Remember, your are competing against a lot of other homes that are on the market. You must make sure your home is in execellent condition.
1. First Impressions are Lasting.
Be Sure you greet your prospects at the front door with a smile. Help them to feel welcome in your home. Make sure that the home is whistling clean. The day before a showing, cut the grass.
2. Decorate for a Quick Sale.
You would not believe how much more money you can make by painting your woodwork and trim. Most buyers have an extremely busy life style. They don't have the time or energy to be redecorating a home.
3. Let the Sun Shine in.
Open draperies and curtains. Let the prospect see how cheerful your home can be. (Dark rooms do not appeal)
4. Repairs can make a Big Difference.
Loose knobs, leaking faucets, sticking doors and windows, warped cabinet drawers and other minor flaws detract from home value. Have them fixed!
5. Remove and pack any items that you don't use everyday.
Show the full value of your basement and other utility space by removing all unnecessary articles. Brighten dark, dull spaces by painting walls.
6. Make closets Look Bigger.
Neat, well-ordered closets show that the space is ample.
7. Bathrooms Help Sell Homes.
Make this room sparkle. Repair worn caulking in bathtubs and showers. If the tile is old or out dated change it. It is one of the least expensive updates that you can do that will enhance your homes value.
8. A word to the Wise.
Don't be a pushy salesman. If your home is what the buyer is looking for. Most homes will sell them themselves. All you need to do is to get the traffic to your home. Typically there is a ratio of 20-1 the number of buyers needed to sell your home. The market has changed dramatically in the last 3 months.
9. Remember the Golden Rule.
Treat your prospective buyer the way you would want to be treated if you were in their home. You will never go wrong.
10. Do You See the Light?
Bright, Bright, Bright is a welcome sign. If potential buyer feels a glowing warmth because you turned on all your lights, it will leave a positive impression on them.
11. Three's a crowd.
Avoid having too many non potential buyers present during inspections. The potential buyer will feel like an intruder and will hurry through the house.
12. Create an auction effect. If you can schedule more then one appointment one on top of another you will create an auction effect. One buyer will think the other buyer is interested and hurry to make you an offer. Chances are you will get a better price than you would have got if there weren't 2 customers in the house at a time.
13. Music is Mellow.
Turn off the television and have only soft music playing on the radio or stereo.
14. Pets Underfoot?
Keep sparkie out of the way, preferably out of the house.
15. Silence is Golden.
Be courteous but don't force conversation with the potential buyer. He wants to inspect your house, not pay a social call.
16. Be It Ever So Humble.
Never apologize for the appearance of your home. After all, it has been lived in.
17. Educate yourself of the market around you.
Go online an find a list of homes that are for sale around you and go visit them during open houses. You will need to know what houses are selling for and listing for so as to set a competitive price on your home
18. Go to the county tax assessor
To find comparable properties sold. Get an apprasiers list of values. Add and subtract the values of your home and the home you are comparing. Then add and subtract the value to get an adjusted sold price. Somewhere in the middle of 4 comps will be your sale price. This method works nearly every time for me.
19. Be available 7 days a week from 9am-8pm to show your home.
As I mentioned before, buyers have a busy life. You must be ready to show your home to them when they need to see it. If you don't man your phone on this time schedule, you risk losing many potential buyers.
20. Know when to hold up, Know when to fold up?
Set a time limit that you will stick to, know when it's time to let it go and give it to a professional like Art Dusenbury to sell it for you.
