How to Sell Your House: 100 Tips for Selling Your House Faster
and For More Money
Origin of this article:
1.
New pulls on kitchen cabinets and drawers– Replacing the
pulls and handles on kitchen cabinets and drawers give an overall new
appearance to older cabinets. This is one of the easiest and lowest cost
replacements you can do to make your kitchen pop.
2.
Buy it Right – You’ve heard it said before: you make your money
when you buy – so one of the best ways to ensure you’ll sell your home is to
buy it right in the first place. Don’t overpay for a property, or you may find
yourself underwater when it comes time to sell. By “buying smart” – you open up
many more options for your exit strategy!
3. Pressure wash driveway and any
decks – You probably haven’t noticed just how much dirt has
slowly accumulated on your driveway and deck over the years – but trust me:
it’s not clean. Having a pressure washed driveway and deck is inviting and can
be one of the first things potential buyers see when walking up. First
impressions are everything – so make sure your first impression shines and
reflects the quality of life they’ll find inside.
4.
New mailbox – The mailbox is often overlooked as a trivial part
of the home- but having a brand new mailbox is another simple and inexpensive
way to show potential buyers that the house is fresh and updated. A creative
mailbox will also help distinguish the home from the hundreds of other homes on
the market.
5.
Fresh mulch, grass, or plants outside – Landscaping
is a small cost, yet is one of the most important things to do to help sell a
house. The good thing is it generally just requires some sweat equity and an
afternoon to turn a boring front lawn into a beautiful work of art.
6. Spray and plug-in air
fresheners – I’m sure you’ve heard the claims before – the human
sense of smell can trigger powerful emotions in a potential buyer. A fresh
scent signifies “new” – which everyone loves! Additionally, a good smell can
hide the old smell of the house, if there was any.
7.
Keep it free of clutter – If you are trying to sell a
property that is not vacant, it’s important to clear away the clutter. By
getting rid of junk and putting all your extra stuff in storage, you bring out
the beauty of the room and help the room look larger, cleaner, and all around
awesome. Additionally, by clearing out the clutter, people can
8.
Drop Your Price – Don’t hold on to a high price
if you aren’t getting any offers. Drop your price quickly and accept that your
original price may have been wrong.
9.
Stage a Neighborhood Clean Up Day – This
probably won’t work… but you never know! Encourage your entire neighborhood to
clean up their properties on a given day … maybe even give each person a gift
certificate for the local dump.
10. Replace light bulbs – Make sure
that darker rooms have higher wattage bulbs to brighten them up. It’s good for
presentation and they’re very affordable to replace. Bright rooms = happy
rooms.
11. Fresh paint – You can’t
go wrong with fresh paint on trims, doors, or windows. You’d be surprised at
how new you can make a house look with just fresh paint.
12. Update the front door knobs and
hinges – If they seem outdated, update them! Every prospect will
subconsciously notice these small things each time they open the door. If the
knobs already look good – just keep them clean.
13. Have all windows cleaned – Do the
cleaning inside and out. It gives better lighting and view to the outside. A
$.99 bottle of window cleaner and a roll of paper towels can do wonders!
14. Post photos on sites – Posting
your listing in the BiggerPockets Marketplace or
in other online directories can help improve your chances of selling fast.
Nearly all buyers check online for houses, so don’t get left behind.
15. Do a quick clean on everything – Sometimes,
right before a showing, you just need a “quick clean” if time is limited.
Things you may want to consider first are the bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen
sink.
16. Price it right – Nothing
beats doing your research and setting the right price. More often than not, you
may need an expert to help you calculate what that perfect price is – so don’t
be afraid of speaking with some local real estate agents.
17. Hiring the right Realtor – To sell
your house faster, a good Realtor might just be all you need. Make sure you
choose one who’s good at marketing and is “hungry” to sell your property. If
you are selling an investment property, focus on finding an investor friendly agent.
18. Spread the word whenever you can – Even if you
hire a real estate agent – they won’t do as good of a job marketing as you
could. Be the marketer you are looking for! Spread the news on social media,
inform everyone you know that you are selling your home, and encourage others
to share the news as well.
19. Leave neutral furniture and
accessories – Naturally, you want to get rid of all personal items and
all family pictures from around the house (clear the clutter, remember?)
