The best time to sell your house is when the market is a “seller’s market.” This means that people selling can get top dollar for their property because buyers are snatching them up as soon as they come out of the market. The great part about this is that you will almost always get the home’s asking price, as long as it is in line with the actual market value.
Sometimes it is impossible to wait for this scenario to happen, which means you need some other tactics to help you sell. So, let’s look at the 10 best-kept secrets for selling your home today without waiting.
- Asking Price – You will need an inspection to get the actual value of your home in the current market. Once you have that number, discount it by 10%. This can be risky, but it will sell if the market is rough. If the market is booming, buyers will jump at the price, and many will bid the price up to the point of going higher than the actual market price.
- Curb Appeal – The first thing prospective buyers will see is the front of the house when they pull up. Keep the yard mowed and trimmed, flower beds clean and weeded, and if you have any landscaping get it back to its original visual appeal. Clean the parking area if there is one, and never leave an old, broken-down vehicle in plain sight. First impressions are crucial.
- Clean And Uncluttered – When people look at your home, they will not want to walk into a dirty and cluttered place. You should have started packing some unnecessary things, so make sure they are not strewn all over the house. Dust, sweep, mop, vacuum, and clean everything, especially the kitchen and bathroom, because those are usually the dirtiest places in a home.
- Use The Design – When your home was initially built, it was designed with specific ideas in mind. For instance, if you walk through the front door into a vaulted living room with skylights, you would want to use that when selling. Make sure the ceiling and skylights are clean, with nothing sitting on the roof. Use specific home designs to accent the house when people walk through it.
- Lights – Lighting cannot be stressed enough. Make sure all the bulbs are working and that they are bright. Using low-output lightbulbs is a great idea when trying to lower the power bill, but you need to have the brightest bulbs possible when selling. Inside and out.
- Walk The Animals – Not all people love animals. If you do, take them for a walk before any people walk through the house. If you cannot walk the pet, keep them in a place where it will not be seen or heard.
- Make It Plain – You do not want to have any distractions for the potential buyers, so anything that makes your home personal needs to be packed up. This includes photos, trophies, card collections, plate collections, and everything else that will draw attention. The house should look dull and plain.
- Repairs – You will hear from many people that you should paint the house, fix any damage, and make the home look brand new. That is not necessarily the case because the buyers will think you are trying to hide something. If there is visible damage, you will want to fix it, and if the paint is peeling, throw a fresh coat on it, but only do what is needed. Do not go overboard with the repairs, and never make drastic changes just in an attempt to sell.
- Kitchen Appeal – One of a home’s most significant selling points is the kitchen. You need to make it look good and functional. If the cupboards are falling apart, replace them. If the countertops look horrible, replace them. This is the one section of the house where more is better. It will look worse to a buyer if it seems terrible to you.
- Agent – Find a reputable agent with a good sales track record. Sales at the asking price or higher. The difference between selling your house quickly at market value and giving it away is how good the agent you are using to sell it is.
These 10 best-kept secrets when selling your home are easy to do and impact the buyer in significant ways. You need to step out of your shoes for a minute and think like a buyer. Yes, you are partial to the home and think it is perfect, but that does not mean a buyer will. Take a walk in their shoes and fix anything that may kill the sale.
