You are ready to part with your home. You may have been pondering for a while or it's a sudden one. Based on the circumstances, I will be able to help you navigate through the process. #sellyourhome #homeonthemarket #listingyourhome
Here are some things we would recommend to make sure that you will have a successful sale!
1. Condition of the home
The value of the home and the speed in which the home will be sold is based on the condition of the home. If your home is run down and needs a lot of working, you will be attracting bargain hunters or DIYers. That is fine as long as it is priced to match that. It may take a little longer on the market as more buyers now tend to be attracted to ready to move in or fully renovated homes. If you invest a little, repair and upgrade, you may not get the 100% return in value but you will attract more buyers, which means more chance of selling your home.
You want to re-caulk your bathrooms, re-paint your walls, scrape off the gunk in the bathroom or shower and more. is there anything broken? chipped? repair those. Have you been having a lot of wear and tear around the house? Fix that. Present your home in the best possible light.
2. Exterior of the home
The condition of the exterior holds true as much as the interior. Can your patio be power-washed? Fence be painted? Front garden tended to? Keep it clean and tidy. If you want to sell, you want to make sure the buyers imagine themselves tending to your garden or appreciating the architecture of your home. You don't want the attention going to the dead shrub, dirty driveway or a broken fence.
3. Declutter
If you can't move out in advance, decluttering is the best option. Now is the best time to go through your things and sell, donate, throw away your belongings. It feels great to be able to unload things that you really didn't need all this time you were living there. It's also nice to not to have to take those unused and unnecessary items to the new home. Giving is great if it's in a great condition. If it's ripped, broken or missing pieces, toss.
3. Brighten up your home
We love light. We love the sun. Brighten up your home by choosing bright colors for wall paint, light shades and brighter light bulbs. Let light in and stay in with some mirrors opposite the window.
4. Staging to sell
Staging a home to sell is an investment. However, the investment will be well worth it. If you have not fully moved out, a stager should be able to bring somethings and integrate it to your belongings. The purpose of staging is for your potential buyer to envision themselves in THEIR new house and not YOUR home. Most staging is almost magazine ready beautiful and makes you wonder why you didn't lived like that in the first place!!
5. PRICE IT RIGHT
This is the MOST important of all of the suggestions. There are several factors in pricing your home, location, condition and how fast you want your home to be sold. But, ultimately, it is an agreement between the seller and the buyer that decides on the price. This is the most significant as if the price does not reflect the condition or the value of the location of the home, there will be no meeting of the minds and no buyer will ever make an offer. The listed price which is an invitation to make an offer will guide how long the home will stay on the market. Your realtor will be able to give you information and guidance so you can make a smart choice based on your need.
6. Professional photographer
You spent hours going through your things to donate/sell/give. You spent hours painting, cleaning and getting your home ready for the sale. You spend an investment on staging. Your agent takes a few pics with their cell phone to post on MLS.... There is nothing as horrible as a bad photos of the home you want to sell online.
All the hours and money you put in the home is an investment toward selling your home. Let the photographs be a good representative of your beautiful home. Hire a professional and let the photos speak for itself. A professional photographer will be able to bring out the best in each photos to attract and bring by as my buyers as possible. It is a small investment well worth the money spent.
7. Exposure
You need to hire the agent even before the first step. From steps 1-6, an agent will be able to give you a guidance on what needs to be done and suggest who to call to get additional help. Reator has a fiduciary duty to assist you and look out for your best interest. They will be your best friend until your home is sold and can assist you with your transition to your new home.
Now the home is set and read, it's time to sell. Some agents put a sign in front of your home, list it on MLS and call it a day. It is important that your realtor works hard to expose your home to as many potential buyers as possible. Your full-time proactive realtor will reach out to their contacts (potential buyers and other agents that may have potential buyers), advertise through many resources including social media and hold many open houses. One to general public to interested home buyers, another to brokers at brokers opens so they can introduce to their buyer clients and another at a neighborhood open so the neighbors can introduce the home to their family and friends who many wish to move in closer. Do you want your realtor to work this hard to sell your home? Call me and I will help you sell your home!
Yon Chung, CPA, Realtor is a full time real estate agent based in McLean, Virginia (Capital Area Homes | Keller Williams Realty). She personally invests in real estate around Northern Virginia and out of state. Yon Chung serves sellers and buyers of primary homes and investment properties in Fairfax County.