Thinking About Selling Your Home? 

Selling your home is all about knowing the local housing market. Pricing your home correctly is crucial to maximizing the highest selling price possible. As local area experts, we can help determine what direction the market is trending, so you can make the right choices when it comes to selling your home to get the highest price possible!

THE BENEFITS OF PROPERLY PRICING YOUR HOME FROM DAY 1

1) FASTER SALE:

• When your home sells faster, you save carrying costs which include mortgage payments, taxes, insurance, and maintenance.
• A faster sale create less inconvenience for you. If you have moved before, you know the energy it takes to prepare for a showing, keeping the home clean, arranging for pets, children, and altering your lifestyle.
• Proper pricing creates less demands on you by helping your home sell faster.
• At market value, your home will gain exposure to more prospects who can afford the price.
• Sellers who list above market value are looking for that one buyer who will pay that price. Sellers often do not realize that they have discouraged many potential buyers who could have afforded the home .
• The final sales price is probably the one that will be affordable by more purchasers.
• Sellers often accept a much lower offer at a much later date since that one buyer willing to pay the higher price never comes along, costing you more in time and carrying costs.
• The 3 major things that affect the sale of your home are, location, condition, and price. You can not control the location, but you can control the condition and price.

2)  INCREASED SALES AGENTS RESPONSE:

• When sales people are excited about a home and it's price, they make special efforts to contact all of their potential buyers. Knowing that it is priced properly for it's market, they expect it to sell soon and encourage their prospects to act quickly. Their excitement is contagious!

3) BETTER RESPONSE FROM ADVERTISING AND SIGN CALLS.

• Ad calls and sign calls to Realtors OR By Owners turn into showings when price is not a deterrent.
• Serious prospects are well educated about home values in their areas of interest.
• Serious prospects do not waste their time looking at homes that are over-priced. 

4)HIGHER OFFERS:

• Buyers fear they might lose out on a good home when it is priced right.
• Sellers are less likely to receive low ball offers.
• Better pricing usually attracts multiple offers.

5) MEANS MORE MONEY TO SELLERS:

• If a home is priced right, this creates more interest and multiple offers, often driving the sales price up.
• Sellers net more in terms of actual sale price and by less carrying costs.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN SELLING YOUR HOME:

Once we’ve determined the price, we can give you advice about the little things that you can do to stage your home to get you the highest possible price! You’d be surprised by the simple measures you can take to dress up your home to attract more qualified buyers. 

We have a marketing plan that is designed to get maximum exposure to the buyers that are currently looking, and all agents that have buyers. Through pricing, staging, agent accessibility, and visibility, both on and offline, we can successfully sell your home to help you achieve your goals. 

WHAT COSTS ARE RELATED TO THE SALE OF YOUR HOME:

• Mortgage Pay Off: Before the closing, you will sign a release for the Title Company or Attorney to get the amount that will be owed at the day of closing.  This will allow the Closing Company to prepare the closing documents and they will issue a check out of your proceeds at the closing to pay off your outstanding mortgage.
• Lines of credit or Equity lines: As with the mortgage pay off, you will have to authorize the closing company to get this information.  If there is any amounts owed, they also will be paid off and any lines of credit closed.
• Prepayment Penalty: Often, sellers think that all that is owed is the amount showing on their last statement.  This is not always true.  A prepayment penalty could be in your mortgage.  You may also owe interest depending on the day of the month that you close.
• Unpaid Taxes/Liens: This is why title work is important prior to closing to see if there are any liens or unpaid taxes on the title. These items will also have to be paid the day of closing.  The closing company cuts these checks out of your proceeds and pays them on your behalf.
• Special Assessments: Special assessments are things like water, sewer, road or other local government improvements that were assessed to the property.  In most cases they must be paid off, in others, they can be assumed by the buyer.  If they are to be paid off, again the closing company will pay these out of your proceeds.

PREPARING YOUR HOME FOR SALE

Exterior:

