How to improve chances of selling a home?
Question:We've got a sign in the yards, and now an ad in the paper. We've had a few calls, but no one has come to look at it. We need to sell before the end of summer. We are 'asking' a certain price so we ARE allowing people to try to work us down in case we run out of time (it is a fair price; what the place is worth).
Anyways, the ad should begin running in the paper today. What can I do to this place to make it look more spatious and inviting? My BF is a pack rat; we've thrown away gobs and gobs of stuff, but still have a lot of things that should be in storage (we can't afford that). We've painted the back bedroom, and plan on painting the other 2 bedrooms, one of the bath rooms, and the laundry room. I've taken most of the pictures off of the walls to make the room look bigger (but now there's 2 big boxes taking up space in the back bedroom!).
Anyone have any tips or links for how to make the place look bigger and better?
Answers:
We too are preparing to sell our home and don't have the money to do a whole lot. After watching numerous shows (By Me, Designed to Sell, Get it Sold etc). I've found two very important things that don't cost a cent but your labor. One is remove all clutter, personal items of decoration like kid's art on fridge, family pictures etc) and the other one is clean, clean, clean. Anything to make the bathroom/kitchen as sparkling as possible will pay off.
Other ideas to get the people in is curb appeal. Make your home as inviting outside as possible, well groomed, flowers etc. Then when people drive by, they will want to come in a see the inside.
Put pictures in your ads. And your email address (you can set up a free one just for responses).
Choose a title insurance company before you sell and they will help you with all the paperwork and frequently have standard forms you can copy.
First, bury a statue of St Joseph in your yard!
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/real-es...
Now, take down and store any family pictures, clean off the front of the frig (no artwork, recipes, etc), clean off the kitchen and bathroom counters, clean closets, etc. If you have a garage, make sure it is clutter free (but you can stack storage boxes neatly). Make certain the grass is mowed and watered, flowerbeds are planted, hedges trimmed, etc.
I would suggest removing any clutter you can and storing it neatly somewhere in the home (a garage, extra closet). Also, make sure none of your walls have bold colors on them. Make it as neutral as possible. One of the best tips I've seen is to pull some of your furniture away from the walls (like couches, beds, etc) a little bit. That gives the illusion that there is more space behind them and that the room is bigger. If you have dark curtains or dark rooms, try to lighten those up. Natural light is something people are always looking for. Good luck!
sound's like you are doing the wright things keep it clean &neat selling home yourself is tough in today's market.
do not know where you live but here in ohio houseing market is down. i would sugest that you hold open houes (sat-sun)
keep this in mind when you have prospective buyer's keep
record of ther name in case you deside to list wit realtor ,this way if realtor bring's the same people in you will not pay commisson good luck
Not sure where you live but statistics show that FSBO by majority do NOT sell. You need to list with a real estate agent. In my opinion as a realtor, you rae doing a lot wrong. You need to stop snd strategise. Take all your boxes and extra stuff and get it out of the house and maybe place it in the garage/ Paint ALL the rooms, get your boyfriends junk out and throw it away. Take your furnature which does not match or conform to 1 style and remove it. Pictures are good to have on walls but it should look HOMEY and inviting if this is your homes style: Example a modern style home is not to look like a 'Lived in/Homey" look it is to remain more on the clean and minimalistic. A countyr home should reflect a more homey country style.. It cost money to make money and if you can't afford to take care of items such as replace carpet (same colors in all rooms), Clean paint throughout, made beds, appropriate decoration, clean and decorated bathrooms or preferably remodeled, a fresh front yard with alive trees and bright flowers. You seem to state you have to sell. If so then there is no excuse and you have to get serious. Make all adds sound positive and do not answer too many questions if you post your phone number in the ad. Post dates for Sunday open houses and create urgency with the ad viewer instead of allowing choice to the reader so they find a stronger reason to comitt to showing up to see the home. Bottom line in many states fsbo's work but to real buyers and agent's it signifies trouble as sellers do NOT know how to sell a home and do paperwork, and agents do not wish to represent owners on a fsbo and do their work without getting paid or wondering if they will get paid or extra work teaching the owner how to close their deal. There is too much choice out there for agents to be more secure and show listed properties. Bigger is better but Bare does not mean better. Tell your boyfriend to get his stuff out asap or plan to stay there in the home. Good luck.
Remove the clutter and clean everything.
Outside clean up the yard, mow the grass, plant some flowers. Step across the street and take a good look at your house - is it inviting?
Price it right - comparable to what homes are selling for, not the money you would like (or need) to get out of it.
If no one has come in, you need to merchandise your house.
You have to have curb appeal.
If the outside even looks like it needs painting, paint it. If it is just mildewed, go to Lowes and get some Jomax and chlorox and clean it off per the directions. You do not need a pressure sprayer. If bushes are missing or looking unkept, buy new ones and put those in.
I had a house that needed some work done on it which I bought for a good price. I paid $40K for it, but now, 30 years later, it would sell for $300K - $400K. The bath needed a nice vanity with drawers, so I built one. The kitchen had a 1954 tile in it with awful looking cabinets, so I refloored it and painted the cabinets. We took the older carpet out and recarpeted in addition to painting the interior walls. It was brick, so I painted the soffits, fascia boards, gutters, garage door, and window sills. I put it on the market 18 months after buying it, listed it on a Friday, got what I asked in an offer two days later and walked out with about 20K profit.
More Related Questions & Answers...