Nov 12, 2014 | Home Seller Tips
Whether you’re just listing your home for sale or you’ve already started entertaining potential buyers, focusing on your “curb appeal” can drastically increase your chances of a quick and successful sale.
In today’s blog post we’ll discuss how to stage your front and back yards in order to make them seem more inviting and welcoming to home buyers.
It All Starts with a Great Lawn
Whether you’re standing on the street looking at the front of your home or you’re on your patio looking out over your back yard, your lawn sets the tone and is one area that potential buyers are sure to focus on.
You’ll want to ensure that your lawn is very well-kept, with no weeds, dandelions or patches of clover breaking up the continuity of the grass. You’ll also want your lawn to be a healthy green, unless you’re in an area which has some seasonal turnover or your community has watering restrictions.
Use Gardens to Add a Splash of Color
Once the lawn looks incredible, it’s time to move on to your gardens and other landscape features. Gardens are the best way to add a vibrant splash of color to your yard and they can be used to accessorize the front or back of your home to break up the monotony.
Choose flowers or plants that are in season for your area to ensure that they are healthy while potential buyers are driving past and viewing the home. Also, keep in mind that most of the time, less is more; don’t overdo your gardening or you’ll have a small jungle on your hands.
Make Your Backyard Feel as Inviting as Possible
Your backyard will be a major selling feature for many different types of homebuyer – especially those with children. You’ll want to ensure that your backyard feels as inviting as possible. If you have a deck or patio, ensure that you have furniture and your BBQ tastefully arranged so the buyer can picture themselves hosting friends and family.
Staging your front and backyards is just one of the many tasks that you’ll need to take care of in order to prepare your home for a successful sale. For more information about how to prepare your home, contact your local real estate agent today and they’ll be able to share expertise that is specific to your local community.
Nov 4, 2014 | Home Seller Tips
Are you thinking about selling your house or condo? If you’re in a market that has a lot of newly constructed homes, you’re going to be competing with those listings for buyers’ attention.
In today’s post we’ll share a few tips that can help you attract buyers and convince them that your pre-owned home is just as good as a brand new one.
Upgrade And Modernize Your Home Prior To The Sale
Numerous studies have shown that buyers who prefer brand new homes are mostly interested in the new appliances and fixtures throughout the home.
If your home is more than a decade or so old, you’ll want to invest some time and money in upgrading your appliances and fixtures before trying to list your home on the market.
If you have newly constructed homes very close to yours it might be worth installing these items after you’ve moved out so that the buyer is the first person to use them.
Focus Your Marketing On A Specific Buyer
Depending on which neighborhood your home is located in and the local amenities, you may want to consider focusing your marketing on one particular buyer. For example, a downtown condo would be marketed to a completely different prospective buyer than a large four-bedroom home out in the suburbs. Take some time to consider the “persona” of your target buyers, and craft your messaging around what these individuals or families will be looking for in their dream home.
Shine The Spotlight On Your Home’s Strong Points
As with any major sale, you’ll want to ensure that you spend as much time as possible highlighting the strong points in your listing. Be sure to mention any local community amenities as well, such as schools, parks or community centers. If you’re selling to a family, your proximity to these amenities will be a significant point of comparison with brand new homes in the area.
If you have the budget, you may also want to consider having your home professionally staged, as staging is an excellent way to show a potential buyer just how good your home can look with tasteful furnishings, art and other finishing touches.
Selling your home is a challenging proposition that shouldn’t be faced alone. When you’re ready to sell your home be sure to contact your local real estate agent, who has experience selling in your local market and can help to ensure your sale moves along smoothly.
Oct 29, 2014 | Home Seller Tips
Are you selling your house or condo? Once you place your home up for sale you’ll start to receive interest from prospective buyers, many of whom you’ll meet in person and invite in to take a look around. In order to ensure your sale goes smoothly you’ll want to avoid making any slip-ups that can spook the buyer and cause them to drop their interest in your listing.
Let’s take a quick look at three ways that you can scare buyers off and how to avoid finding yourself in these circumstances.
Pricing Your Home Too High
One of the biggest mistakes made by home sellers is setting the initial listing price too high. If your price is significantly higher than those of similar homes in the local area, you’ll find that buyers will be hesitant to make an offer as they are worried about a lengthy negotiation process.
Instead, aim to have your home priced fairly from day one and you’ll find that you receive far more interest.
Being Pushy Or Overbearing During The Sale
Selling a home will require a lot of personal interaction between you and the home buyer, and it’s important to make them feel welcome and to build a rapport with them. The last thing you’ll want to do is to come off as pushy or overbearing, which can sour your negotiations and cause the buyer to decide they may want to work with someone a little more friendly.
Neglecting Important Maintenance Or Renovations
Finally, if you’ve neglected any sort of major home maintenance or if your home has significant damage in an area you may end up scaring the buyer off if these issues are uncovered during a home inspection. As part of the final due diligence process, your buyer will have the home inspected at least once from top to bottom looking for any possible issues that they may inherit after buying the home.
If the inspection was to uncover a structural problem like a crack in the foundation, at best you can expect that the buyer will expect a significant discount on the home and at worst they’ll walk away from the deal.
If you’re serious about selling your home, one of the best ways to ensure that your relations with buyers go well is to have a professional real estate agent represent you during the selling process. When you’re ready to sell your home, contact your local real estate agent to arrange consultation where they can explain how home selling works and what you can expect.
