You've bought a home but you've never sold one before. All the chatter is about first time buyers. What about the first time seller? In many instances, this is an even more tedious process than buying your first home.
Finding the right Realtor® is just the beginning of the process. You must determine an appropriate list price, plan sales strategy, prepare the home, keep it tidy for showings, and ultimately negotiate the sale of your existing home.
Determine the price: Home owners are more often than not emotionally tied to their home and do not see it as a means to an end. Generally, in order to buy your next home, you must part with your first. Homes sell best when they are priced correctly. Count on Vis-á-Vis to prepare a thorough comparative market analysis.
Plan sales strategy: Work with your Realtor® to determine the right price, and then plan a strategy for selling your home. It's not enough to plant a sign in the yard. A plan of action is crucial.
Prepare your home: Unfortunately, selling your home is about more than just planting a sign in your yard. Even in a "seller's market" you will be competing with many other homes in your area and even on your block. Certainly every seller wants their home to sell fast and bring top dollar but making that happen will require some elbow grease first. It's careful planning and knowing how to professionally spruce up your home that will send home buyers scurrying for their checkbooks.
Vis-á-Vis suggests you review the link below for tips for turning your home into an irresistible and marketable asset. If, however, you find yourself overwhelmed by this list or just short on time, we also recommend several outstanding professionals in the area to hire for help.
Carrie Loper
Bella Staging
carrie@bellastagingok.com
405.370.0343
Ronette Wallace
Off the Wall Designs
ronette@offthewalldesigns.com
405.409.1012
Top Dollar Sales
Here is how to prep a house and
turn it into an irresistible and
marketable home.
Keep it Clean: Clean homes sell more quickly and for a higher price. Dirty ones sell too, but for less and it often takes much longer. With a plan of attack, you can maintain a sparkling, show-ready house in just 19 minutes a day.
The keep-it-clean plan for open houses
By Real Simple
These room-by-room to-do lists will help you get the work done quickly so that your house is always in tip-top shape to welcome prospective buyers.
Kitchen, 4 1/2 minutes daily
Always start with the sink. "Keep it empty and shining," says Marla Cilley, author of Sink Reflections (Bantam, $15) and creator of www.FlyLady.net, a housekeeping Web site. A sparkling sink becomes your kitchen's benchmark for hygiene and tidiness, inspiring you to load the dishwasher immediately and keep countertops, refrigerator doors and the stove top spick-and-span, too.
- Wipe down the sink after doing the dishes or loading the dishwasher (30 seconds).
- Wipe down the stove top (1 minute).
- Wipe down the counters (1 minute).
- Sweep, Swiffer or vacuum the floor (2 minutes).
Bathroom, 2 minutes daily
Make cleaning the basin as routine as washing your hands. But don't stop there. Get the most out of your pre-moistened wipe by using it to clean around the edges of the tub and then the toilet before tossing it.
- Wipe out the sink (30 seconds). Wipe the toilet seat and rim 15 seconds).
- Swoosh the toilet bowl with a brush (15 seconds).
- Wipe the mirror and faucet (15 seconds).
- Squeegee the shower door (30 seconds).
- Spray the entire shower and the curtain liner with shower mist after every use (15 seconds).
Bedroom, 6 1/2 minutes daily
Make your bed right before or after your morning shower. A neat bed will inspire you to deal with other messes immediately. Although smoothing sheets and plumping pillows might not seem like a high priority as you're rushing to work, the payoff comes at the end of the day, when you slip back under the unruffled covers.
- Make the bed (2 minutes).
- Fold or hang clothing and put away jewelry (4 minutes).
- Straighten out the night-table surface (30 seconds).
Family room, living room, foyer, 6 minutes daily
Start with the sofa because as long as it's in disarray, your living room will never look tidy. Once you've fluffed the pillows and folded the throws, you're halfway home. If you pop in a CD while you dust, you should be able cover the whole room by the end of the third track.
- Pick up crumbs and dust bunnies with a handheld vacuum (1 minute).
- Fluff the cushions and fold throws after use (2 minutes).
- Wipe tabletops and spot-clean cabinets when you see fingerprints (1 minute).
- Straighten coffee-table books and magazines. Throw out newspapers. Put away CDs and videos (2 minutes).
Content from Real Simple online
Keep it Tidy: Never leave a mess before a showing. Try to do the above suggestions every evening or morning as your schedule facilitates. Again, this can be a pain, but selling your house is a huge step. Do everything you can to make the sale happen.
Think Big Picture: When it is time to negotiate, be open and willing to look at all offers as potential sales. Be open-minded. Is it worth it to make concessions if you are able to move on? Is it reasonable to pay a buyer’s closing costs or agree to purchase a home warranty? Maybe it’s not, but at least consider what is presented. Don’t let the details weigh you down. Think about the big picture.