Sunday, February 4, 2007

What you REALLY need to know when selling your next home

IF you plan on selling your home this year, February and March are the very best time to start thinking about it. With spring right around the corner, it's time to begin working on your property and make it look it's very best! If you really want to know how to sell your home fast, then keep reading!

First, selling your house is about competition. One day you wake up only to discover that a next-door neighbor or someone down the street has also decided to sell their home. Keeping that in mind, you are now faced with a decision; what is the first thing I should do and what will help my home sell at the best price?

Second, selling your home is about seduction. I’m sure you’ve heard, “You had me at hello” right? When a potential buyer sees your house and walks in your front door, you want them to fall in love. I said this in an article last year; location helps tremendously, but appearance sells! Why? It’s the ONLY thing you have control over. You don’t control the realtor or the buyers who seek them out and you don’t control the neighborhood you live in. So, what is a savvy seller supposed to do? Ask yourself these questions:

How important is it to sell my house? What I am willing to do to reach this goal?
Does my house look like our family or does it look like other houses on the market?
If I were a house, competing with others in the same market and price, who would win the competition and have a better chance of someone falling in love with it?

Let’s review the most effective ways in which you can compete and seduce potential home buyers this year.

Control the flow! If you have a problem with traffic flow, bump into things and do not like the way your rooms feel, then a potential buyer will FEEL the same thing. Proper placement of furniture is essential when buyers are looking at square footage. Remember why you bought the house and try to change what doesn’t work.

Organize! If you haven’t thrown out, donated or repurposed items in the last year, then you’ve got too much clutter. On the other hand, you may be so well organized that you don’t have enough furniture or accessories to fill the space. Potential buyers want to FEEL good about the home they buy and if it doesn’t feel good, they might walk away from the sale. An organized space is a clean space in the mind of a buyer.

Clean! No one wants to see your dirt or the products you use in your bathroom. They want to see a clean, well lighted space because they are looking for a home to buy. Clean floors, carpets, windows, trim, countertops, windowsills, closets. Most important areas? Your kitchen and bathroom(s).


When in doubt, ask help from a real estate home staging professional with experience or ask your realtor who they know that can help you sell your home faster. Make your home sought after instead of never thought of™ in 2007.

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