Here is our slimmed-down version of our FREE Home Sellers Guide and a quick overview of some essential items that you should be aware of before selling your house. It’s a good idea to “prepare” your home prior to putting it on the market. Keep these things in mind when preparing your home for potential buyers:
Below is our short Seller’s Guide that will help you with getting your house ready to sell. If you would like our in-depth 20+ page Sellers Guide that guides you through the whole process please fill out the form below
We also have our Premium Listing package at a %4 Total Commission right now! This program is crazy awesome! Here is the info and video explaining the program
Getting Your House Ready
-
Thoroughly clean the interior and exterior of your home. Clean all flooring, including having the carpet cleaned and stains removed. Clean the windows, fresh linens placed in the bedrooms and bathrooms, etc. You would be surprised at how many people pay attention to even the smallest of details.
-
Make sure the kitchen and bathrooms are thoroughly cleaned. Remove children’s drawings from the refrigerator and make sure the counters along with the grout is clean in both the kitchen and bathrooms.
-
Declutter as best you can throughout your home. In addition to removing any personal items, make sure that you remove any clutter. A clutter-free home seems larger and more inviting, whereas a lot of stuff lying around could give the impression that the house is too small or cramped for storage.
- Create the attractiveness and appeal of your home. To ensure the room feels inviting, and not distracting, make the beds, put away your laundry, shoes, and other miscellaneous items lying around.
-
Buyers want to imagine your home as their potential sanctuary. They want to envision their belongings, and décor without being distracted by yours. While these items may be special to you, they could possibly prevent the buyer from being able to imagine their own style complimenting the home.
-
Make any minor repairs that may turn off buyers. We are not saying repaint your entire house; however, if there are broken items like a door handle or scuff marks on the walls, it’s best to touch them up.
-
If you have a wall you painted, let’s say purple, although you may love it most likely will not appeal to the typical buyer. Repainting a few walls is an inexpensive thing to do that could potentially make a big difference to a buyer. It’s best to stick with a neutral color.
Curb Appeal
In our experience, curb appeal is much more important than people think. After showing thousands of homes, we can tell you that buyers will have preconceived opinions within 20 seconds of seeing a house. De-cluttering your front yard is just as crucial as de-cluttering the interior of your home.
-
Remove items such as kid’s or pet’s toys, hoses, and gardening tools.
-
Fix anything that is broken. A leaning mailbox, cracked steps, or a damaged fence can all adversely impact your curb appeal.
-
Keep your lawn mowed and weed-free, and remove grass clippings from walkways and sidewalks.
-
Flower beds add a pleasant splash of color and are known to do wonders for making an excellent first impression. Some studies show that landscaping can increase the value of a home by as much as 25%. Other feature enhancers, such as lighting, can add value and appeal.
-
Pressure wash your home’s exterior and paint if needed. If you can’t afford a new door, paint the one you have a bold shade to complement your home’s exterior.
-
Make sure your porch and yard furniture look fresh and inviting. Buy a new welcome mat and place potted flowers near the entrance. Replace burned-out light bulbs in all of the exterior lights and consider replacing the light fixtures closest to the front door, or porch, for an updated look.
Pricing
Pricing is one of the top 3 things when selling a home. If you don’t get it right, you are going to leave money on the table. As part of our listing package, we utilize a Certified Appraiser on staff who can assist in providing an objective, impartial, and unbiased opinion about the value of your home.
Christie Daniel is a Certified Appraiser with 20 years of experience. A pre-listing appraisal can be especially useful if you face particular challenges in pricing your home. This can happen when:
-
You have a unique home that’s hard to find comparables for.
-
The real estate market is on a significant upswing or downswing, so prices are changing fast.
Price negotiations are another step of the home sale process that benefits from a pre-listing appraisal. For example, in a market with low demand, sellers don’t want to turn down offers, but they also aren’t happy about low-ball offers. A seller’s appraisal report could be used to support a counteroffer for a higher price. More importantly, by using the information contained in the pre-listing appraisal, they would have comparable sales that would defend a listing price.
An appraisal of your home will be completed to assist in determining the best range of value for your home. Christie will view your property, noting property condition, amenities, upgrades, and relevant characteristics to determine market value.
Using A Real Estate Broker
As your broker from Greenleaf Real Estate, I can promise you that we will bring a great deal of knowledge and experience in several areas that WILL make a real difference in selling a home and profitability for YOU.
Expertise ranging from market analyses, simple repairs, and improvements or proven “staging” techniques to show a home in its best possible light, can translate to quicker sales and better purchase prices.
The same is true for the established advertising, marketing tools, and strategies Greenleaf employs to gain the highest visibility in a far-reaching market.
It’s a fact, hiring a real estate broker with experience and knowledge will get you more money on the same house than not using one.
Selling a house is about having the experience to understand what kind of advertising attracts the attention of the most desirable buyers.
Most houses marketed by their owners are priced incorrectly. They either sell for too little, or they’re initially overpriced and linger on the market for ages before the asking price is drastically reduced.
Professional real estate agents specializing in your area, have access to resources not available to the public, allowing them to set the right price to achieve a speedy sale at top dollar.
Marketing Strategies
It’s a numbers game, so exposing your home to as many buyers as possible is always a priority for us at Greenleaf. The more qualified buyers that see your home the better chance of getting offers. The internet is crucial when marketing your house, and that’s where 85% of buyers will start their home search.
We are continually keeping up with and educating ourselves on the best practices for internet marketing and how we can use it to your advantage. Having a broad spectrum of advertising in a coordinated manner is always the best approach.
For More specifics download our 20+ page sellers guide below
Our Promise to you
Lastly, here are a few things you can expect from us:
-
The utmost professionalism and honesty
-
We will analyze the value of your purchase or sale, so we can effectively negotiate on your behalf to get you the most for your money
-
Communication through every step of the process
-
Top-of-the-line marketing strategies such as drone footage, professional-quality video, and photos
-
All buyer’s offers will be screened and verified for value, so you are not wasting thousands on appraisals, and home inspections only to have the value fall short
-
Extensive advertising which includes the internet, social media, and events to market your home
-
Local real estate market reports with evaluation
-
Real estate professional referrals (for those moving to another state or country)Real estate leasing (commercial, industrial, retail, residential)
-
Do you have a unique real estate issue that you need assistance with? We’re happy to work with you to find solutions.
Contact us below for our 20+ page Seller’s Guide
