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Hiring
a house cleaning service can help to maintain the value of your
home.
For a good local
house cleaning service, |
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Hiring
a house cleaning service can help to maintain the value of your
home.
For a good local
house cleaning service, |
Home buyers and sellers - please visit our site for more information at www.real-estate-palmdale.com
or call 1-877-726-6539 for more information on buying or selling a home ANYWHERE in
the Antelope Valley and surrounding areas.
Providing service in Acton - Adelanto -
Agua Dulce - Ana Verde Hills - Antelope Acres - Antelope Valley - Canyon Country - Juniper
Hills - Lake Elizabeth - Lake Hughes - Lake Los Angeles - Lancaster - Leona Valley -
Littlerock - Llano - Palmdale - Pearblossom - Quartz Hill - Rancho Vista - Santa Clarita -
Shadow Acres - White Fence Farms - Barrel Springs - Rosamond
www.real-estate-palmdale.com for more information
A
re you looking to sell your home fast? Be careful not to overlook important details - real estate laws, rules and regulations can be complicated and making a mistake can be costly. Most people believe it is important to engage an expert to ensure their goals are met safely and quickly.2. Price it right. The
NUMBER ONE thing that will sell a house quickly is price.
If you price it right, it will sell. If you price it wrong, it won't sell.
It's that simple. How do you price your house right? The agent you hire should have
a good sense of what price will help sell your home sooner rather than later. As the
owner, you are probably not objective, so give your agent free rein, within reason, to set
the price. The broker will look at the average days a home in your neighborhood is on the
market, how your home compares with regard to asking price in
relation to others in the area, and its
condition. Select a price carefully. Remember your price has to please three people: you,
the buyer and - in particular - the bank's appraiser. The closer your price is to
actual market value (the price that a knowledgeable seller will accept and a
knowledgeable buyer will pay) the sooner it will sell. Be sure your price
is realistic. Unrealistic prices are the major cause of old and unsold listings, those
that cause potential buyers to wonder if something is wrong with the house and
those that result in eventual below-market sales.
Overpricing actually helps sell other competing houses by making those listings
look like better values compared to yours. Why wait to reduce the price?
Start out "priced right" from the first opportunity.
3. Create an adjustable sales plan. Come up with a sales
strategy, but make sure it's flexible. What's your initial asking price? How long will you
insist on it before making a reduction? How much of a cut will you accept? What about
after that? Having a plan in place will help you react quickly and will get your house
sold.
4. Make room and inspect your floors, walls, kitchen,
bathrooms and closets - because your buyers will. It is critical that you, the
homeowner, clear out as much furniture and knick knacks as you can!
This aspect is very important
with regard to the home-showing and selling process.
Put your stuff in storage, give it to Goodwill, or
have a garage sale. However you can manage it, get the clutter out of the
house - it will make your home more inviting to buyers. After you thought you
cleared away the clutter, take out more! Get it spare, open and
fresh. What you want to do is open the house up - make it look spacious. People
can picture their own stuff in your house when furnishings and clutter are
reduced. It really does help your home to show better and look more
appealing to a buyer. Hallways and doorways, in particular,
need to be clear and open.
As an example of how your clean and uncluttered house will appeal to buyers,
spending just $400 to $500 on fresh landscaping can boost your home’s value by
$1,600 to $1,800. Spend another $300 on cleaning
and de-cluttering your home and
you could add another $2,000 or more to the sale price.
5. Go through the house and
clear off ALL the horizontal surfaces especially the kitchen and bathroom
countertops. Throw away old papers and magazines and pack away knick knacks.
COUNTERS NEED TO BE CLEAR AND CLEAN ... plus you get a jump start on your packing!
6. A home should smell good. That means no noticeable
odor - no pet scent, no stale cooking smells and no cigarette smoke. People just don't
realize how much odor plays into the mind set of a buyer. If potential buyers smell
cat odor as soon as they walk in the front door, that could be all it takes for them to
walk right back out again. People who smoke or
have pets become so accustomed to the smell, they don't notice it - ask a friend whose
judgment (and nose) you trust to give your home the real sniff test. Don’t cook
smelly or greasy foods, which linger in the house and remember that, if you have cats, to
clean the litter box at least once a day. Keep any pets out of sight.
Remember the old story about the smell of baking bread or steaming cinnamon
potpourri? Today it's a no-no. Ditto the scented candles and air freshener. If
you just go through with Lysol before a showing, that won't help either. Instead,
get rid of scent problems at the source: scrub the house, have the air vents cleaned,
replace old, smelly carpeting, and smoke cigarettes or cigars outside of the house.
7. Remember, most buyers do not want fixer-uppers. If the property needs
work - dated wallpaper, ratty carpet, dirty walls - replace and paint NOW so that your
buyer can just picture moving in. Most people want a "turn key" project -
that is, they turn the key in the lock and move right in to the clean, fresh home
they just bought! Also note that the more changes and expenses buyers calculate they'll
have to make in the home, the more concerned they get and, accordingly, the more likely
they are to move on to the next Open House in your neighborhood, leaving your house out of
the running.
Beware of deferred maintenance. Buyers expect your home to be
in decent shape. That means a roof that doesn’t leak, paint that isn’t peeling
and household systems (heating, cooling, electric and plumbing) in good repair.
If you’ve neglected your home, you face a tough choice. You’re unlikely to
recoup much of the cost of your repairs in the form of a higher sales price,
since buyers are unlikely to pay you a premium for maintenance you should have
been doing all along. Yet not making the fixes may turn off buyers altogether.
You need to decide which projects you should
tackle before listing your home.