However, having neutral furniture and accessories in the home can help a buyer
visualize what the home will look like for them. For more on “staging” your
properties, check out this article.
20. Turn on lights – Makes a
good presentation by turning on all the lights in the home when having a
showing. It’s a simple trick – but it works.
21. Open blinds – This is great for
letting the light in. It also gives buyers an idea on how they can set the mood
of the room with your blinds. If your windows don’t blinds or curtains,
consider staging the home with some to add softness and dimension to the room –
but keep them open!
22. Create a flyer – Flyers are
great for marketing! Don’t forget to include all the positive attributes of the
house and get include some high-quality pictures if possible on the flyer. Find
creative places to put the flyers, like colleges, supermarkets, and more.
23. Play some good music while
presentation – Turn on a stereo or iPod with speakers playing some
soothing or popular music during showings or open houses. This may or may not
have any effect with the buyers – but it may give you a boost in confidence
when you present your house while having your favorite music in the background!
24. Clean and paint the closets – Women
buyers always look at closets and visualize their clothes or shoes in them.
Since typically closets are for women, and women often have the final say when
it comes to buying a home, you can understand the importance of not neglecting
the closet.
25. Clean and re-do the laundry
room – A dirty laundry room is like a dungeon – it’s dark and
creepy. Everyone wants a lovely laundry room, and it doesn’t take a lot to
spruce it up. Some paint, new towels, a couple baskets, and fresh flowers can
transform a room. Keep the colors light and airy.
26. Put in new kitchen cupboard
doors – You don’t need to completely replace your cabinets – you
actually just replace the doors for significantly cheaper. Or for even more
savings, you can simply paint the doors to make them look brand new. Check out this product from Rust-Oleum to easily transform your cabinets
(I’ve used it – it’s great!)
27. Clear fridge of all magnets – Make the kitchen
special without those personal items. As odd as it sounds – buyers have a hard
time buying a property that has “Little Johnny’s T-Ball Photos” all over the
front. This is actually one of the things that most sellers forget to remove-
so stand out from the pack and pack those magnets up!
28. Clear all kitchen and bathroom
counters – There’s certainly no need for your own toothbrush
hanging around when presenting the house. Remove them whenever buyers are
coming over.
29. Remove pet bowls, toys, and
beds before showing – This is usually missed out if you have pets. Although
you might love your little cat or dog- the next buyer might not want to be
reminded that you have pets.
30. People look in medicine
cabinets – Don’t leave your medication out for the world to see.
Once again, remove personal objects as much as possible.
31. Beware of nasty pet odors – You may be
used to the smell of your pets, but your potential buyers are not. If you have
pets, get all rugs steam cleaned and be extra vigilant about vacuuming and
washing surfaces. Try to keep pets outside or at your grandparents house.
32. Organize pots and pans – Pack up and
store the bunt, angle food cake pans, waffle iron, fryer and other large items
not used often to clear out the kitchen cabinets. Without all those random
items – your cabinets will look much larger.
33. Always follow the “clean clean
clean” rule – Cleanliness is next to godliness, they say – and this is
especially true for buyers. You can’t go wrong with a solid cleaning of the
house, even the tiniest detail. Pay special attention to light switches, door
knobs and other areas that hands are always on.
34. Have a complete information
sheet of the house – It should be accurate and mentions anything important.
You don’t want to miss any of the crucial details, so have several other people
look over the information sheet and make sure it’s up to par. Make enough
copies so they can take the information sheet with them when they leave.
35. A new mat at the front door – It’s cheap
and it shows the home is fresh. Check out discount stores like Marshalls or
Ross for nice, inexpensive mats.
36. Park a luxury vehicle in the
driveway or garage – This might not apply for everyone, and it works better
for more upscale homes, but taking a picture with an expensive car in the
garage or driveway sometimes subtly gives buyers an feeling that the home is
also a luxury item.
37. Take a video of the property – Although
you or your agent may walk people through the house – it’s also helpful to
provide a walking tour before the buyer steps foot in the home by hosting the
video online. You can use YouTube or Vimeo – but if the ads are too much, look
at welcomemat.com or
another source to store and play videos.
