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Selling a
property
For what
ever reasons, there comes a time in
nearly every homeowners life, when they
need to sell a home. Whether they are
leaving the area, expanding the family,
upgrading the home or just plane want a
change of scenery, home sellers can
benefit from the following guidelines.
1. Select
a Professional
While it is possible to sell a home on
your own, it is proven that home sales
by owner generally capture the homeowner
less money, consume more of their time
and can also leave the home seller open
to tremendous liability to the new
buyer. Working with a Realtor can shield
you from legal tangles (in most cases),
save you large amounts of time and
money. A Professional Realtor offers
knowledge, experience and tremendous
negotiation skills. You will find you
depend on your Realtor for MANY things
throughout the home preparation and
selling process.
It is
recommended that you interview at least
3 Realtor to find one you "click" with.
Once you have made a decision on a
Realtor, let the others who have hopes
of working for you know that you have
selected another. This is not only
professional courtesy, but any one of
those Realtors may be back with a buyer
for your home. In order to earn the
loyalty of your chosen Realtor, commit
to them and politely decline
solicitations by others. It will go
along way in the selling of your home.
2. What
is the right price to ask?
The key to selling your home is to find
out what it worth. There are two
procedures that can determine a fair
price for your home. The first is by
asking a Realtor to perform market
analysis based on what other similar
homes in your area have been selling
for. To do this a Realtor will use the
local tax records, their local Multiple
Listing Service Database and experience
in real estate transactions. A Realtor
can give you an estimate that is
unbiased and generally accurate.
The second
procedure is to actually hire an
appraiser to appraise your home. This
will be a true value of you home and
nearly ANY bank will loan money based on
that professional appraisal. Since an
appraisal costs anywhere from $300-500
(general est.) Not many sellers will
take this step. Also keep in mind that
as you sell, the banks will require the
buyer to have the home appraised
anyways. while you are not guaranteed a
copy, it is generally accepted to at
least let you know the final appraisal
amount. To find out what is right for
your situation, ask your Realtor.
3.
Preparation - Inside the home
Once you have established a selling
price and selected a Realtor there will
be a few things, if not already done
that you will want to do to make your
home presentable.
a.
Clean all clutter inside, clear
space on shelves and table surfaces,
remove excessive wall hangings and
or controversial pictures, art or
subject matter. Remember, you want
to sell your home, not your points
of view. Consider renting a storage
space if you do not have room to
store items.
b.
Make small repairs. Take time to
look around for gouges in the wall,
nicks in the paint, stains in the
carpet etc.. If necessary, ask your
Realtor or a friend to come through
your house and do it for you. You
will be surprised how much and
objective eye can catch. Fix those
items most notable or that you can
easily afford.
c.
Keep the house smelling nice.
Shopping for a home is sometimes
uneasy for a home buyer. They have
to walk amid a strangers home and
personal belongings and it can be an
uneasy feeling. To keep away from
any negative aspects keep in mind
that the sense of smell is a
powerful sense and can have negative
impact in the "feel" a buy can have
form a home. Items to watch are:
Bathrooms - consider mild plug
in air fresheners, keep surfaces dry
and toilet clean. Kitchens -
be sure to keep the sinks clean and
the garbage out. Laundry room
- do not allow laundry to pile up or
"smell up" this area. Bedrooms
- No room in the house captures
smells like the bedroom, we sleep
there for hours at a time. Try to
keep linens fresh, if the the
weather is okay, open window for
fresh air every morning. Try not to
keep bedrooms sealed of from the
rest of the house. It is also not a
good idea to make your favorite dish
if it is overpowering, at least not
close to a showing. Scents, candles
and air freshener sprays are nice to
keep around and can be handy
covering up the onion soup smell for
that "last minute" visit by a
Realtor with a potential client.
4.
Preparation - Outside the home
Nothing says "Pride of Ownership" more
than a well cared for home. The first
impression you give anyone as they
arrive is obviously from the outside.
Often times potential buyer have already
driven by a number of times to check it
out before calling their Realtor to get
inside. It is here where that classic
phrase "Curb Appeal" can sell your home
or keep you on the market, wondering why
nobody is viewing your home. Some of the
items you will want to pay attention to:
a.
Driveway - Make sure the
driveway is always as clear as
possible, if you have a garage, use
it for your car, not for storage.
Check that any noticeable oil stains
are cleaned up. Stop by a local
building supply or masonry shop for
special detergents to clean
concrete. Patch any chips or spalled
areas in the concrete apron, curb or
sidewalks. If you live on a corner,
ask the city to clean up the paint
on the curb (usually yellow).
b.
Lawn - If you have grass make
sure it is watered well, keep the
edges neatly trimmed and the length
short. Consider using fertilizer to
enrich the greenery but be sure to
ask someone at a nursery or supply
store about when and how much to
apply. Also be aware that fertilizer
makes the grass grow much faster,
you may have to mow 2 if not 3 times
a week to keep the lawn looking
sharp.
c.
Planters and other areas - Make
sure there are no weeds, consider a
nice ground cover to contrast with
the grass. Various mulches, bark
chips etc are available to cover
areas and keep them nice.
d.
Roofs - Walk to the street and
look at your roof, is there any
loose roofing material, debris from
trees, leaves or moss? If you can
see it, your potential home buyer
will too. Clean it up. If you have a
moss problem, check again with your
local building supply store about
moss control. Make sure the gutters
are clean and hanging correctly.
e.
House in general - Clean all
cobwebs and dust from the exterior
of the home. A good garden house
spraying can take care of this but
be careful round windows if you own
an older home. Make sure the paint
is not peeling, chipped or
discolored in any area.
f.
Welcoming Porch area - As a
potential buyer walks up to your
door they might be thinking how
would it impress their friends and
family of they were coming to visit
them in their new home. They will
notice all the details, a nice we
lit open area, nice door and light
fixture. How are the planters just
around the entry? If the door knob
and or window clean? Be sure to
check for cobwebs and dead insects
inside your light fixture.
5. Easy
Does it
The most important step in selling your
home once you have cleaned, polished,
patched and repaired is to make the home
accessible.
a.
Pets - If you have pets, make
sure they are out of the way. Not
many people really care to encounter
pets whether hostile or docile. This
is not the time for you to show off
you dog or cat because you think it
is cute. When the home is being
showed remove the animal from the
house, either place it in a portable
kennel or take it for a walk. Try
not to lock the animal in one room
that is then inaccessible to the
potential buyer.
b.
Showing - One sure fire way to
have your house shown LESS is
by demanding an appointment before
showing. Keep in mind, other people
value their time just as you do. By
demanding an appointment you create
a difficult to manage scenario for
both the would be buyers and the
Realtor involved and often remove
your home from the "possible homes
list" of house hunters. While people
view homes it is hard to stay on a
timeline. Often people will want to
see a home on a moment's notice.
While it is not necessary you allow
them to show up at the door
unannounced, if you truly want to
sell you'll do your best to
accommodate short notice showings.
Realtors have a great method for
handling showing your home, ask them
about the Lock Boxes and
access to the home.
While there
are many things that can effect the sale
of your home. The first impression you
give to a potential buyer may be your
last. This can be good in that that
buyer buys the home or it may be bad in
that that buyer does not even see the
home. By covering the items in this
article you can be sure that being
coupled with a realistic price and an
experienced Realtor, you'll sell quickly
and satisfactorily.
Article
Courtesy of Andy Spliethof, Former
Realtor and Oregon State Licensed Real
Estate holder. Medford, Oregon |
