Real Estate Information

Selling Your Home - Be Sure It Shows Well


Whether you are selling a house, townhouse, condo or apartment, there are universal tips that will help it sell. Primary among those tips are making sure your home "shows well."

First impressions of a home go a long way to determining how quickly it will sell. Here are a few suggestions that will make your home show well.

1. Be sure the approach to your home is clean, tidy and well groomed. Any brass should be polished, paint on the door should be in good condition and the door should be washed clean of fingerprints and paw marks.

2. If your home is a single family house, be sure the grass is cut, leaves raked, plant beds mulched and weeded, etc.

3. If your home is in a multi-family building, be sure the approach and hall to your home is clean even if it is not your job!

4. Be sure your home is tidy and uncluttered. This includes closets, cabinets, garages, and other storage areas. When "stuffed," no amount of storage "shows" as adequate. When really messy, no room looks charming.

5. Make any repairs that are noticeably needed. Door handles and locks should fit well and firmly. Exterior doors should shut and lock solidly. Drains and downspouts should be firmly attached and clear of debris so water flows freely. Attached light fixtures should be firmly attached. All switches should turn on whatever they were designed to turn on -- light, fan, disposal, etc.

6. Conventional wisdom dictates your home should be "neutralized." You can't really go wrong following this advice. You know the drill -- beige or soft gray carpet, beige, gray, or taupe walls, white or off-white woodwork and ceilings. Sometimes a very soft gold or a soft sage green can also "read" as neutral.

7. If you have a sure sense of decorating (you probably do if family and friends frequently ask your advice and you enjoy making decorating decisions), and especially if you plan to leave color coordinated window treatments, you might leave more definite colors in place understanding that a potential buyer with no imagination might be put off by them and not think to request a "redecorating allowance" in a contract offer. Still, beautiful decorating which is not neutral undeniably attracts some buyers.

8. If your carpet is in poor condition, but you cannot afford to replace it, get several neutral samples in a mid-price range from a local carpet store, spread them on the floor, and add a note stating that you will be glad to provide a carpet allowance from the proceeds of settlement.

9. Dark homes show badly. Make sure lamps are on and lampshades are straight with the seams toward a wall. Make sure there is as much natural light as possible; have curtains, shades and blinds open.

Buyers are looking for a home they can see themselves living in. Follow the above tips and you will position your home to sell quickly.

Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org - providing homes for sale by owner, "FSBO", properties. Are you thinking, "Should I sell my home?" Visit http://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm to sell your home sale for free for one month.


MORE RESOURCES:

Realtors peddle real estate to bike-happy clients
The Associated Press - 7 hours ago
(AP) — With gas prices high, bicycles flying out of stores and a buyers' market for houses, a handful of real estate agents around the country are touting ...


K2C Real Estate Solutions Recruits Top Sales Agent
MarketWatch - 7 hours ago
CHARLOTTE, NC, Aug 29, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- K2C Real Estate Solutions, a real estate consulting firm that provides marketing and sales services ...
K2C launches infill project near uptown Charlotte Bizjournals.com
all 26 news articles


Real estate agent accused of food, change thefts
Hartford Courant, United States - 8 hours ago
Monroe police have arrested a real estate agent accused of stealing change from a home she's trying to sell. Police say there are complaints that she stole ...


China Real Estate Opportunities sees more growth
Forbes, NY - 8 hours ago
LONDON, Aug 29 Reuters - China Real Estate Opportunities Ltd, the London AIM market-listed property developer, believes the recent Olympic Games in Beijing ...
China Real Estate swings to H1 pretax profit 15.04 mln pounds vs ... Forbes
all 4 news articles


Foreign invasion just a myth say real estate agents
Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand - 4 hours ago
One of the Waikato's top real estate agents, Carolyn Evans, said that she hadn't noticed a change and thought that the "problem" had been exaggerated. ...


Real estate info flows freely on the Web
USA Today - 13 hours ago
By By Jeff Roberson, AP file By Anna Bahney, USA TODAY Not so long ago, real estate websites offered little more than a thumbnail photo of a house and puffy ...


Sarah Palin Is Solid Gold Real Estate
FITSNews, SC - 5 hours ago
... because let’s face it, the super hot Alaska governor and newly-minted GOP Vice-Presidential nominee is solid gold real estate right now. ...
Video: McCain Introduces Alaska Gov. Palin As VP AssociatedPress
all 4,538 news articles


Jill Childress: New managing broker for Century 21 Winter Park ...
Sky Hi Daily News, CO - 2 hours ago
Dan Cheek, broker/owner for Century 21 Winter Park Real Estate is proud to announce that Jill Childress has accepted the position of managing broker for its ...
Realtors donate to many projects Sky Hi Daily News
Brenda Kellen: We found the right home, what’s next? Sky Hi Daily News
all 3 news articles


Police: Real Estate Agent Took Food, Change
WFSB, CT - 6 hours ago
A Derby real estate agent is accused of stealing from homes she was trying to sell. Holli Tapley, 29, was arrested on charges of larceny after several ...
Real estate agent faces theft charge Connecticut Post
all 4 news articles


NYC Real Estate Braces for
GlobeSt. com, NY - 5 hours ago
It may well also contribute to the creeping increase in vacancy in New York City’s real estate market, which is heavily dependent on the financial sector. ...
Unthinkable Happens: Manhattan Apartment Prices Fall New York Sun
all 2 news articles

Real-Estate - Google News

home | site map
© 2006