38. A slideshow presentation for
prospects – If you’re not into making videos or it’s just not
possible with your available resources, then you could go for a simple SlideSharepresentation showing the best features of your home
in a photo slideshow.
39. Make a take home booklet – This is
more extensive than the MLS flyer you usually get and can include multiple
pages with graphs, charts, and pictures in it.
40. Update the outlets and switches
to coordinate – Make sure they match in color – and make sure they work.
41. Ensure that any little “dings”
or dents in the wall are taken care of – These are quite noticeable.
Depending on the severity of the dents and dings, it may cost you to do a full
repair, but if they are minor you can do the repairs on your own with just some
wall putty and paint.
42. List it on selling sites – There are a
number of listing sites online, like Craigslist, Zillow, ForSale.com, Trulia,
and more. It’s easy to create an account and place your home details there for
maximum exposure. Once again, the bulk of buyers are found online.
43. Do your own assessment – Go stand in
front of your house and take a quick look: what stands out? You’ll be surprised
to discover a lot of things to improve just by trying to get a new perspective.
If this doesn’t work – as your friends to stop by and ask them what they
notice. Multiple perspectives are great.
44. Have an accent on the front
door – Paint or repaint your front door. This is your chance to
draw people’s eyes, and a freshly painted door can do wonders for the property.
A nice contrasting accent color is a good one.
45. Make sure lawn is mowed – This just
requires about 30 minutes of your time but the results are spectacular. Once
again, landscaping wins. If you are unsure you can maintain the lawn at the
appropriate level, hire a local landscaping crew to maintain it for you while
the house is on the market.
46. Never cram furniture – Staging is
good … but cramming a room full of furniture will make it look small and
uninviting. Leave the ones that you think are necessary that show off the best
features of the room, but get rid of anything that makes it look old or too
“busy.”
47. Clean the carpet – You may try
to steam clean them yourself using a Rug Doctor or you can bite the bullet and
have a professional take care of it. When living in a property, it’s hard to
notice how dirty a carpet can become – but after a good cleaning, you’ll be glad
you did.
48. Fresh flowers on tables – Fresh
flowers are great to include on a table. Just having this simple piece of art
can brighten an entire room.
49. Have a little snack at open
houses – It encourages people to mingle and get a feel for the
place. The longer they spend in the home – the higher chance they’ll make an
offer.
50. Don’t ignore the back yard – Back yards
are a big deal for buyers with families. The back yard is where the
“entertaining” happens – and is a huge source of pride for homeowners. Be sure
the lawn is kept short and defined, and include space for kids to play.
51. Check fences and trim boards – Do they
need replaced or painted? Don’t let the fence tell a false story of how you
have maintained the property.
52. Clean the stoves and ovens – Prospective
buyers spend a lot of time in the kitchen at open houses and showings – and you
can bet they are going to open up the oven to see how large it is. Make sure
it’s fresh and clean for them.
53. Clean the baseboard trim – It may seem
silly, but you can lose a sale just because a potential buyer sees dirty
baseboards! Take some time to dust and, if needed, repaint any baseboards that
need it.
54. Appeal to a woman first! – Again, it’s
usually a woman that makes the final decision to buy, or not buy, a home. Even
single guys house-shopping tend to look at it from a perspective of “I’ve made
enough to afford this place, but would i bring a date here?” If you are a man,
you might want to ask help from the women in your life to check out your home
and make sure it appeals to women.
55. Aim for the “wow” – Every room
or space in a home should be a “wow” of some sort, providing something that is
beyond what’s expected. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a small or large “wow” –
just be sure there is always a “wow.” For example, “Wow, look at these old
beams and tall ceilings in the living room” or “Wow, cookies in this bright but
small bedroom”. Lead the buyer though a property and make them discover those
“wows” on their own – from front property line to the back area of the garage.
Every room should have a “wow.”
56. Apple cinnamon smell – Many home
sellers recommend the smell of apple cinnamon when trying to sell a house.
Don’t ask me why!
57. Pressure wash the siding – If the home is
not being fully painted on the exterior – at least take the time to clean the
siding with a good pressure washing.
58. Hang easy-to-read house numbers – Sometimes,
just the number of the house matters. New numbers are just a couple bucks each,
but help a buyer feel that the home is “new” just by seeing the new numbers.
