What It Takes To Get Your House Sold- Part I: The House
By: Diane Dalton-The Andersen Team Marketing & Transaction Manager
 
Selling your house is actually a lot more work than just inviting in a few real estate brokers for estimates on how much they think your house will sell for and choosing the one you think will get the job done. Before you even invite the real estate brokers over, there are things you should think about regarding the home you are about to put on the market. 
 
Homeowners tend to get “comfortable” in their own homes and often do not realize the impression that their house will make to perspective buyers.
 
  • It is not a bad thing to have photos of our family and friends on the walls and shelves, closets full of shoes and clothes that we love, pictures that the kids have drawn all over the refrigerator and knick knacks that we can’t do without all over the house. These things make our houses the homes that they are. But when it comes to selling, a homeowner must look at his house with a different eye.
  • The same can be said about the condition of your home and yard. Maybe you think those scuff marks on the walls are not a big deal and you don’t even see the chipping paint on the shutters anymore. You don’t even use the old patio anymore in the back yard. But someone who is looking for a house to buy will see them- and it could cost you a sale. Before you even invite a real estate professional to your home, take a good look at how your house presents to someone who has never seen it before. 
  • Start by going through every room, closet and every other space and cleaning out all the old junk that you haven’t used in who knows when and probably never will use again. If you have small rooms or closets, they will look even smaller if they are full of stuff. 
  • Take down all the “extras”- family photos, all those “accents” in the living and dining room and all the kid’s paperwork. You can live without these things for a while.
  • Go through the house making note of all the things that need repair, painting or cleaning out. If you decide your house needs repainting, use neutral colors. Either hire someone to come in and do the work or leave enough time before it goes on the market to do it yourself. 
  • Staging your home, sometimes it makes sense to look at a professional to staging company who can make some minor changes (check out  http://tinyurl.com/2mcvob )
  • And finally, clean the house from top to bottom! You might have gotten used to the dirt around the window sills, but a buyer will spot it from a mile away- and have something to say about it!
Of course the point of all this is to allow a potential buyer to “picture” himself living in your home. It really is difficult for buyers to decide if their couch will fit into your living room with “Grandpa Louie” staring down at them from the mantle! Most people just don’t have the ability to look past all the things people have in their homes and see what will be left once it is moved out. They just can’t picture what the living room will look like in soft beige if it is painted a deep purple, even if that is your favorite color. Buyers will either get overwhelmed by all the work that needs to be done or decide it is not worth the time and money. And in today’s market, there is often another house down the street or around the corner for them to see- and it might be in much better shape than yours.
 
You might decide that doing all this preparation is not worth your time or effort. This is fine, but be prepared to take a MUCH lower offer for your house- if any offer comes in at all. The best advice in this situation is to price the house much lower than your competition- often at a price that is much lower than it would cost you to make the necessary repairs and changes.
A professional real estate broker can help you do the math.