Thinking of Selling ?
Call us if you're thinking of selling your home!
1. FREE Market Evaluation with
comparables to help you price your home.
2. Western Heritage Agents will
advertise your home.
3. Open Houses are our specialty
4. Our Finance Department is one of
the best at getting your buyer financed.
5. We have financing for older
homes too!
Let us do the work!
How To Prepare Your House For Sale
Prepping and staging a house
.
Every seller wants his home to sell fast and bring top dollar. Does that
sound good to you? Well, it's not luck that makes that happen. It's
careful planning and knowing how to professionally spruce up your home
that will send home buyers scurrying for their checkbooks. Here is how
to prep a house and turn it into an irresistible and marketable home.
1. Disassociate yourself from your home
- Say to yourself, "This is not my home; it is a
house -- a product to be sold much like a box of cereal on the grocery
store shelf.
- Make the mental decision to "let go" of your emotions and focus on
the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours.
- Picture yourself handing over the keys and envelopes containing
appliance warranties to the new owners!
- Say goodbye to every room.
- Don't look backwards -- look toward the future.
2. De-Personalize
Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms.
Buyers can't see past personal artifacts, and you don't want them to be
distracted. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and
they can't do that if yours are there! You don't want to make any buyer ask,
"I wonder what kind of people live in this home?" You want buyers to
say, "I can see myself living here."
3. De-Clutter !
People collect an amazing quantity of junk. Consider this: if you haven't
used it in over a year, you probably don't need it.
- If you don't need it, why not donate it or throw it away?
- Remove all books from bookcases.
- Pack up those knickknacks.
- Clean off everything on kitchen counters.
- Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in
a closet when not in use.
- Think of this process as a head-start on the packing you will
eventually need to do anyway.
4. Rearrange Bedroom Closets and Kitchen Cabinets.
Buyers love to snoop and will open closet and cabinet doors. Think of the
message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about
you if she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of
the rest of the house as well. This means:
- Alphabetize spice jars.
- Neatly stack dishes.
- Turn coffee cup handles facing the same way.
- Hang shirts together, buttoned and facing the same direction.
- Line up shoes
5. Rent a Storage Unit.
Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of
furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage.
Since your bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra leaves from
your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough
furniture in each room to showcase the room's purpose and plenty of room to
move around. You don't want buyers scratching their heads and saying,
"What is this room used for?"
6. Remove/Replace Favorite Items
If you want to take window coverings, built-in appliances or fixtures
with you, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once
belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it,
she won't want it. Once you tell a buyer she can't have an item, she will
covet it, and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if
necessary.
7. Make Minor Repairs
- Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.
- Patch holes in walls.
- Fix leaky faucets.
- Fix doors that don't close properly and kitchen drawers that jam.
- Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have
grown accustomed to purple or pink walls.
(Don't give buyers any reason to remember your home as "the house with
the orange bathroom.")
- Replace burned-out light bulbs.
- If you've considered replacing a worn bedspread, do so now!
8. Make the House Sparkle!
- Wash windows inside and out.
- Rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and exterior.
- Clean out cobwebs.
- Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
- Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
- Clean out the refrigerator.
- Vacuum daily.
- Wax floors.
- Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
- Bleach dingy grout.
- Replace worn rugs.
- Hang up fresh towels.
- Bathroom towels look great fastened with ribbon and bows.
- Clean and air out any musty smelling areas. Odors are a no-no.
- Cat Litter Boxes & Dog Potty Pads...Keep them out of site and
clean...Major buyer turnoff.
- Carpet & Floor Pet Stains...Hire a professional to remove the
stains.
- Pet Odors and Smells are the worst.
- Do not use air fresheners. People with allergies will react.
- Try enzyme cleaners such as Simple Solution or Nature's
Miracle.
- Put your pets into a carrier and attach a note warning buyers not to
disturb them.
9. Scrutinize
- Go outside and open your front door. Stand there. Do you want to go
inside? Does the house welcome you?
- Linger in the doorway of every single room and imagine how your
house will look to a buyer.
- Examine carefully how furniture is arranged and move pieces around
until it makes sense.
- Make sure window coverings hang level.
- Tune in to the room's statement and its emotional pull. Does it have
impact and pizzazz?
- Does it look like nobody lives in this house? You're almost
finished.
10. Check Curb Appeal
If a buyer won't get out of her agent's car because she doesn't like the
exterior of your home, you'll never get her inside.
- Keep the sidewalks cleared.
- Mow the lawn.
- Paint faded window trim.
- Plant yellow flowers or group flower pots together. Yellow evokes a
buying emotion. Marigolds are inexpensive.
- Trim your bushes.
- Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.
Western Heritage Mobile Homes Advantage
There are three distinct advantages of working with one of our
agents as opposed to selling the home yourself (FSBO-For Sale By Owner).
Connections
One of the most important things is the ability to
advertise to a wide buyer base, knowing the community and keeping a database
of potential buyers. We also have relationships with appraisers, home
inspectors, local officials, banks, lawyers, and other agents & realtors
that can streamline many steps in the listing and selling process.
Time
Western Heritage Agents make their living selling
homes so they have time to show houses and return prospect’s phone calls.
Many people selling their own home have full time jobs, which makes it more
difficult to be available to work with potential buyers.
Information
Due to our connections & years of experience, our
agents have information advantages over people selling their own
property. We know where to look for the necessary pieces of information and
can find out what is needed to know more quickly. This knowledge translates
into a better selling strategy, which in turn help us sell your home faster
and for more money.