Tips to Selling

Emotions & Money

Emotions are your enemy! Ones home is often their most personal possession. Its easy to become stubborn or offended when negotiating the sale of real estate. Being open minded & staying calm will yield the best results. Don't make emotional chooses when faced with financial decisions.

Staging

Understand who your selling to. Ask neighbors to view your home & give feedback. How could the home show better. Your Realtor should be able to provide many tips in staging your home. Hiring a professional staging consultant should be considered in todays market, especially high end listings.

Personal items need to be removed and stored. This includes; family or personal pictures of any kind, awards, collections of sports memorabilia, etc Buyers should visualize themselves living in the home you're selling, not you. Also, try visiting some model homes to see the latest trends & interior decor.

Fix it before they find it. If there is obvious problems that need repairing, fix them. The last thing you want is an inspector bringing back a 50 page list of repairs to the buyer who hired them. This can cost big bucks in credits to the buyer or even losing your buyer. Have the repairs done ahead of time. You'll be able to find a less expensive and/or more qualified contractor to complete the needed repairs. More importantly, there will be less chance your buyer will back out or demand more money from you. Let your buyer get caught up in the emotions of finding their perfect home that doesn't need any work.

Showings

If you can show it, SHOW IT! Don't worry about the fact that your house isn't spotless or even if your family is just sitting down to dinner. Having a clean, vacant home is important but not at the expense of losing a potential buyer who may not have time to come back when its convenient for you. Often the buyer who request to view your real estate at odd hours is more serious & should be treated that way.

Making your home difficult to show or simply not being friendly can scare away buyers and even timid agents representing a buyer. Remember that your impression on the buyer or buyers agent could significantly affect future negotiations or even just getting an offer.

Negotiating

There is more to negotiate then the purchase price. Terms & conditions can often weed out buyers who are already unsure of purchasing your home. Bettering the chances of the offer that you accept closing escrow. Also, being of the market for several weeks can cost you more time & money. Be sure you & your agent review offers & negotiate from all angles.