There are a few things that you have to keep in mind about selling your home. While it may be tempting to just rush through the process so that it can be over with, you need to take your time and make sure all bases are covered to assure a smooth sale.
If you are having difficulty selling your home, think about lowering the price. Try listing it on more websites or have different real estate agencies help you. When people visit your home, make sure it looks clean and safe and that you are presenting the advantages of the house first.
Your house should smell fresh. If you have pets or you smoke, you may have become accustomed to the smell. Have a friend come over and give you an honest opinion. If there are any lingering smells, scrub the house from top to bottom, open all the windows to get some fresh air in, and throw out anything that is beyond help. Don’t fall into the trap of using scented candles or a strong air freshener. If a prospective buyer doesn’t like that particular scent, they may be put off the house entirely.
Your house should be a blank canvas. Just because you love brightly colored walls, a prospective buyer may not. If possible, prior to putting your house up for sale, paint the walls white or another neutral color. A buyer needs to be able to envision the house as their own, which is much easier to do when not faced with your favorite colors. Another plus to painting your walls white is it reflects the light, making the rooms look larger.
Keep in mind that the offer process is not personal. A low ball offer on your home is not an affront to you. Just as you are trying to get the most money out of your home, the buyers are trying to get the best deal. Do not reject a buyer from making a follow up offer if the initial bid is too low.
When preparing a home to show, have the exterior of the home power-washed. Power-washing will remove dirt and grime from the siding of the home, making it look nicer and newer. A washing could even remove the need for a new paint job, if the current siding is still in good condition.
An important tip to remember with real estate is the fact that declines in the market not only historically last longer, but also feel like a longer amount of time than the recovery period. This is important to know because you do not want to be caught unexpectedly when the market has changed and you are not prepared to sell.
Just as the beginning of this article stated, selling a home needs to be a careful process. Make sure that you do the best you can to make the process flow. If you do the right thing on your side, then the only thing left to worry about will be everyone else doing theirs.