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Ways to Sell Your Home Fast Helpful Hints on Marketing and Selling Your Home |
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| Tip #1: Clean up oil spills | Tip #18: Create more space | ||||
| First impressions are
always critical, and your driveway is oneof the first things a buyer will
see. Here's a quick tip that maybe the solution for your cement driveway:
Try Drano or anyhigh- powered liquid drain cleaner and sweep those oil stainsaway!
Please use caution and read all manufacturers' warnings before you begin this task. |
Remember, you're not
selling furniture; you're selling a house! Keeping this in mind, you may want to remove any large or ornate pieces of furniture. Unless your taste in furniture is the same as the potential buyer's, large pieces aren't going to help your house sell. Their absence, however, will make your house appear spacious and inviting. |
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| Tip #2: Paint walls neutral color | Tip #19: Head to the Nursery | ||||
| If your home is decorated in dark or unusual colors, you're going to scare off a lot of potential buyers. It will be worth yourwhile to paint your walls a neutral color, such as off-white. If you're not up to painting your entire house, at least paint the areas that make the biggest impression, such as the entry/foyer, living room, dining room, kitchen, and master bedroom. | When your house is
up for sale, it's time to retire all those half-dead plants (both in your yard and in your house) that you keep thinking will come back to life some day. They make a mess by dropping leaves, and to put it frankly, having no plant is better than having a dead one. A quick solution is a trip to the nursery for a few fresh new plants! |
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| Tip #3: Paint walls neutral color | Tip #20: Start Packing | ||||
| Make a
checklist to review any time a Realtor is bringing someone in to look at
your home. Nothing fancy, just something to remind you to do all the little
prepar-atory tricks we've listed. |
It will take some time
to get all your knickknacks packed and ready to move. Why not do it now?
Wrapping these little items in newspaper and storing them will make your
move easier,and it will help your house show better. Remember, less is more! |
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| Tip #4: Pollish fixtures | Tip #21: Wallpaper Kitchen & Bathroom | ||||
| Polish all fixtures, brass, chrome, glass, etc. with a high polish. This will add a sparkle to your home! | You may have never
liked wallpaper, but it is one of the least expensive and quickest ways
to dress up the kitchen or a bathroom. Be sure to select wallpaper that
will have a universal appeal rather than a personal touch. Also, be sure
to pick a paper that won't require the pattern to be matched when it is hung. This will save you time as well. |
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| Tip #5: Clean of paint appliances | Tip #22: Empty the closet | ||||
| Appliances should be clean at all times. If your kitchen appliances have broken knobs, replace them. If your stove is green, your dishwasher is gold, and the trash compactor is black, have a professional come in and paint them one matching neutral color. This is much less expensive than buying all new appliances, and it will add dramatically to the "salability" of your kitchen! | Take as many of your
personal items as possible out of your closet and store them in an out-of-the-way
place. When your closets are cleaned up, they will look much larger to the
potential home buyer! Abundant closet/storage space is a major selling point
for most people. Apply this rule to any storage area. |
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| Tip #6: Get out of the house | Tip #23: Create an experience | ||||
| Always leave your house for a few minutes while the Realtor is showing it. Remember, buying a house is an emotional experience. The buyer will tend to feel awkward inspecting the house while you are there. | Try writing a letter
telling about some of the features of your home. Talk about the schools,
good neighbors, malls and shopping centers in the area, perhaps even a little
history about the home. Write it in a very personal fashion, as if you were
writing to a close friend. Try to create images in the potential buyer's
mind of how great it is to live there. Finally,type this letter and make
copies, but sign each one by hand.Put the letter in a nice stationery envelope
and leave it out where anyone viewing the house couldn't miss it. |
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| Tip #7: Bake Cookies | Tip #24: Buy some New Furnishings | ||||
| Keep a package of ready-made
cookie dough on hand. Pop a few cookies in the oven just when a hot prospect
is expected to arrive to view the home. The smell of freshly baked cookies will conjure up a lot of great memories! Try to trigger emotions that will work toward the sale of your house. |
Now is the best time
for replacing old, worn out items with something new! Use your better judgment
as to which items will actually make your current house look better to a
prospective buyer. |
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| Tip #8: Clean the carpets | Tip #25: Scope out new developments | ||||
| When you are ready
to list your home, it's always a good idea to have the carpets cleaned.
A clean home will always sell faster, and you should accentuate the fact
that you take care of your home. Leave a few pairs of shoes just inside the front door to imply that you are meticulous about the appearance of your house! |
When you're selling
your home, one of the biggest competitors is the new home development in
the area. Visit these developments to size up your competition and get ideas
on how to beat them at their own game! Help your home to have the same appeal
as the new homes by accenting similar attributes, while pointing out benefits your home may have that the new homes do not. You'll also get a good idea of what the price of your home should be, based on what the new homes are selling for. |
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| Tip #9: Organize | Tip #26: Take the dog for a walk | ||||
| Do you ever find that
you're having trouble pulling your car into the garage because you have
so much stored in there? Clean it up by storing everything you can at a
helpful relative's home or a rented storage unit. This way, your garage area will appear larger, and when it comes time for you to move, you will be more organized. |
If you own a dog that
may be intimidating to the potential buyer, take your furry friend for a
walk whenever the home is being shown. Your dog's bark may be worse than
its bite, but if its presence alone could potentially cause tension for
the buyer, it takes away from the overall emotional experience of looking at the home. |
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| Tip #10: Offer to make payments | Tip #27: Water the lawn | ||||
| Offer to make the buyer's
first 3 mortgage payments. This looks very attractive in your advertising.