59. Take the right photos – Always find
the sweet spot of the house to entice prospects. This requires a bit of
artistry on your part, but sometimes getting the right angle can make the
difference between a room looking boring and a room looking amazing. For
inspiration, check out houzz.com
60. Repaint or stain the porch
floor as needed – If you have a front porch – chances are, it’s dirty.
Buyers tent to congregate here while waiting for their agent to open the front
door, so make the porch floor clean and nice to look at.
61. Forget your style – Focus on
the style of the prospect buyers. Try to understand the demographics of the
potential buyer – and learn what style they like. For example, if you are
selling to first time homeowners, they are probably young and not as interested
in dark wood trim – so paint it white!
62. Open the closet doors – Although it
may depend on the size and style of your room, it may be a good idea to
actually open up the closets, making the room seem larger. Of course- these
closets better be clean, near, organized, and mostly empty.
63. Pull your furniture off the
walls. Although it seems counter-intuitive, pulling your couches away
from the wall actually makes a room look larger and more inviting.
64. Make it easy for buyers to live
in – Ask yourself, would you live in this house? Sometimes a
house that buyers can picture themselves living in is the key. If there are any
drastic reasons why you wouldn’t live in the home – try to fix them before
marketing the property.
65. Style your dining room table – A dining
room table is great for staging – but if it’s empty, it just looks out of
place. Besides the flowers we talked about earlier, consider setting the table
with nice plates, silverware, wine glasses, or knick-knacks.
66. Symmetrical arrangements usually
work well – Consider this when rearranging your furniture if you
have no idea how to do it. If you have two couches in the room, they should
either be perfectly perpendicular or perfectly parallel.
67. Know the “Rule of Three” – Knick
knacks- such as candles, books, lamps, etc – tend to look the best when placed
in a group of three.
68. Put up Arrow Signs – Direct
traffic from the neighborhood to your home using inexpensive “for sale” arrow
signs at the nearest intersections.
69. Create comfortable conversation
areas – When staging, create areas that are conducive to
conversation. For example, place a couch, chair, and bean bag around a coffee
table – to make a nice conversation area in the living room. The same applies
for the dining room, the back yard, the family room, the front porch, and more.
Encourage conversation!
70. Appeal to everyone – Try to
appeal to everyone who might come through your property by using minimal
design. A six foot painting of the statue of liberty might appeal to you – but
it’s probably a little too “taste specific” for selling a home.
71. Underprice to Create a Bidding
War – If you are in a hot market, try listing your house below
the average … and let the buyers fight in a bidding war to increase the price.
This way – you get you pick of the best offer, not just the first that comes
in.
72. Organize Kid’s Rooms – If you have kids –
you know how tough it is to keep their stuff organized and clean. Help convince
your buyer that this house will do just that – by organizing your own kids’
toys neatly.
73. Give every room a purpose– No room should be
without a reason for existence. This is why staging is so important- because it
allows you to show potential buyers what a roomcould be.
74. Demonstrate purpose in awkward
areas. – If you have an awkward room beneath the stairs, or a
nook or alcove anywhere in your home, try to find a unique way to show it off.
Again: staging is key. A storage area?
75. Promote a lifestyle – Most buyers
are not shopping for a home – they are shopping for a lifestyle. That lifestyle
could be “luxury” or “simple” or “lavish’ – so try to create a feeling around
your entire house of that lifestyle.
76. Plan for the Season– Your home should
be staged to compliment the current season. If it’s winter – go ahead and show
off the storage area for snow boots. If it’s summer, bring out the canopy in
the back yard.
77. Double check your agent’s
online marketing – Although we like to believe our real estate agents are
super men and women – the fact is, sometimes the homes they list are just one
in dozens that they are listing – so it’s easy for them to post your house on
the MLS without any style or hint of promotion in it. Remember that the vast
majority of prospects come from seeing your listings online, so be sure that
listing looks great.
78. Network with the neighbors – Invite your
neighbors and their friends in your open house – or send out mailers that let
they can “pick their new neighbors” by sharing the house listing with their
family and friends.
79. Facebook is a good way to sell
your house – Post your house pictures on Facebook, and consider using
Facebook Ads to sell the home. For an in-depth study on how to do this, check
out Using Facebook
Advertising to Super-Charge Your Real Estate Investing.
