How to Get the Most When Selling Your Home

When you’re trying to get the most money out of your home sale it seems that everything you need to do is intuitive right? Well, we hate to break it to you but if you’re refusing to lower your price or put money into your house then you are wrong!

Step One: Price Your Home Right

Don’t price your home for what you want to end up hitting your bank account. Instead price it to bring in the highest amount of bidders so that you have a wide range and a healthy competition between bids. Even in a bad market it is easy to instigate a bidding war.

We know this is a risky step, and it will seem like pricing your home lower will start a game of “do I take this or wait for something better?” Well, rely on your realtor to find the right bid and the right price point. Many realtors suggest taking what your home is worth and then reducing it by about 15 or 20 percent to promote a higher volume of offers.

Step Two: Optimize your Home in Every Way

There are many quick tips and tricks to elevate your home’s appearance. So how do you use these without compromising the integrity of the sale? Easy! You make your home look exactly like what it is, a home. Except, in peak position!

Create Light

It isn’t just about cleaning the windows for a spiffed up outer look. Clean the windows inside, take down heavy curtains or tie them all the way back and open up the blinds! But we aren’t stopping there. Trim down those bushes outside the windows, and increase the wattage of light bulbs you’re using. 

Overall, even with replacing light bulbs you shouldn’t have to spend more than maybe $40 on this venture. By lightening up your house you will make the rooms look bigger, and the house brighter. For many people looking to buy a home, a bright room is a happy room!

Unleash the Power of your Closets

Even in you’ve moved, leave the closet in each room about half full. But don’t just let the clothes hang there limply; pull out every Pinterest closet hack you can find. Show what organizational opportunities await them with simple closet space.

With a half-full closet you’re showing hangers that slide easily across a rod, and a lot of beautiful floor space. (You’ll probably be impressed with the floor space too!)

Make Your Home Less – “Your Home”

There are ways to make your house feel comfy and inviting in a way that anyone could walk in and superimpose their own life on it. However busting out all of your family photos and letting the scruffy outside dog loose isn’t the way to do it.

First remove any photos that have the whole family. If a picture has one or two people, or shows a specific event it’s easy for the hopeful homebuyer to imagine a similar picture in the same place. Second take down any out of season décor. This means that in spring and summer there should be flowers or greenery and in the fall and winter festive but holiday neutral. Finally, remove the clutter of everyday life. Hide things like laundry baskets, and clean out your junk drawer.

Step Three: Upgrade Reasonably

By all means, don’t go and try to remodel your kitchen the same week your listing is going up! But, take on a reasonable and affordable upgrade list. 

Imagine the simple things that can be done for a few hundred dollars that are going to make a big impact on your potential buyers. Think on the scale ranging from painting to replacing the hot water heater.

Fresh Paint

Something about fresh paint just screams “new”. It’s the “new car smell” that you just can’t simulate after a while. It also gives you a chance to correct some of those not so great color choices. By going with off-white you can make your rooms look bigger, and feel more open without tearing down walls.

Faucets

Without replacing the whole sink you can put in some cash into a cheap faucet replacement for your bathrooms. Or, take the alternative and grab some CLR then mix with a lot of elbow grease!

Hot Water Heater

So, if it will pass any necessary inspections you’re fine. However you may want to consider replacing a really old model to use as a selling point. Keep in mind if you have an older home, potential home buyers may already be building a laundry list of things that they would change before moving in. By spending a few hundred dollars you can cross off a major homeowner worry.

Fix Up Your Garden

By spending a little money on inexpensive flowers you can greatly increase the appeal of your home from the outside. Not only can this bring in a higher bid, but it can mean a bid from someone who may have otherwise been uninterested. If you want to take the extra step spiff up your patio with neutral toned patio furniture. Keep in mind you can always take your patio furniture with you. What this does is create a picture of what your home could look like when they live there.