Selling & Showing Tips

The home selling process can be daunting. Our team of real estate specialists are here to make it as easy as possible. Here are some tips for getting your home ready to sell.

General Tips

• Hide your valuables, paperwork, and firearms. We don’t have problems because sellers don’t leave these laying out.

• Painting. This is by far the best return on investment.  $100 worth of paint (neutral colors of course) can give you a $10,000 return in selling faster and not having to drop the price.  Go neutral – remember you are trying to get someone else to like it now.

• Fill scratches and holes in walls.  This goes without saying before you paint.

• Make the home a comfortable temperature. Between 68-74 degrees is comfortable for most.

• Cut the grass, trim the bushes, and plant a few flowers with color.  Or hire a landscaper to do it for you.  Their first impression (and last impression) will last.

• Clean floors and professionally clean carpet.

• De-clutter:  kitchen counters, floors, closets, and all living space.  You should have 80% or more of your counter space showing.  No dish drying racks or other clutter.  Don’t have too much furniture or knick knacks lying around, they make a house feel full.  And, especially if you have smaller closets, thin out your clothes, a cramped closet is a big turn off.  (If you have to hide your extra stuff, use the basement and garage. People understand and expect storage in these areas.)

• Now your home looks awesome – keep it that way! :)

Secret tips

• Use LED lighting as much as possible.  It is more expensive and worth every penny. When we take pictures of your home, the lighting will look so much better, and it presents a brighter, warmer house for those coming in.

• Remove screens from windows.  (save them)  More light, more shine.

• Make sure lights and fans are all in working order.

• Spending 75% of your efforts on the 1st floor and the front yard.  Most people have made up 75% of their minds before leaving the first floor.  Win the battle in the front yard, living room, and kitchen.

• Wipe down HVAC and HWH, this can make them appear years younger.

• Get rid of smells.  Ask someone else if your house smells.  If it does, get rid of the smell naturally.  Plugging things into the walls just makes it worse.

• Add some plants, inside and out.  Infuse some color.

When Showing

• Leave the curtains pulled and the lights on. Obviously, you can close them at night for privacy.  Don’t cheap out on a few dollars of electricity and have potential buyers wander into a dark, closed up house.

• Tiny details count as much as the big things when you're trying to sell your home. You never know what the buyers are going to love and what they will hate. Homes that are kept in tip-top shape show better and sell faster compared to homes that are not showtime ready. In addition to those larger suggestions to make your home overall "shiny" value go up, these ten small-scale suggestions will help you get from playing the waiting game to locking the doors for the very last time before handing the keys to the new family.