Getting people to think positively from the front door

No situation is more exemplary of the cliché “first impressions are everything” than when selling a house. This impression of your house begins at the curb and is developed from that point forward. If the buyer’s impression is positive when they step into the house and take their first look at the interior, the glass will be half full as opposed to half empty as a basis for what they see from then on.

Measures that will add value and saleability to your home in

dramatic picture perks interest & curiosity

this very competitive market:

 

Ensure that the approach to the house is well kept and in good condition. With that in mind consider the following suggestions to insure a positive beginning in the mind of a buyer:

1. Repair cracks, re-coat or re-seal driveway. If the porch has brick or stone replace any loose mortar. If wooden address rot and any flaking paint.
2. Make sure railings are sturdy.
3. Repaint or varnish front door. Repair or replace hardware if needed.
4. Keep yard trimmed and edged. Replace dead bushes. Remove dead limbs
   that would appear dangerous.
5. Clean gutters and repair if necessary, especially in the front the house.

Less Clutter = More Possibilities

Building on the buyer’s positive frame of mind requires that the interior space of the house he sees first is in good condition and staged to insure the space appears roomy, if at all possible. An interested buyer begins to imagine his own furniture in the home. The less clutter, family photos and excess furniture in the room the more he is likely to do this.

Storage Solutions

Portable containers are useful in de-cluttering and shortening the moving process when the house sells. 1-800-PackRat has good deals on storage solutions. Don’t forget to include the garage in your de-cluttering efforts.

Staging

Staging is about encouraging buyers to project their lifestyle onto your house. Because so much of what we have in our house is personal, a good realtor who understands the psychology behind staging will prove indispensable in advising those decisions of what to keep, what to move and what to store.

Cleaning Up

Kitchen and bathrooms and laundry area should get an A+ taking their age into account. Tubs and showers re-caulked or grouted. Shower curtain replaced. Floors put in their best shape. Cabinet fronts wiped down. Refrigerator door neutered. A bowl of fresh fruit. A vase of flowers in the kitchen. Clean the windows. Light coming into the house should be maximized and there is nothing to perk up a room than sparkling windows. Change light bulbs in dark areas to 100 Watts.

Making the most of Buyer Appointments

In the current market credit worthy buyers are few and far between. It takes a lot of effort and marketing dollars or just plain chance to find them, so when your house does get a showing it is more important than ever to make the best of each selling opportunity. 

81% of home buyers use an agent in finding a house.

Hiring a Realtor

The job of a listing realtor in consultation with the owner is to price property to sell, market the property in order to solicit qualified buyers, insure that the sale is in accord with all state real estate laws, work with buyer and seller to negotiate an acceptable price and terms and lastly to keep the deal together through  final settlement.  Often the last step requires the most diligence.

 How does one find a realtor they can trust with what is likely to be the most valuable asset they own. To often it comes from the thread bare reasons that a cousin is the county is  a realtor or a friend happens to mention that he knows one.  

 I would argue that the choice of a listing realtor  ought to be based on both objective reasons and subjective ones.  Take a look at the following check list to make a more thoughtful evaluation.  

 ∆How experienced is the realtor in selling houses in your neighborhood or your area of town?  Understanding of the market regarding pricing cannot be gleaned from a spread sheet of past sales.  One must know the housing stock and have know  where the sales came from.  Secondly selling real estate is very much about selling the location.  Knowing and being enthused about what the area has to offer is important.

 ∆Is the realtor being honest about condition issues that will detract from the sale?  Are you okay with hearing the truth? Is the realtor pricing the house according to what you want or what the market indicates?  Being 7%+ over market price will add months onto the sale.

 ∆How will the Agent market the house?  An agent marketing his listings to other agents is useful.  Experienced realtors typically have good agent networks.  Print advertising is giving way in effectiveness to advertising on the internet. A detailed plan to market your property on the internet that will drive buyers to Open Houses and reach other agents is important.  The home owner should be provided with a weekly report of  marketing activities and buyer activity.  

 ∆What brokerage is the agent aligned with? The larger brokerage houses offer some advantages over the smaller ones:  More reach to their web sites and a larger network of realtors who are incentivized to sell fellow agents listings.  In addition to the fact that larger brokerage house provide more oversight of their agents.

 ∆Can you listen to this agent’s advice and discuss the matter honestly?  This I believe is critical to a successful relationship between a realtor and his client in getting the house sold for the most money in the shortest time frame.

 ∆What is the Agent’s web site like?  How will it help sell your house?  This will also give you some indication of how internet savvy the agent is.

George Frazier