Best Kept Secrets for Selling Your Home FAST

Posted by on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018 at 4:47pm.

Selling Secret #10 - Price your home right the first time

So many sellers make the mistake of pricing their home way too high at first with the idea that they can always lower the price later. But this is the wrong way to go! When a home is first listed on the MLS (Multiple Listing Services - a service your realtor has that shows all the homes available in our market) , that’s when you’ll get the most interest and buzz about your home. If you price it too high out of the gate, people will pass right by your listing and by the time you figure that out and lower the price, it can be too late. Not to mention, if you see something with its price marked down, sometimes your first thought is that something is wrong with that item. Same goes for a potential buyer looking at buying your house! If you price it right the first time, you can sell your home much faster. Find your home value here.

Selling Secret #9: De-clutter and organize

A house full of stuff looks like a smaller house. Be sure to go through your home before photos are taken and potential buyers start coming through to tour the home. Keep only the essentials, and put everything else in storage or give it away. And don’t forget to purge closets as well! Buyers want to know there is a lot of storage space in a home, and if yours looks like it’s bursting at the seams, it’s not going to be appealing. 

Selling Secret #8: Fill the home with light

After location, good light is the one thing that every buyer cites that they want in a home. Wash the windows inside and out, clean the blinds, dust any light fixtures and replace any burnt-out bulbs. Something as simple as increasing the wattage on your lamps and fixtures can make a home look warmer to potential buyers. A good rule of thumb is to make sure you have three types of lighting: ambient (general or overhead), task (pendant, under-cabinet or reading) and accent (table and wall). 

Selling Secret #7: Hide evidence of pets

Who doesn’t love dogs?! Well, some buyers don’t. Not everybody is a dog- or cat-lover, so seeing a food bowl or smelling a kitty litter box might make a potential buyer feel like the home isn’t clean. If you have carpeting in particular, signs of pets is a red flag for potential buyers. If you’re planning an open house, be sure to stow away all the pet evidence and give the house a deep clean to make sure there isn’t stray pet hair to stick to people’s clothes. 

Selling Secret #6: Choose the right Realtor 

Your home is one of the largest investments you've made in your life, so it's extremely important that you choose the right agent to represent your interests. Choose someone who is experienced and knowledgeable about the market. Your realtor will have information like how many houses are currently on the market in your area and the average number of days they have been listed. A good realtor will also look at comparable homes in your neighborhood to get a general idea of what the competition looks like. 

Selling Secret #5: Put on a fresh coat of paint 

This is such a simple fix to make an older home look new! A house with dingy interior and exterior paint isn’t going to wow a potential buyer. Also, if you’ve chosen colors other than neutral to paint your home, this is a good time to change that. Although it’s an easy fix, there are some buyers that just can’t get past loud paint colors and the work/time/money they’d have to put in to change them. 

Selling Secret #4: Always be ready to show

If you’re still living in the home you’re looking to sell, it can be difficult to keep it show-ready at all times. Although you have the option to decline a showing if you’re busy or you feel your home isn’t up to snuff, that’s more time for your home to be on the market and potentially the loss of a buyer. Try your best to avoid declining showings and keep your home at a show-ready place at all times. It might require you more effort, but it will likely help get your home off the market faster. 

Selling Secret #3: Depersonalize the space

Although you might have the most photogenic family ever, a home filled with someone else’s photos doesn't make it easy for a buyer to picture themselves there. Replace family photos with classic art pieces that will frame your space well, but not in such a personal way. Also put away any goofy knickknacks like your refrigerator magnet collection or that wall-mounted singing bass fish. You might think they’re cute, but too much clutter can distract a potential buyer from the important things about the home.

Selling Secret #2: Make sure your home has an internet presence

With the advent of new technology, the ways to market your home are endless. Your realtor’s marketing plan shouldn’t stop at just putting a sign in the yard and putting your listing on the MLS. At The Torgerson Team, our proven 14-step marketing plan includes producing a virtual tour of your home and placing it on multiple websites to attract local and out-of-town buyers. We also advertise your home on over 350 search engines and over 76,000 websites to make sure your home has the best chance of being seen. If your home isn’t selling, it may be time to ask your realtor what kind of marketing they have done for your home. There is a buyer out there for your home—but they’ll never know about it if your agent doesn’t find a way to tell them.  

Selling Secret #1: The first impression is the ONLY impression

Sometimes buyers will drive right on past a home that doesn’t look appealing from the outside. The front of your home is the first thing a prospective buyer will see and will set the tone for their feelings about your home. Be sure that your home is appealing by tidying up landscaping, repainting a chipping front door or planting some colorful flowers. When the buyer glances back at your home after a great (we hope!) showing, you’ll want to leave them with good feelings and a lasting impression that will take them all the way to their realtor to make an offer. 


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