfectly acceptable to leave out a few personal photos while their home is on the market. Look no further than those brand new, professionally staged, model homes for examples. Nearly all of them now feature at least a handful of photos of the family that allegedly lives there.
I’ve also had sellers tell me that it makes them feel better to be able to keep their grandkids photos out on the dresser, etc.
If you have some photos that are displayed in pretty or artistic frames or in creative groupings go ahead and leave them out. (Note I said “some.”)
The 6 billion photos on the piano or china hutch will have to go though. That just looks cluttered. Besides who wants to keep all of those things dusted while the house is on the market anyway?
If you happen to have collections that would upset others - such as the nude photos of you with that giant snake (don’t laugh, it’s happened) - those really need to go. The collection of Harley Davidson/ Bud Light posters covering up the flaws on the basement walls need to go too. (Then fix the flaws!)
The key here is: a few photos, artfully displayed, that are of a non-controversial nature are more than fine to leave out.
photo credit: destinelee
Offer a bigger commission.
I touched upon this subject in Home Selling Tip #21 but I’ll expand upon it here.
Depending on how desperate you are to sell your home, you may want to offer any Buyer’s Agents a bigger commission than you had first planned. To make it clear, there is no set commission but you’ll generally see the commission for a Buyer’s Agent listed as 2.8% of the selling price. However, in these tougher home selling times, some sellers are starting to offer more to entice agents to bring buyers to see your home. When you consider that the commission for selling a HUD home is around 5% it’s probably not a bad idea to sweeten the pot on your home at least a little.
Don’t apologize.
Don’t apologize to potential buyers for your home’s shortcomings. For starters, it will just make the flaws obvious. For “enders,” fix it instead of apologizing.
For the sake of argument however, let’s pretend that you’ve fixed everything there is to fix but you’re aware that the home backs to a busy street, or your neighbors have an old couch sitting in their front yard, or your backyard is painfully small or whatever. Do not point things like this out to buyers. For all you know, the buyer’s neighbors are far worse, or they don’t even want a large back yard, and so on.
Rule of thumb is to keep your mouth shut unless buyers ask specific questions and then answer them honestly but not as if you’re embarrassed.
Redo the baseboards.
Your baseboards tie your flooring together and you should make them complete by either refinishing them, if they just look a worn, or replace them entirely if they’re practically falling apart.
Baseboards are another one of those things in your house that if they’re looking good no one will notice, but if they look crappy they’ll stick out like a sore thumb and everyone will take notice.
photo credit: gemteck1
Host a “Broker Open.”
Often times, when a real estate agent lists a house for sale they host what is called a “Broker Open” which is an Open House for real estate agents (brokers).
If you’re selling your home on your own (FSBO) you could host one of these yourself. Or even if you’re using an agent tell them you’d like them to host a Broker Open at your home.
Agents do this typically right after the home is listed to try and entice brokers to make a special trip over to the house because they may just have a buyer who is looking for a house just like yours!
If you are selling your home on your own, understand though that hosting a Broker Open comes with certain strings. To successfully entice agents to come to your home you’ll need to offer a commission to the Buyer’s Agent who brings the actual buyer to your home. It’s a really good idea to start at 2.8% of the total sale but it’s an even better idea in this market to offer 3% or even more.
You’ll also need to feed the agents, otherwise they won’t come.
Finally, be prepared to get pummeled by all the Realtors for the privilege of listing your home themselves. I can pretty much guarantee they’ll ALL hit you up. If this doesn’t bother you and you’re good about saying “no” you should have to problems. I’ll admit, some agents will get testy with you, because some of us take FSBO’s personally, as if it’s taking food right out of our mouths or something. I personally don’t care if you want to sell your home on your own. If you’re willing to take on the work then more power to you.
Finally, in order to advertise your Broker Open take invitations (flyers) to the real estate offices in your area inviting the brokers and stating up front that you are offering “x%” commission and food.
photo credit: comicpie
Take a step back.
What I mean by taking a step back is that when selling your home it is extremely helpful if you can disengage yourself from the emotions attached to your home.
This is very difficult because you have a lot of personal stories attached to your home and how can you just put those aside and make your home a mere product, right?
It’s so important to keep in mind though that buyers don’t have any of those memories and while to you it’s home sweet home, to buyers it’s simply a house they may or may not want to purchase.
I find that when sellers insist on clinging to the emotional aspect of selling their home they also tend to want to overlook the little flaws. After all, it doesn’t bother them that the porch light has never worked properly, why should it bother anyone else? OR I hear the all too common lazy home selling method of “if the buyer wants a working porch light they can fix it themselves.” Either way the answer is NO! You the seller need to take care of it before the buyers ever set foot in your home.
When you’re able to step back you start to notice the things that need to be corrected because you’re able to see your home as just a house - like a buyer would - and take the appropriate action.
I had one seller who handmade all the stepping stones in the backyard and he was so proud of that. And yet, the remainder of the backyard was nothing more than a dirt patch and aside from that, the roof was badly in need of repair. But he kept going back to those handmade stepping stones, sure that the efforts to which he was so emotionally tied, would be enough to sell the house. Not surprisingly it wasn’t.
It’s not that I (as a Realtor) don’t care about the efforts you’ve made to improve your home, it’s just that it’s my job to make sure you actually sell your home as quick as possible and for the best price possible, so if your home has obvious problems that are going to inhibit its sale I’m going to tell you about it. You should demand that of any real estate agent! Otherwise why bother spending that kind of money to get help selling your home?
photo credit: katia79
Move the cars!
If you have a garage full of junk (see Home Selling Tip #18) or your vehicle is simply too big to fit in your garage for whatever reason, don’t leave them sitting in the driveway hogging the front of the house.
Nothing is more awkward than buyers wondering whether or not they should cut across your lawn to get to your porch, because the vehicles are taking up your driveway.
It also cuts down on your curb appeal and makes the front of the house appear cluttered and blocked from view.
Also, if you’re a multiple vehicle family, move those from the front of your house. You want to give buyers the feeling of spaciousness and roominess and organization. Vehicles “sprawled” all over the front of your property don’t facilitate this one bit.
photo credit: avramishin33
