How to Sell Your Home for Top Dollar

It’s a new year and you might be one of the many homeowner’s that are ready for a change. Whether you want to upgrade, downsize, or simply move locations, now is a great time to sell. We all know the housing market is the hottest it’s ever been, so if you wanted to sell a cardboard box and call it a house… well, I’m sure you could do that. But, despite the state of the market, you should still prepare your house prior to listing. Little things like hiring professional cleaners and doing paint touch ups are affordable and make a big difference to prospective buyers. That difference translates to the sales price and the offers you receive!

Here are a few areas that you should focus on prior to listing your home:

Curb appeal?

Having “good curb appeal” means your house looks cute, trendy, aesthetically pleasing, etc. from the street. This is important because this is the same perspective as prospective buyers! If you aren’t sure if your house has good curb appeal, there’s a good chance you may have a few things to attend to. A good rule of thumb is always resort to cleanliness and decluttering (this should be applied to the interior of your home as well).?

Landscaping. You don’t have to go overboard, but I recommend trimming your over grown bushes, raking those leaves from last fall, and cutting your grass.

Paint.?Peeling paint is common, especially in areas with hail and a lot of sun exposure. Peeling paint will come up during the appraisal and inspection process 95% of the time. If you can fix the problem prior to listing, you’ll save yourself the headache.?

Front door. Do not underestimate a freshly painted front door. Buyers are looking for something to draw their eye. A painted front door will do just that. If you want to branch out, use a color that will naturally draw your eye. This could be Red, Orange, Blue, etc. A stained wood door would have a similar effect.?

Declutter. If you have trash in the yard, tools laying around, or a project car I recommend placing those things in the garage and/or shed. Having a hobby is cool, but buyers don’t necessarily want to see your hobby when they are looking for their new home.?

Lighting

I cannot emphasize this enough; lighting is so important. Buyers do not want a dark house (please don’t confuse this with dark / black paint). Natural lighting is highly desirable. If your house doesn’t have a lot of natural lighting, having bright, modern light fixtures is even more important. But if it isn’t in the budget to upgrade your fixtures, at the very least I recommend using LED lights, replacing any “dead” lightbulbs, and painting the interior of your house if you currently have dark paint.?

Cleanliness

Not everyone is clean, and not everyone loves pets. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum and how many pets you have, I recommend hiring a cleaning service. Once your property is clean and you no longer have dirt, dust, and pet hair, I’d hire a handyman. The handyman should touch up the paint on your walls and touch up any scuffs on your hardwood or laminate flooring. This is a nice finishing touch that will take your listing a step further and will make it?look?clean.

Professional Pictures

If you take nothing else from this article, please take this piece of advice: hire professionals. Hire a photographer and use a real estate agent. Smart phones have amazing cameras nowadays, but unless you have a photography background, the pictures you take on Iphone 11 aren’t going to have the same affect. Professional Pictures will draw more interest and ultimately, more showings. Prior to pictures, please refer back to steps 1-3. Once you finish step 3, declutter your house and remove any potentially controversial décor. A photographer isn’t going to wait 20-30 min for you to put your laundry away, or clean the counter top. Make sure this is done beforehand so you maximize the time and pictures!

Wanting to sell but not sure where to start? Reach out to Jordan Cassalia (4029907189) or James Tabur (5082656709) with the Lana Rodriguez Group for a free property analysis today!