5 Tips for Selling Your Home.
1. Declutter
Take the home out of your home. By making your home less cluttered and less personal, it allows for potential buyers to imagine themselves more easily in it. We want potential buyers to already feel at home during a showing. Clear off all counter tops. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, yes, even the dreaded junk closets need to be cleaned up. Take it to the next level and remove family pictures also. First impressions are everything. Decluttering applies to your listing photos also. Read more on that here.
2. Perform Proper Maintenance
Walk around your house and look for anything visibly in need of repair. Is there visible wood rot? Damage to the bottom edge of your siding could flag a WDO (wood destroying organism) inspection. Freshen up paint where it is needed. Be sure to use neutral paint colors, as this will create a look that is broadly attractive to potential buyers. Our blog on appraisal reports provides additional information regarding assessing the physical structure of your home and curb appeal.
3. Rehome Pets
It is important to re-home animals for the first 72 hours when showing your home. Place dog beds, cat litter boxes and other pet items in the garage, particularly those with any kind of odor. We are all accustomed to the smells in our own homes. What may be a familiar smell to one person, could be offensive to someone else. It’s always a good idea to put a mild air freshener in your home. Not only should animals be removed from your home when it is being shown to potential buyers, but the same goes for your listing photos. Read more here about how to ensure you have excellent listing photos for your home.
4. Price Correctly
This is the most important of the 5 tips. When aiming to price your home correctly, it is valuable to look at what other homes are selling for in your neighborhood. It is crucial to price your home competitively. If your home is listed at 10 or 20 thousand dollars over the market value, it could hurt the sales price by 30 or even 40 thousand dollars. When a home is priced over the true market value, then price cuts will be inevitable. Consequentially, the price cuts can create a look of desperation for the seller. This makes it more likely that potential buyers will make deliberately low offers. Check out our appraisal report blog post for more information on this subject.
5. Be Ready to Show your Home
As a realtor, the most challenging part about showing properties is when sellers aren’t motivated to leave their house. It is vital that sellers be ready to leave their home with as little as one hour notice, particularly during the first two weeks. Even beyond those first two weeks, it is ideal to be ready to get out of your house at the drop of a hat. We want potential buyers to walk in and feel at home, not like a guest in the seller’s home.
Fluid Realty
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The Fluid Realty Team is Jacksonville’s top real estate group and local boutique brokerage. We provide a full-service experience with the best realtors in the area. Our expertise includes luxury beach real estate within the four Beaches of Jacksonville, FL: Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, and Ponte Vedra Beach.
