Seller's Articles – For the smart consumer

Selling a Home in a Hurry
Sometimes, life circumstances are out of our control, leaving homeowners with no other alternative. They must sell in a hurry.  If you are among the many sellers who need to act quickly, your realtor will soon become your best friend. 

Your realtor will assist you in hastening the paperwork process, completing important documents such as disclosure forms, and listing your home the minute you give him or her permission to do so. Your realtor can also help you pinpoint ways to improve the appearance of your home in order to attract more potential buyers.

In order to fully understand the home-selling process, it is necessary to understand the buyer.  Today’s web-savvy consumers are quickly developing the habit of not buying anything until they have researched it on the internet. This trend is growing exponentially, especially among 30-somethings who are quickly discovering the value of saving money. 

Potential homebuyers are no different. Around 80% of potential buyers will search online as the first step in the home-buying process.  This practice quickly grew in popularity when potential buyers discovered that they could use the internet to screen homes from the comfort of their living room. This is why the visual appeal of your home is so important! A beautiful photograph will attract more buyers and increase the likely selling price!

Given this trend, sellers now understand the need for the home’s exterior to be picture-perfect – unless, of course, they don’t mind waiting for their home to be viewed by potential buyers.  In our busy world, homeowners tend to buy homes that need little or no repair, because time is a valuable commodity.  Therefore, taking months to prepare a home before moving into it is no longer common.

Knowing how potential buyers think enables sellers to evaluate the overall appearance of their home and make simple changes that could very easily not only raise the selling price, but also help them to sell their home more quickly.

Realtors have spent years dealing with potential buyers and paying attention to what they look for in a home. They have identified two simple things that you can do when you need to sell your home quickly.  By making a minimal investment over a few weekends, you can greatly improve the way that your home appears to potential buyers.

Paint!
If time and budget allow, opt for a complete paint job on the exterior of your home to give it a fresh and clean look that will get the attention of passers-by and those searching for homes online.  There is no question that a simple coat of paint can completely transform the appearance of any home.

But it doesn’t end there.  Take a look around your neighborhood and select an exterior color that “fits.” Select a neutral color. White, beige, grey or even a light blue are good options in most cases.  Unless you also plan to replace your roof, be sure that the color you select complements that of the roof.  Select a trim color that makes your home’s features stand out, or opt to use the same color that you used for the exterior walls on the home’s trim, too.

Look for bare spots in the lawn that could signal problems with insects or other predators.  Tossing some grass seed onto those areas is an inexpensive solution that can make a tremendous difference in the appearance of your lawn.

Once the exterior painting is finished, take a walk through your home with the mindset of a potential buyer.  Are there nail holes where family portraits used to hang?  Are the kitchen walls stained?  Are there signs of mildew or peeling in your bathrooms?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, then an interior paint job is critical.

When time is limited, focus on the most troubled areas first.  Paint them white, which is a neutral color and makes rooms appear larger and brighter. 

If you elect to paint only certain areas within your home, start with the entranceway.  If you have a foyer, paint the exterior door and door frame.  Then put a fresh coat of white paint on the walls of your foyer.  If potential buyers will enter directly into a room, paint that room and don’t forget the ceiling!  It’s crucial that the paint job be neat, and that you are careful to not get paint on the flooring or baseboards.

The new paint job will be a selling feature!  When buyers have many homes to choose among, a fresh cost of paint will make a great first impression, because it adds to the impression of cleanliness and, in some cases, brightness.

Whether you opt to paint by yourself or to hire a professional, it is very important to ensure that the painting is done correctly.  Fill in nail holes, wash dirty walls, and cover areas that should not be painted.

Believe it or not, the minimal investment of a fresh coat of paint can make a tremendous difference in the amount of time that it takes to sell your home. Just be sure to finish painting well before you put you’re your home on the market. At the very least, wait for the smell of fresh paint to dissipate before potential buyers begin viewing your home.

Landscape!
As mentioned above, the appearance of your home’s exterior needs to be as close to photo-perfect as you can get it.  Once you have painted the exterior, or even if you decide not to paint, take a walk to assess your lawn. 

Look for bare spots in the lawn that could signal problems with insects or other predators.  Tossing some grass seed onto those areas is an inexpensive solution that can make a tremendous difference in the appearance of your lawn. 

Also take a look at your flowerbeds.  Are there a lot of unruly weeds? Do your rose bushes need a good pruning? Are there attractive plants and flowers?  Particularly when you list your home for sale in the spring or summer, the presence of brightly colored flowers will get potential homebuyers’ attention.  Even if you do not planning to sell until winter, photograph your home while the flowers are in bloom!

If you notice many problems with the appearance of your lawn, consider hiring a landscaper with the expertise you require.  Simple is best in today’s busy world.  A landscaper will be able to give you advice on what you can do to improve the appearance of your lawn and gardens without unduly increasing the lawn-care requirements. 

When selecting plants and shrubs for your landscaping plan, cheap is not always the best.  Sometimes purchasing full-grown versions of shrubs and plants is better than selecting young versions that might appear scrawny or sick. 

Potential homebuyers prefer to see homes that have a lived-in appearance.  They want to see that you have taken care of your home, so that they can feel confident about the quality of the home.  A new landscaping job should give the appearance of having been there for years.

By making a minimal investment of time and money, you can significantly improve the way that potential buyers view your home.  Painting and landscaping are two simple do-it-yourself projects that can be completed with a minimum investment of time and effort. 

If your time is extremely limited, you can easily find a professional painter and/or landscaper to complete the project for you.  Professionals usually work faster than do-it-yourselfers do.  Evaluate the benefits of increasing the value of your home while getting it ready for a quick sale.

Your realtor can provide additional assistance in determining what else you can do to increase the attractiveness of your home.  Realtors know what potential buyers are looking for, so feel free to give your agent a call and take some time to discuss your home, so that you can sell it in a hurry.