Are you getting ready to sell your home?  Here are some things to consider. 

• When do you need to move?  If you are planning a move to coincide with a job transfer or your children’s school calendar and timing is critical it’s very important to know the estimated amount of time it will take to sell your home.   

• Ask the people you trust to refer you to the REALTOR® that helped them to buy or sell.  

• Have your home inspected by a professional before you put the “for sale” sign in the yard.  This is the time to make any necessary repairs. 

What to expect 

• This is a buyer’s market so be prepared to be flexible if possible.  Buyers will usually offer less than your asking price.  They will also likely want you to pay some or all of their closing costs.   
• While your home is on the market be ready for last minute calls for showings.  Your home has to be in “showing” condition within 20 minutes.   
• Your REALTOR® will probably have suggestions for improving your home.  Do not take her suggestions as criticism.  She knows what it takes to prepare your home for the “buyers’ eye”.  Remember the way you live in your home is not the way you will sell it.   

Getting Your Home Ready to Sell 

Turn on the television and you will be bombarded with shows that help sellers prepare their homes for sale.  Although the extent of the work may seem unrealistic to you, this is what buyers have come to expect when they pull up to the curb in front of your house.  You only have about 15 seconds to impress a buyer enough to want to make an offer on your house. Buyer’s need to see themselves in your house and if there is too much of ‘you’ they won’t be able to. The name of the game is ‘preparing your home for the buyer’s eye’.   

• If your agent doesn’t have expertise in staging, hire a professional stager.  Follow her advice.

      The most common suggestions are:

•  Pack up your family photos, religious statues and pictures and anything that looks even remotely offensive.      

• Pack up items in your closets that you won’t need while your house is for sale. 
• Consider renting a storage unit or have a garage sale to clear out the house. 
• Remove excess furniture.  
• Paint the walls.  This doesn’t mean off-white.
• CLEAN EVERYTHING!!!!
• DO NOT use air freshener, potpourri or candles.  Buyer’s think you are trying to cover up offensive odors.  

For more information on Staging your Home, click here.