Top Secrets to Selling Your Home

Who doesn’t want top dollar for their home on the market? When it comes to putting your house on the market with expectations of top dollar, a homeowner needs to give their home a competitive advantage to really ‘WOW’ a buyer. Luckily, HGTV has shared their 10 best-kept top secrets for selling a home.

Top Secrets to Selling Your Home

Selling Secret #10: Pricing it right

• After you find out what your home is worth, you may want to take 15-20% off of the price. This will increase the chance of multiple offers from buyers that will bid up the price over what it’s worth. Although it is a risk, it’s a great strategy to sell a home in today’s market.

Selling Secret #9: Half-empty closets

• Every buyer finds storage to be advantageous. You can never have enough! Buyers enjoy snooping so make sure you keep all of your closets and cabinets clean and tidy. Neatly organize your closet and taking half of the stuff out to create the idea of more space.

Selling Secret #8: Light it up

• Good lighting is important to buyers. Take down the drapes, clean the windows, change the lampshades, increase the wattage of your light bulbs and cut the bushes outside to let in sunshine. A bright and cheery home is a sellable home!

Selling Secret #7: Play the agent field

• One of the number one sale killers is hiring the wrong broker. Make sure you have a broker that constantly monitors the multiple listing service (MLS). They must be informed on what properties are going on the market and know the comps in your neighborhood. A broker who embraces technology has enough tools to get your house sold.

Selling Secret #6: Conceal the critters

• Not everybody is a dog or cat lover. Buyers don’t want to walk in your home and see a bowl of dog food, smell the kitty litter box or have pet hair all over them. If you’re planning an open house, send the critters to a pet hotel for the day.

Selling Secret #5: Don’t over-upgrade

• Small, quick fixes before selling usually pay off. With mammoth makeovers, you take a big risk of possibly not getting your money back. Make sure you are doing updates that will pay off and get you top dollar for your home. A fresh coat of paint on the walls, replacing the door handles, cabinet hardware, and making sure closet doors are on track are some little repairs you can do to enhance the home.

Selling Secret #4: Take the home out of your house

• One of the homes Ces and I showed was filled with family pictures covering every inch of the wall. The couple viewing the home spent more time distracted by the photos on the wall than the actual home itself. The more personal stuff in your home, the less potential buyers can imagine themselves living there. You should consider putting a third of your stuff in storage. You may even want to hire a home stager to maximize the full potential of your home.

Selling Secret #3: The kitchen comes first

• The benefits of remodeling your kitchen are endless, and the best part of it is that you’ll probably get 85% of your money back. For instance, it may cost you a few thousand dollars to replace countertops where a buyer may knock $10,000 off of the asking price if your kitchen looks dated. The fastest, most inexpensive kitchen updates include painting and new cabinet hardware. If you have a little money to spend, buy one fancy stainless steel appliance. When people see one high-end appliance they think all the rest are expensive too and it updates the kitchen.

Selling Secret #2: Always be ready to show

• Your home should be “show-ready” at all times. You have to be available whenever they want to come see the place and it has to be in tip-top shape. Don’t leave dishes in the sink, keep the dishwasher cleaned out, the bathrooms sparkling and make sure there are no dust bunnies in the corners.

Selling Secret #1: The first impression is the only impression

• Before buyers even walk into your home, they have judged it. You will not get a second chance to make a first impression. It is important to make people feel warm, welcome and safe as they approach the house. Give the home some curb appeal! Buy inexpensive shrubs and brightly colored flowers. Don’t forget about entryways. Make the entryway welcoming by putting a small bench, a vase of fresh-cut flowers or even some cookies.

By using these top secrets of selling your home, you are one step closer to getting top dollar for your home!

-Kaylee Monteleone