80. Leave some good stuff behind – Consider
what you could include with the sale of the home – that the homeowner would
probably need to buy. Could you offer to include the washer and dryer? How
about the kid’s swing set? The gas grill? Get creative!
81. Offer a Multi-tier pricing
strategy – This is a tactic I used on a one home -and it worked
great! I simply made three price levels on the home- that included different
features. For example, there was the “base price” but they could also upgrade
to could have a new heat pump for and extra $5,000, or the heat pump and
granite counters for $10,000. By doing this – you are able to shift the buyer
from comparing your home to others in the neighborhood to comparing yours to
the other price points. For more tips on this strategy, check out Three Marketing Ideas
Your Real Estate Agent Probably Won’t Do (But You Can…).
82. Beat the competition by
offering quality – There’s a lot of homes on the market – however, you can
stand out by offering quality properties.
For example, you may be the only one in the area to offer termite checks or a
lifetime roof warranty.
83. Check out the competitions – Drive
around and look at other homes that are on the market. Get your agent to give
you a tour of your most similar comps – and find ways to beat them!
84. Choose sophisticated neutral
colors. – It doesn’t mean that you need to go all white. Rich
midtone neutrals like mocha and “gray” create a sophisticated backdrop that can
make everything look pulled together and modern.
85. Look at the sold comps – By looking
at the information on homes that have recently sold, you can get a good idea of
what people are looking for in a home. If every home sold has a swing set in
the back yard – you may want to consider adding a swing set yourself.
86. Don’t act desperate – Selling a
home is largely about negotiation. If you are desperate to sell, you may end up
getting significantly less than what the home is worth. Don’t put yourself in
desperate situations through over leveraging or obtaining too much debt. If you
are desperate – at least don’t act like it!
87. Keep a good mindset – Always
focus on maintaining a positive mindset. There arebuyers
out there looking exactly for your property – you just have to find them. Look
at the sale of your property with “business eyes” – and try not to take it
personal.
88. Consider your agent’s opinion – Find an
agent you trust and follow their advice as often as you can.
89. Walk in the shoes of a buyer – Start by
shopping online for local houses similar to yours. Learn how they price and
present their house. What stands out to you? What makes you turned off? Take
note of how you react, and then make
adjustments accordingly.
90. Visit neighborhood open houses – This will
give you an instant education in what not to do when marketing your own home,
as well as what you should do.
91. Rent a professional camera – Since the
vast majority of potential buyers will use the internet to scope out your home
before actually stepping foot inside, the photos you use are the most important
part of the listing process -so make them count. Use a high quality DSLR camera
with wide angle lens to take photos of your house.
92. Sweeten the Deal – Throw in extra
incentives for those who submit offers. I’ve heard of sellers including fancy
cars, vacations, and other perks to incentivize people to buy a property.
93. Build trust – Be professional,
talk with no hesitation, and create a “win win” atmosphere when marketing your
property. If the buyer senses that you are trying to pull something over them –
they are going to run for the hills.
94. Never over-upgrade – Only do
updates that will pay off and get you top dollar. Overdoing the repairs won’t
always raise the total price of the property but it might just make you owe
more than it’s worth. Look at the competition and seek to be slightly better
than them – but don’t over do it.
95. Always be up for a showing – You never
know when your buyer is going to walk through the front door, so be prepared at
all times. Keep the home organized, clean, and smelling great 100% of the time.
96. It’s about first impressions – Sometimes,
the first impression is the only impression.
In fact, most buyers decide if they’ll place an offer on a house within just
seconds, so make sure it counts.
97. Make all necessary repairs – A leaky
faucet or chipped paint on a baseboard can suggest to buyers that you might not
be maintaining the house well. Do quick fix for these before any open houses or
showings.
98. Check the season – Determine
when the best season to sell your property is – and aim for that season if
possible. In most areas of the country, selling in the late spring is usually the
best time.
99. Just Do It – All the tips on
this list are helpful – but don’t think that you need to do all 100 in order to
sell your home. Focus on the few tips that you think will give you the biggest
bang for your buck – and do them well.
100. YOUR BEST TIP: For tip #100
– What have you tried in order to sell your properties in the past?
Origin of this article:
No comments:
Post a Comment