Debra’s Top Ten List To Get Your Home Sold!

1. First Impressions Last.
   • Buyers want to inspect your house and neighborhood for the things that are important to them. Buyers always over estimate the cost of painting and repairs. It is always preferable that you prepare your home to look its best resulting in a faster sale at a higher price.Leave your house and trust your professional Realtor to show and sell it for you.
2. The Front View Greets the Buyer.
   • Make sure it is inviting. Keep your lawn well manicured and your gutters cleaned. Power washing the house, sidewalks, decks and driveways will greatly improve curb appeal. A new coat of paint on the front door and porch rails will give your entrance a fresh look!
3. Dust & Dirt Reduce Appeal.
   • Inspect for cobwebs in the corners, dusty ceiling fans, dirty baseboards and carpets. A small investment in time and good cleaning will make your home look its best and give the greatest return.
4. Make Rooms Look Larger.
   • Remove excess furniture, pictures and posters. Neat, orderly rooms and closets will make rooms look larger!
5. Soft Music and Sweet Aromas are Inviting.
   • Have the intercom or stereo tuned to a station of soft background music. Scented candles and potpourri give the home a pleasant aroma.
6. Kitchens and Bathrooms Sell Homes.
   • Check and repair caulking around tubs, showers, sinks and countertops. Remove as much from countertops as possible and place remainder neatly on a tray or in a basket. Make these rooms sparkling clean.

7. Display the Full Value of Your Storage Space.
   • Remove all unnecessary articles from your closets.
     Perhaps now is the time to start packing for your move. Neatly stacked boxes look much better than cluttered shelves and floors.
8. Pay Attention to Details.
   • Loose knobs, sticking doors, dirty air return filters, ovens, and tile grout, loose wallpaper seams and other minor flaws detract from your home’s value.
9. Let the Sun Shine In!.
   • Open blinds, shades, and curtains to show how cheerful your home is. Turn on every light in the house. Make sure light fixtures are clean. When possible, wash windows and remove screens — this can increase light by 50%!
10. Pets Underfoot?
    • Many buyers are very pet sensitive. Keeping them out of the way-preferably out of the house is best. Pay special attention to pet odors. Removing of pets, beds, bowls and toys will reduce pet odor and buyer rejection.

Guidelines For Pricing Your Home

1. What you paid for your home does not affect it’s value.
2. The amount of cash you need from the sale of your home does not affect it’s value.
3. What you want from your home does not affect it’s value.
   
4. What another real estate agency says your home is worth does not affect it’s value.
   
5. What an appraiser says your home is worth does not affect it’s value.
   

The buyer always determines the value!

The value of your home is determined by what a Buyer is willing to pay in today’s market based on comparing your home to others currently on the market.

Buyers today are more value conscious than ever. They look at homes in a wide range of towns and cities. When they look at your home, their extensive market knowledge and experience tells them quickly whether it is priced correctly. Furthermore, with the widespread use of a buyer’s agency, they have access to the information that I will present to you. The buyer’s agency will advise them to make offers on which home is the best value. Even the best agent from the best company with the most innovative marketing will not be able to sell a home that is not priced correctly.

10 Common Mistakes That Sellers Make

1. Over pricing their home.
2. Not allowing their home to be shown.
3. Not keeping their home clean and in good showing condition.
4. Not leaving their home during a showing.
5. Talking to the buyer or buyer’s agent and giving wrong information or wrong impressions.
6. Panic selling, I’ve got to sell my home now!
7. Not seeing their home through buyer’s eyes. “My home is the best in the area” syndrome.
8. Believing an Open House will sell their home.
9. Demanding their Realtor change how they market their home instead of relying on the Realtor’s experience and expertise.
10. Choosing the wrong Realtor.