Oct 22, 2014 | Home Seller Tips
Have you decided to sell your home, perhaps to make an upgrade to a newer, larger house? Whatever your reasons for selling, you’ll have a number of decisions to make as you craft your listing and begin receiving offers from buyers but few are as important as your initial selling price.
Let’s take a look at three reasons why setting your listing price is the most important factor in your home sale.
Reason #1: You Can Scare Off Potential Buyers With A High Price
You’ll receive the majority of your buyer interest in the first few days and weeks after you place your home up for sale, so it’s critical that your price isn’t set so high that it scares a number of buyers off.
While some sellers believe that it’s better to price high and let buyers submit lower offers, this can actually work against you. It’s better to have your home priced fairly from the beginning as you can always refuse offers that you deem are too low.
Reason #2: Your Price Directly Impacts How Long Your Sale Will Take
If you’re interested in seeing your home sell quickly it’s going to be in your best interest to have it priced competitively. Buyers will be shopping around for similar homes in your community and if there are other listings with lower prices on the market you may find it takes you a while to get your home sold.
Also, if you do find a buyer that is interested they’ll likely try to enter into price negotiations with you which can extend the length of the sale by a week or more as you go back and forth to reach an agreement.
Reason #3: A Low Price Means Leaving Money On The Table
While pricing too high can cause issues with your sale, pricing your home too low isn’t going to benefit you either. While you’ll likely find that you receive a high number of offers very quickly, you’ll end up leaving some of your home equity on the table – equity that you could easily have realized as buyers would have been willing to pay the difference.
Remember – the best way to ensure your home is priced competitively is to have it valued by a real estate professional. Contact your local real estate agent when you’re ready to sell your home and they’ll be able to determine the true value of your home.
Oct 16, 2014 | Home Seller Tips
Whether you’ve decided it’s time for an upgrade or you’re moving on to a new city, if you’re selling your home you may be wondering how you can boost its value before listing it up for sale.
In today’s blog post we’ll share four ways that you can spend a bit of time and money upgrading your home before it hits the local real estate market.
Spruce Up Your Landscaping
You’ll want your home to make a great first impression, and as such a great place to start is by sprucing up your lawn, gardens and other landscape features. Your grass should be a healthy green, free of weeds and freshly trimmed.
If you can, look to add seasonal flowers in your front gardens as this can add a bit of color to your home. Keep any shrubs or trees trimmed away from the home so that buyers can get a good look.
Apply A Fresh Coat Of Paint
Another excellent way to increase your home’s “curb appeal” is by applying a fresh coat of paint to the house, the trim around the windows and the front door.
Of course, painting a house is a big job so this might be one that is best left to a team of professionals. For added effect, replace the fixtures on the front door and pick up new house numbers.
Upgrade Your Kitchen Appliances
Many buyers will focus intently on your kitchen and the condition of everything from your flooring to your cupboards. If you have an older refrigerator or stove you’ll want to replace those with newer stainless-steel models.
You’ll also want to ensure that you have quality countertops – if you’re replacing them, consider going with granite as it’s popular with younger buyers.
Install A New Set Of Bathroom Fixtures
Finally, if you haven’t renovated your bathroom recently you’ll want to invest in modernizing your faucets, mirrors and other fixtures. The decor of your bathroom should match that in the rest of your home, but also stand out in its own unique way.
If you have an old bathtub with stained porcelain, consider replacing it with a glass-enclosed waterfall shower. Don’t forget about your light fixtures; if you find the bathroom is a bit dark, replace these with something that adds brightness.
For more information about the home staging and selling process, contact a local real estate professional today. Real estate agents are your best source for expert advice when selling a home, so don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and call if you have questions.
Oct 15, 2014 | Home Seller Tips
Have you listed your home up for sale? If so, you’ve likely spent a lot of time crafting your listing and highlighting the many features of your home and property – but have you focused on the community around your home as well?
Let’s take a look at a few ways that you can promote the qualities of your local neighborhood as you’re working to convince a buyer that purchasing your home is a great decision.
Give Your Buyers The A Tour Of The Neighborhood
After your listing goes live it won’t be long before potential buyers and their agents are calling to set up viewings so they can see what your home looks like in person.
When a buyer tours your home, offer to spend a few minutes giving them a quick tour of the local community as well. Have a quick route determined beforehand which takes you past schools, medical facilities and other amenities that will help to reinforce that your area is a great one to live in.
Highlight Local Community Centers And Parks
Do you have a community center, fitness center or large park nearby? If so you’ll definitely want to ensure that your buyer knows about these – especially if you’re selling your home to a family with children.
Modern buyers are very appreciative of green space and local cultural amenities as in many areas they’re becoming a bit harder to find. Point out just how close those local running trails are or how the recreation center is just a short jog away.
Have A List Of Local Restaurants And Shops Handy
Whether you live in the suburbs or the downtown core of your city, it’s likely that you have a number of restaurants, cafés and shops nearby. Consider making a quick list of these, highlighting any favorites or popular spots that are well-known to everyone who lives in the area.
Virtually everyone likes to dine out on occasion, and many buyers will prefer to live in a community that has what they need within a short drive.
If you’re unsure of what community features you should be telling potential buyers about, be sure to ask your real estate agent as they have been through the selling process numerous times before and will know how to market the community around your home.
