Avoid traps, pitfalls, and learn what professional Real Estate Agents do when marketing their own homes.

Avoid traps, pitfalls, and learn what professional Real Estate Agents do when marketing their own homes.

Getting Ready To Sell 3 Staging Your Home 7 Curb Appeal 11 Pricing Effectively 15 Using a Realtor 18

Getting Ready To Sell 3

You would never dream of inviting guests in to your house without making certain preparations. Likewise, it s a good idea to first make the necessary updates to prepare your home for sale before inviting potential buyers in. If you are like most sellers, you want to get as much as possible for your home and you want to sell it quickly. Here s how you do it. 4

When a potential buyer walks through your home, they need to envision their belongings and décor without being distracted by yours. While these items may be special to you, they could possibly prevent the buyer from being able to imagine their own style complementing the home. In addition to removing any personal items, make sure that you remove any clutter from the home. A clean home seems larger and more inviting, whereas a lot of stuff laying around could give the impression that the home is too small 5

Make sure that you have any carpet stains removed, windows cleaned, fresh linens placed in the bedrooms and bathrooms, etc. You would be surprised at how many people pay attention to even the smallest of details, so be sure to fix any small repairs that could be a turnoff for buyers. Spent some time checking the exterior and interior surfaces, as well as fences, banisters, etc. and touch up any chipped or peeling paint. A finished, flawless paint job can enormously increase the value of and attractiveness of your home! 6

Staging Your Home 7

Now that your house is clean it s time to put on the finishing touches on the staging process. The living room should have one focal point, whether it be a fireplace, a breathtaking view, bookshelf, or large wall for art. If you have too many features screaming out at potential buyers they may feel overwhelmed, so focus on one aspect and make it shine. If your furniture is patterned, you may want to mask it with a solid throw blanket, or pillows, to complement the flooring or wall colors. 8

Did you know that the kitchen and bathrooms are two of the main selling points to any home? Keep this in mind when preparing for your potential buyers. Remove children s drawings from the refrigerator and clean up your counter space in both the kitchen and bathrooms. A solid, neutral shade in a tablecloth should be selected for the dining room table. In the center of the table, a vase with fresh cut flowers (or silk, if you have allergies) will add a nice accent. 9

Master bedrooms are naturally one of the most important rooms to a potential Buyer, as it will becoming their own personal sanctuary. To ensure the room feels inviting, and not distracting, make the bed, put away your laundry, shoes, and other miscellaneous items lying around. Adding some nice accent pillows, or a colorful throw blanket, to your bed dressings can complement the space nicely. Remove any large items of furniture that may make the room feel too small and turn on the lights, and open the draperies, to create a bright and inviting environment. 10

Curb Appeal 11

A great deal of attention is placed on the interior of a home when it comes to home staging, but think of the first thing a buyer will see as they drive up your street searching for your address. Will what they see get them excited about the showing? Or will they be tempted to drive away and cancel the appointment? There s a lot more to curb appeal than cutting grass. Some studies show that landscaping can increase the value of a home by as much as 25%. Other feature enhancers, such as lighting, can add value and appeal. 12

Decluttering your yard is just as important as decluttering the interior of your home. Remove items such as kid s or pet s toys, hoses, and gardening tools. Fix anything that is broken. A leaning mailbox, cracked steps, or a damaged fence can all adversely impact your curb appeal. Keep your lawn mowed and weed-free, and remove grass clippings from walkways and sidewalks. Flower beds add a pleasant splash of color and are known to do wonders for making a good first impression. 13

Pressure wash your home s exterior and paint if needed. If you can t afford a new door, paint the one you have a bold shade to complement your home s exterior. Consider giving your garage doors a facelift, or power wash, as well. Make sure your porch and yard furniture looks fresh and inviting. Buying a new welcome mat a place potted flowers near the entrance. Replace burned-out light bulbs in all of the exterior lights and consider replacing the light fixtures closest to the front door, or porch, for an updated look. 14

Pricing Effectively 15

Many homeowners believe there's no harm in erring on the high side when pricing their home. After all, you can always lower the price if the property doesn't sell, right? While true, remember that interest will be greatest when your home is new on the market. If not priced competitively, many potential buyers won't even take a look at your property, and recapturing their interest later on can be difficult. The longer your home remains on the market, the less likely it is to sell for a good price. Some buyers actually question their own taste when attracted to a property that's been sitting on the market for many months. As a result, homes that were initially overpriced frequently end upselling for below market value. 16

Pricing a home correctly, particularly in the current market, takes considerable skill and experience. Knowing which homes prospective buyers will be looking at and comparing to your property is crucial when setting your price. So is the ability to make adjustments for features, location, condition, and terms, while taking into account market trends and fluctuations. Don t: List your property just to see what happens. Fool yourself in to thinking trends and competition don t matter. They do. Do: List your home effectively. Consult an expert if you re unsure. 17

Using a Realtor 18

REALTORS have a great deal of knowledge and experience in a number of areas that can make a real difference in selling a home. Expertise ranging from market analyses to establish a selling price, to simple repairs and improvements or proven staging techniques to show a home in its best possible light, can translate to quicker sales and better purchase prices. The same is true for the established advertising and marketing tools and strategies REALTORS employ to gain the highest visibility in a far-reaching market. 19

Did you know that on average, homeowners who sell their homes through a Real Estate Agent or Broker make substantially more money on the sale than those who attempt to sell it themselves? That's because selling a property is not only about knowing your home, but knowing how it compares to other, similar properties on the market. It's about having the experience to understand what kind of advertising attracts the attention of the most desirable buyers. It's about understanding the psychology of the individual homebuyer and that the aspect of your property your prospective buyer finds most compelling might be something you never think about. And it's also about pricing. Most houses being marketing by their owners are priced incorrectly. They either sell for too little to begin with, or are initially overpriced and linger on the market for ages before the asking price is drastically reduced. Professional REALTORS specializing in your area have access to resources not available to the public, allowing them to set the right price to achieve a speedy sale at top dollar. 20

Real estate agents provide a valuable benefit with the tools and experience to judge potential buyers. This allows them to not only be sure they are showing properties of interest to buyers, but also to ensure the prospective buyer is genuinely interested in purchasing a property and is financially qualified to do so. As a result, sellers have a better idea of the people who will be visiting their home, can show the home more securely, and have only qualified buyers visiting their home. Further, in today's buyer's market with a wealth of information available to prospective buyers, sellers face well-informed buyers who are often tough negotiators, particularly when dealing directly with a homeowner who likely has an emotional attachment to the property being sold. REALTORS are experienced, objective negotiators - an advantage in working out a deal in the seller's best interests. 21

Recap 22

Remove personal items from your home and touch up any chipped or pealing paint. Create a focal point in your living room and declutter the kitchen and baths. Make the master bedroom warm and inviting with a simple throw or accent pillows. Remove items such as kid s or pet s toys, hoses, and gardening tools from your yard. Fix items such as broken mail boxes, burned out light bulbs, cracked steps, or damaged fence. Spruce up your landscaping or add flowers near your entry way. Avoid pricing your home too high and understand your immediate competition. Most importantly: Contact a local REALTOR. Trust a REALTOR S expertise and allow them to assist you in the selling process. 23

Brought to you by: Jessica Mangold HomeSmart 480-766-6631 Jess@HomeExpertAZ.com