Tips to Sell Your Home Faster:
• Searching for a new home is an extremely emotional experience for a buyer. They tend to let that emotion drive their initial feelings towards a home. Most buyers have a visceral reaction when they enter a home. From your perspective, you want this initial reaction to be extremely positive. If a buyer's initial visceral reaction is negative then there is little likelihood of winning them over.
• Because buyers decide quickly on whether the home appeals to them, the first impression of the home is very important. While there are many ways to impress a buyer, the most important is to make sure the house is clean.
• Part of ensuring that the house is clean is making sure that the house does not appear cluttered or disorganized. "Declutter" as much of your personal belongings as you can before showing your home. If need be, hold that long overdue garage or lawn sale. Selling a home can also be a great excuse for finally making a donation of unneeded items to Goodwill or the Salvation Army.
• Once you have decluttered, make sure that the house is cleaned before every showing. Odor is very important during a showing. If you have pets, you may want to consider lighting a scented candle or spraying air freshener. Be mindful however not to overdo it because a buyer can be equally turned off if the candle or air freshener is overwhelming.
• Prior to showings, make sure that there are not clothes left on the floor and that all of the beds are made. You should also remove as much from your kitchen counters and bathroom counters as possible.
• Some agents recommend keeping all lights on. This is helpful particularly on gloomier days but for sunnier days this is not as important. Use your common sense to determine if it is worth keeping the lights on while you are at work.
• Many sellers ask for advice regarding improvements prior to showing the home. The issue is whether the improvement is cost effective. In almost every case you will never receive a "dollar for dollar return" on an improvement done to help in the showing of your home. However, some improvements may make the difference between a buyer choosing your home over another. Every improvement should be looked at in the context of the particular home. Consult your real estate agent to determine what repairs might be cost effective given your situation and your home.
