Selling Your Home

The home selling journey can be long and time-consuming, particularly for those who are listing a residence for the first time. Lucky for you, there are many quick, easy ways to avoid the danger of becoming a “typical” home seller, i.e. someone who lacks the skills and know-how to generate plenty of interest in his or her property.

Now, let’s take a look at three tips that you can use to become an expert home seller.

1. Review the Current State of the Housing Market

The housing market often fluctuates. As such, a buyer’s market today may quickly morph into a seller’s market tomorrow.

Ultimately, an expert home seller will allocate the necessary time and resources to learn about the current state of the real estate market. He or she will be able to identify housing market patterns and trends and collect extensive real estate market data to map out the home selling journey accordingly.

To learn about the housing market, take a look at some of the houses that are currently available in your city or town. Evaluating available houses in your area will allow you to find out how your residence stacks up against the competition.

Also, assess the prices of recently sold residences in your region. This may help you differentiate between a buyer’s market and a seller’s market.

2. Analyze Your House’s Interior and Exterior

For a home seller, it is paramount that his or her residence makes a positive first impression on potential homebuyers. And if you enhance your house’s interior and exterior, you may be able to boost your chances of a quick, seamless home sale.

A property appraisal usually represents a great starting point for home sellers. This appraisal involves a full evaluation of your house by a property inspector. Then, you’ll receive a report that outlines your home’s strengths and weaknesses and will help you plan any home improvement projects.

Also, it is important to remember that there are many simple ways to upgrade your home’s exterior and interior.

Home exterior improvements like mowing the front lawn and clearing dirt and debris from walkways can make a world of difference in the eyes of homebuyers.

Removing clutter from your home offers multiple benefits as well. De-cluttering allows you to free up space inside your residence as well as get rid of unwanted items.

3. Collaborate with a Real Estate Agent

There is no need to navigate the home selling process on your own. Fortunately, you can hire a real estate agent to help you remove the guesswork as you proceed along the home selling journey.

A real estate agent understands what it takes to promote your residence to large groups of potential property buyers. In fact, he or she will set up property showings and open houses, offer honest, unbiased home selling suggestions and respond to your home selling queries at any time.

Don’t settle for an “average” home selling experience. Instead, use the aforementioned tips, and you can become an expert home seller in no time at all.

Whether you’re selling a home or buying one, the amount of storage space a house offers can have a major impact on its perceived value. Even if you’re a first-time home owner who hasn’t had the chance to accumulate a lot of clothes, household supplies, and other possessions, you can be sure that’s not a permanent condition — especially if you have a growing family!

So if you’re looking for a new home to settle into, storage space will become increasing important. If, on the other hand, you’re preparing to sell your home, then showcasing and enhancing storage space will help increase its marketability.

Everyone Loves Big Closets

Walk-in closets are considered a highly desirable feature because they not only accommodate a large and growing wardrobe, but they offer a lot of functionality from shelves, compartments, and other storage areas. They can also be customized to suit individual needs and preferences. The fact that walk-in closets are separate from the master bedroom also creates a feeling of spaciousness and luxury. The additional space and storage features make it easier to keep clothes organized, fresher, and in better overall condition. If clothes are squeezed together in a small closet, they tend to wrinkle faster, become mustier, and are harder to find — especially when you’re running late for an appointment!

Other Valued Storage Areas

Basements, attics, backyard sheds, and two-car garages are great places to store sports equipment, tools, supplies, appliances, old furniture, toys that your kids have outgrown, and other items you’re not quite sure what to do with. The big challenge is to avoid accumulating clutter and hoarding things you don’t need. Finished basements and attics are especially appealing to many home buyers because they provide additional living space and are more aesthetically pleasing than unfinished areas.

Basement Problems and Remedies

One cautionary note to keep in mind when storing things in a basement is that excess moisture and humidity can wreak havoc on everything from photo albums and old books to musical instruments and framed paintings. One solution is to monitor the moisture level with a hygrometer and install a dehumidifier to extract excess moisture from the air. While other measures may need to be taken to assure a dry basement environment, these two steps should help improve conditions dramatically. If mold is present on your walls, wood structures, or cardboard boxes, then you can be sure it’s not a favorable environment for storing anything of value. Most wet basement problems are correctable, but professional and sometimes expensive solutions often need to be sought.

So assuming you don’t have water in your basement and bats in your belfry, then lots of storage space will make your home easier to sell and more enjoyable to live in!

Have you ever visited someone’s home and thought to yourself, “Their living room seems really cluttered” or “Those counter tops look like they haven’t been updated since the 1960s!”

Many people quickly notice decorating flaws or home maintenance issues in other people’s houses, but when it comes to their own homes — well, that’s another story!

Why is that the case? Two reasons: You’re emotionally attached to your own home environment and you’re also “too close to the trees to see the forest.” It’s hard to step back and see your home through a fresh set of eyes — which is exactly the way prospective buyers are going to look it.

Curb appeal — or a lack, thereof– will be the first thing they notice, followed by positive or negative first impressions of your home’s interior — if they get that far! So if you’re preparing to put your home on the market, you don’t want to be like the person who tries to represent themselves in court. As Abraham Lincoln once said, they have “a fool for a client!”

Since first impressions are so vital when selling your house, it makes sense to confer with someone who really knows the ropes when it comes to home staging. Typically, that would be one of the following professionals:

• An experienced real estate agent: Real estate agents are in the business of helping people sell their homes as quickly and profitably as possible — it’s a win/win situation. In all likelihood, they’ve conducted hundreds of house tours and listened to a massive amount of feedback from prospective buyers. One thing they’ve invariably noticed is that a lot of people react the same way to the same issues. Based on experience and a trained eye, most real estate agents can quickly spot and point out cost-effective ways to make your home more marketable and visually appealing.
• A professional home stager: Although not all communities have access to professional home stagers, there are talented and knowledgeable experts in that field who can offer valuable advice. If you’re working with an experienced real estate agent, however, it probably would not be necessary to pay extra to hire a professional staging consultant.

According to the National Association of Realtors, the median amount of money spent on staging a home is $675, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be ultra-expensive. In a survey of its membership, Realtors ranked living rooms and kitchens as the most important rooms to stage. Also considered important are the master bedroom, dining room, and bathrooms.

Thirty seven percent of Realtors® representing sellers believe that buyers most often offer a 1 to 5 percent increase on the value of a staged home. A smaller percentage say the potential increase is in the neighborhood of 6% to 10%. However you look at it, you’re tipping the scales in your direction when you make your home look its best prior to putting it up for sale.