Home Inspirations

They say it is a buyer’s market at the moment, but when selling your home, that isn’t necessarily a good thing. You don’t want the buyer to work you down to a lower selling point but you do want to move your home quickly. The best way to accomplish this is to take the time to consider a few improvements and key selling points, name a price and hold firm!

Remember, homes are selling so you might not want to take the first offer that comes your way but with a few minor tweaks, you can boost your chances of selling your home – for the price you are asking.

Lest We Forget Curb Appeal

Homeowners looking to sell their home are often so caught up in the home itself that they forget what it looks like from the outside to a first-time visitor. In real estate this is referred to as curb appeal so what you are asked to do is view your property (from the exterior of course) as if you were driving up to the curb for the first time.

Does the lawn need mowing and are the plants and shrubs neatly trimmed? Is there an abundance of ‘stuff’ lying about that should be tucked in the shed? What about those gutters, soffits and fascias. Are they clean and freshly painted or washed? These are all things to consider, so don’t forget to look at the outside as well as the interior.

Remove Clutter

When showing your home, the first mistake you can make it to think that all that clutter makes your home look lived in. The fact is, clutter reduces your chances of selling in at least a couple of ways. Primarily, even if the prospective buyers aren’t neat freaks, they will wonder what’s beneath all that clutter and if there is some kind of damage you are trying to hide or have inadvertently caused.

Secondly, clutter makes your home look smaller. To make each and every room look bigger and more desirable, get rid of almost everything that isn’t absolutely necessary for the décor. Keep books on shelves, pick up toys lying around and by all means, keep your kitchen counters and sink cleaned at all times.

Schedule an Open House

It is unrealistic for a family to live in a showroom so you will want to schedule an open house showing with your realtor. Here is where they will be on hand to show your home for a day, or weekend, and you can expect higher volumes of traffic in a shorter period of time.

It is true that you should avoid using too many decorations as it adds to that cramped, overcrowded appearance, but a bouquet of lovely fresh cut flowers would be ideal. They can be ordered and delivered on the same day from online sites like FTD, and if you expect a fair amount of people to view your home, you might consider flowers for an extra room or two.

Just because it is a buyer’s market doesn’t mean that you need to settle for any offer that comes your way. It may be a market that is to the buyer’s advantage but it is still your home. Use these ideas to help you get the price you are looking for and to sell your home quickly. By making your home more desirable, you will see how much easier it is to sell.