Many people like the idea of having a little grace period after moving into
a new home, but usually when it gets down to negotiating, a lower price seems to prevail. Be sure you (or the buyer) are using an experienced lender, since seller concessions seem to confuse many less experienced lenders. |
Use your sprinklers
as much as possible to ensure everything in your yard is green. Turn on
your sprinkler's manual start button whenever a Realtor is bringing a potential buyer to view the home. Newly watered landscaping has a fresh, clean scent and a shimmer that makes it look much better than when it's dry. By leaving them on, you can also discourage any backyard exploring in the event you have unsightly areas there. |
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| Tip #11: Paint front Door and entry way | Tip #28: Check the price | ||||
| A fresh coat of paint
will always help sell the house faster, but if you can't afford it, try
this instead: paint the front door and, if needed,the entry area around
the front door. If you don't have any matching paint around to use,see if
there is a plate fixture or some other item you can remove. Take it to the
paint store to obtain a paint color that matches. |
Price may be a sensitive
issue, but it is the one thing that will sell your house faster than anything
else. If you price your house right in line with the market, it's not likely
to sell quickly.That's because only the 10% or 20% of houses with the best
prices are selling each month. |
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| Tip #12: Clean the Pool | Tip #29: Tame wild jungles | ||||
| If you have a pool,
it should look like you're just ready to throw a pool party, even if it's the dead of winter. You want to be sure to remind the buyer of how much fun a pool really is! This means a clean, un- covered pool with all of the furniture out and looking its best! |
An empty yard sells
better than an overgrown yard, probably because an empty yard looks larger!
When trimming back your shrubbery and trees as you're getting ready to sell
your house,don't be timid. Trees and shrubbery should not hide the house itself. Less is more! |
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| Tip #13: Carry Back a Second Trust Deed | Tip #30: Buy potted Flowers | ||||
| Carrying back a
second trust deed on your house can help a The buyer will now
need to get approval for an equity line or |
Flowers always brighten
the appearance of a home, and they add a pleasant odor.Most people do not
want to buy fresh-cut flowers or spend money on something they will leave
behind. A helpful alternative is to use clay or decorative pots as planters. After they have helped to sell your current home, you can use them to brighten up your new home as well! |
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| Tip #14: Park down the Street | Tip #31: Dont leave a mess | ||||
| Extra parking outside
your house will give your property a spacious appearance. Park cars down
the street so the Realtor has the most convenient parking. Also, be sure
to remove children's toys, garbage cans, or any other unnecessary items
from your front yard. All the buyer should see is a well-groomed property! |
Inspect your house
on the way out the door every day to see if there are any messes you have
not had time to clean up. Kick clothes under the bed or get a couple of
large, plastic tubs for emergencies. In short, don't leave your home a mess
if there's any possibility that a potential buyer may see it. As a final
note, be careful not to hide your mess where it will be easily discovered,
such as in a closet or cupboard. |
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| Tip #15: Let there be Light | Tip #32: Brighten up things | ||||
| Most people keep curtains,
blinds and drapes closed for privacy, but when your house is for sale, be
sure to open them all! Your house will look larger and brighter. Make sure that your windows are crystal clear. If your screens are worn out and full of holes, replace them. If you can't replace tattered screens, take them out entirely to give that clean appearance.Don't forget to wipe down dusty windowsills.Now if you have a window that faces an eyesore, you won't want to keep the drapes or blinds open. In that case, you would keep them closed, but still maintain a neat appearance. |
Add a dramatic appearance
to your house with new 100-watt light bulbs! A bright house looks larger,
cleaner and more appealing to a potential buyer. This will create an open
feeling, similar to the many new homes that are built today with lots of windows and skylights! |
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| Tip #16: Have a Garage Sale | Tip #33: Dollars and scents | ||||
| Have that garage sale
you've been meaning to have, but never got around to.This is one of the quickest, easiest, and most cost-effective ways to clear out those items that make your living space look cluttered. Check with your local newspaper to see if they offer a "Garage Sale Kit" including signs if you place a classified ad in this category. |
If you're not already
popping something in the oven to fill the house with a pleasant aroma, spray
a little vanilla air freshener. This particular scent has a great impact. Potpourri around the house is a good idea, too. Remember, we're trying to appeal to as many senses as possible! © 2005 LTB Enterprises. |
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| Tip #17:Pay Down the principal | |||||
| Seller concessions
can attract buyers faster than just about anything else. Attract buyers
by offering to pay 1 to 3 years of principal on the buyer's new mortgage
(based on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage) if the house is purchased by a
certain date. Your Realtor or lender can give you precise figures, but a
3-year principal prepayment usually costs about 1.5% to 2.5% of the loan
total amount. This is a small price to pay to sell your house quickly, but
to the buyer, it's like getting 3 years of their 30-year mortgage wiped
out, with only 27 years remaining! Generally, the buyer will attempt to
negotiate a price concession in lieu of a seller's concession, but this
will increase the readership of your advertising and get people in the door! |
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