How to sell a home in any market

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Three Essential Strategies And A Home-Sale Checklist

In any real estate market, whether it's hot, slow or mediocre, the #1 factor that sells a home is price. Beyond that, three key variables will help entice buyers to walk into your home and offer a contract.

• Curb appeal.Even if priced right, sometimes a house will linger on the market because it makes a bad impression from the street. Keep in mind, buyers want to move into a "new home." Although previously lived in, a resale property becomes the buyers' "new" home, reflecting their image to friends, family and neighbors. Show them something they can picture themselves in, something they'll want to investigate further.
• Condition.The inside of your home should look clean, smell fresh and work the way it's supposed to. You don't want potential buyers picturing how much work your home will require of them.
• The Deal.If your home is priced properly but not selling, consider offering incentives. Instead of dropping the price $10,000, figure out how many months' payments that $10,000 would make and offer to let full-price buyers "live in the home free for 8 months!" In essence, you're marketing the deal instead of the house-a strategy that may work better than a price reduction!

Pay attention to the following areas to fully maximize your home's attractiveness to buyers:

Landscaping
__ Lawn (healthy, weed free?)
__ Shrubs trimmed
__ Trees (old limbs removed, trimmed back from windows)
__ Check driveway for cracks, appearance and damage
__ Remove clutter (bikes, toys, tools, lawnmower, etc.)

Entranceway
__ New welcome mat
__ Freshly painted door
__ Reduce clutter from front closet
__ Clean or replace entrance rug

Home Exterior
__ Trim and moldings: need paint?
__ Check gutters and downspouts for leaks, dents
__ Dents in siding?
__ Storm windows free from defects?
__ Repaint or repair fences as needed

Interior
__ Repaint all wood surfaces, including molding and trim
__ Repaint all walls with more neutral colors
__ Replace wall and socket plates where necessary
__ Thoroughly clean all flooring, replace carpet if necessary
__ Scrub tile and bleach grout in bathrooms and kitchen
__ Check all appliances for proper operation and cleanliness

Closets
__ Don't use closets as a place to store all the junk!
__ Move items you want to hide into the attic or a storage unit
__ Clear out closets to show their size
__ Check sliding or folding doors, repair or replace them if necessary

Bathrooms
__ Attack all mildew
__ Re-caulk if necessary
__ Replace all light bulbs with brighter bulbs
__ Use coordinated towels for decoration.
__ Replace old toilet seats
__ Clean out the medicine cabinet and replace it if needed
__ Replace shower or window curtains

Give us a call for more great ways you can ensure a fast home sale at the right price!

Please call me right away to get started at 860-494-3046 or email me at matt@mattsellsrealestate.com