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10 Steps to Selling Your House
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It's
time to get your house into "showing and selling" condition. Most
of us don't keep our homes in the condition it would need to be in to sell.
Over the years those boxes in the corner of the garage just seem to multiply
on their own. Things have broken that we just never get around to fixing
and some things have just worn out. We just accept the fact that they will
always be this way. It is this frame of mind that you have to break out
of in order to get your house ready to show. How your house looks will have
an immense impact on how quickly it sells and whether or not you get full
market value for it.
First
impressions are very important and you only get to make one. Approach
your property from the buyer's standpoint. What needs to be changed to
make a good first impression? This may mean that all you do is prune the
trees and shrubs. On the other hand, it may mean that you completely repaint
the house, inside and out. Do a "curb to door" check. Give the
potential buyers a clear path to enter the home. The fewer obstacles between
the buyer and the true appeal of your house the better. Keep in mind that
over time we become accustomed to our surroundings. What's normal for
you may be detrimental to the buyer.
Make
your house look as spacious as possible. Organize your closets and kitchen
cabinets, and if you have things stored in the attic or basement, make
sure they are presentable. If you are showing during the day, pull back
your curtains and drapes to show how bright and cheery your home is. If
you are showing at night, turn on all of the lights to create a warm and
welcoming environment for the prospective buyers.
A house that is marked with your personality and style
may be harder to sell. You might even consider such things as removing
obvious clues to your political affiliation and tucking away any biased
literature that may be visible. This will reduce distractions and help
the buyers to visualize the home as their own.
Your
agent can save you time and money by providing an objective
and expert opinion on what needs to be changed or improved. They know
what the buyers are looking for because they are in the marketplace everyday.
They will perform an analysis of the entire property and, taking into
account the state of the market in which you are selling your house, point
you to the changes that need to be made in order to sell it for the most
amount of money and as quickly as possible.