• Make sure your lawn is mowed and edged.  The first impression a buyer will get of your home is from the outside.  Curb appeal is very important.  If you don’t have the time to keep the lawn mowed and edged, now is the time when hiring a service would benefit you.  This way you don’t have to worry about making sure it always is done in time for a buyer to see it or an open house.
• Trim all the trees and shrubs on your property.  If you can’t reach some of your tree’s or have the equipment to trim the trees and shrubs, we suggest you hire a landscape company to get it in shape for you.  You can also rent the equipment from a rental company if you would prefer to do it yourself.
• Plant some flowers or display large flower pots.  This is the best way to brighten up your yard and enhance that curb appeal.  You can pick up inexpensive pots at a pottery place, K-Mart, Target, Home Depot, or even at a Garage Sale.  These same places carry all types of flowers and shrubs too at good prices.
• Sweep and clean all sidewalks and pathways.  If you are in a climate that has snow and ice, make sure you clean the sidewalks and pathways and also the decks and put down salt so it clears and no one falls.  Make sure no toys, papers, or outside tools are left in the walk-ways.
• Repair and clean all windows.  Replace any cracked or broken windows and make sure they are clean for a well maintained look.
• Clean all eaves and drain spouts.  Blocked eaves and drain spouts can lead to damage that will cost more than keeping them clean.  A ladder and either your hand or a small broom can clean them out or you can hire a handyman to do it for you.
• Paint exterior areas that need painting.  Peeling or chipped paint should be taken care of for a fresh well cared for look to your home.
• Clean or replace door knobs.  The entrance to the home should be perfect from the finish on the door to the door knob and locks.  If they are dated and can’t be cleaned, then they should be replaced.  
• Keep Garage Door closed.  First impressions are important and even though the garage is an important space, it should not have the door left open at anytime.  You also don’t want people to think they should enter through the garage because it is open.

Interior:

• Remove all family photos, trophies, personal crafts, etc. Personal items such as pictures, trophies with names, home made crafts, etc. often keep people from being able to visualize the home for themselves and distract from other features of  the home.
• Remove all “clutter” (i.e. newspapers, boxes, etc.,) it will make your home feel bigger. Make sure the counters in baths and the kitchen are clutter free and papers either put away or in the trash. Dishes should always be done and put away, not left in the sink.
• Clean all your carpets. If the carpet needs to be replaced, do so and make sure it is a neutral color.  If it does not need replacing, have it cleaned or do it yourself by renting a carpet cleaning machine.
• Repair or paint any chipped or dirty walls.  Remember to choose neutral colors when painting your wall’s, not everyone like the bold colors or blue or red tones.  If all that is needed is to wash the walls, do the entire wall, not just spots.
• Make doors and windows open correctly and easily.  Just use a little A-1 oil where needed so that everything opens’s and closes easily.
• Repair and minor damages. (ie: plaster, wallpaper, creaking floor boards, etc.)  If you have wall-paper and the seams are opening up, a small tube of wall paper paste can be purchased at K-Mart or a wall paper store.  Creaking floor boards need to be repaired.  You may need to hire a flooring person to lift up the flooring to repair the boards if you don’t want to attempt it yourself.  Plaster repairs also may need the attention of an expert.
• Add some indoor plants.  Plants add a warm feeling to a home. Green and flowering plants both work well.

Additional Tips if you are going to have an “OPEN HOUSE”:

• If possible, keep all pets out of the house.  Pet’s need to either be out of the home or in a crate when the home is shown or an Open House is planned.  Even the best Pet can have an off day and bite someone, and many buyers may be afraid of curtain pets.
• Add some fresh flowers in a vase.  Colorful fresh flowers add warmth to a room.
• Make all the rooms in your house smell good.  If you don’t like to bake fresh cookies, just add a cinnamon stick to water and put it in the oven on low for a nice smell or a scented candle always adds a nice aroma.
• Clean and clear all table tops, desks, shelves, etc.  Clutter takes away from the features of the home.
• Create as much light as possible.  Open all blinds and curtains.  The brighter the home the better.  Windows need to be clean, blinds and curtains open, and lights on when needed.
• Add fresh towels to the bathrooms.  New fresh towels and even small soaps in a soap dish add a lot to the bathrooms.
• Turn off all TV’s computers, etc.  During showings and Open houses,  TV’s and computers should be off.  They tend to take away the attention of the buyer.
• Add a little music softly in the background.  Soft music can add relaxation to the buyers mood as they go through the home.

Never hold an Open House alone.  You are allowing strangers into your home and it is better to have another person with you.  This person should be another adult, not a child.   Also have a cell phone with you at all times if possible and an auto dial button for 911.  When showing the home, always have the buyer enter the room ahead of you so that the exit is never blocked.  If there is a basement in the home, have the lights on and have the buyer go ahead of you, again always leaving the exit open for you if needed.  Open house’s can be on any day, not just week-ends, but should always be during the day, with hours that end before dark.

Curious about what’s happening in your neighborhood? You can create a custom market report to see what’s active, under contract, and sold in your neighborhood! 

Considering selling or refinancing your home? Get an INSTANT property valuation now!

Contact us today to find out how we can be of assistance to you!