8. Does your potential market include families with
young kids? If so, ask yourself, "Would I put my child down on this floor to crawl
around the room?" If not, you know what you have to fix. Likewise, as mentioned
before, if your walls sport grimy smudges or handprints, it is certainly worth it to
paint.
9. Non smoking
buyers are much more sensitive to cigarette smells than smokers themselves. It is an
unfortunate fact that having a smoker in the house also eliminates a lot of potential
buyers. Many shoppers won't even want to tour a home if the owner is a smoker. So,
in order to have your buyer walk through the door and smell fresh paint and a clean house,
please .... smoke outside while your home is being marketed. The top dollar you get
for the home will make the extra effort and hassle worth your
while!
10. Make your home ageless. There's a difference between an old house and
a classic home. If the house looks 40 years old with 40-year-old paint, 40-year-old
appliances and 40-year-old carpet, that's a very hard sell.
Keep everything fresh, up-to-date and well maintained and you have a
solid home in an established neighborhood.
11. People buy space and light. If the whole house is
dark, that could be a problem. So ... open the blinds, turn on all the
lights, add lights in rooms that are dark. And if Mother Nature isn't
cooperating with your marketing efforts, use more flowers and things that
suggest sunlight.
12. Get a home inspection AND a termite report. Most buyers will
have a home inspection made, but ALL will require a termite inspection and report.
Do it now and make any needed repairs before you put the home on the market. Depending on
where you live, the service for a home inspection will probably run about $200 to $400.
When you hire your own home or termite inspector before you put your home on the market, you will be
alerted to problems you didn’t know about, giving you a chance to fix them before
they complicate - or ruin - a potential sale. If the repairs are expensive, you may face
having to make a price reduction to compensate for the repairs, but that'll be better than
having your home fall out of escrow and losing a good buyer.
13. Learn to love white walls. When it comes to walls, color is popular.
The problem is that the next buyer might not like the same colors. Paint is a relatively
inexpensive way to make a house look clean and fresh. And if you're going to repaint prior
to selling, stick with neutrals. Despite the fact that it's more boring to live in, it's
still an easier sale. And remember that white reflects the light best and makes rooms look
their largest.
14. Take a close look at the carpet. Get the carpet shampooed to get out
any stains or smells. If that doesn't work, replace it. Get rid of carpet that looks
dirty, soiled, stained, and consider, if you can, wood or laminates as an alternative.
They don't hold odors and are MUCH EASIER to keep clean. Wood laminates make the house
look bigger and people love seeing the fact that the house has wood floors. Remember -
buyers really notice the condition of floors. Hardwood should be polished and carpets
shampooed or, if they’re in bad shape, replaced. Repair any broken tile or linoleum.
15. If you have a deer head on the wall, you might want to take
it down and pack it up for the move. It
could be a turnoff to some buyers. Likewise, play it safe with the
books and magazines that are on display while the home is being shown. Anything
provocative or controversial could
possibly turn off buyers.
16. Replace deteriorating wallpaper. If wallpaper is peeling - especially
in bathrooms - remove it and consider replacing it with a coat of paint. Go with a neutral
or match the tile. Likewise, if the kids' rooms need a fresh look. That way, buyers are
looking at the house, not your decorating skills. And it's easier for them to see their
things in the space.
17. Sellers usually need to empty the closets of half the
things inside. Partially empty closets look
roomy and space sells. Do the same thing with kitchen cabinets.
If you donate your extra clothes and surplus food to a shelter or food bank, you won't
have to worry about moving it to your next home. Tidy closets and pantries also look
bigger and more appealing to buyers.
18. Some sellers have used landscaping as a
sales incentive and have
sold their home FAST. Be warned that flowers can be expensive but they give the home a
nice, softer feel. Showing your home on a budget? Go for less expensive bouquets, green
plants or seasonal flowers from the yard.
19. Open the windows. If it's a cool summer day, have the windows
open. Conversely, if it's cold and dreary, light a fire in the fireplace.
20. Just because you have a neon pink carpet does not mean you
won't find a buyer. If your home is a clean, fresh, open showplace a buyer
WILL snap it up - pink carpet and all. Putting colors and tastes aside, if a
buyer comes in and the home is exciting and it's showy - even if your colors may
not be as neutral as the buyer would like - they'll still
think about making an offer.
21. Keep it clean. No dust, cobwebs or trash.
People looking to
buy a home are extremely observant and meticulous - they notice EVERYTHING.
22. Set your house apart. In one real estate study, potential
buyers were shown many different houses in similar neighborhoods, all with
similar features and amenities. The one that stood out was a home that had yellow roses on the dining room table.
People not only remembered the detail, but they rated the home higher as a result.
You need to give your home a hook - something that makes it different in a positive way
from the other houses for sale. Try to offer immediate possession, although move-up buyers
may need more time.
23. You don't want the house to look so staged that it's artificial. What you want is for your buyer to walk in
there and say 'I could put myself here.'
24. Offer incentives. Incentives can help shorten the sales cycle, but be
careful. It can be a fine
line between wanting to sell a house quickly and having it look like it's a fire sale. If
prospective buyers get the idea that you're desperate to sell, they will try to get you to
accept a bargain-basement price. Adding premiums, however, can help speed a house sale. A
popular incentive offered to buyers is closing-cost help. Show flexibility in evaluating
the need for special financing, perhaps through owner financing or VA/FHA. Offer extras
that convey: freestanding appliances, pool table, swimming pool chemicals, washer/dryer,
full cord of seasoned firewood, etc. You may keep some extras out of the listing and save
them as added incentives for negotiations.
25. What about those "cash for homes" ads you see on telephone
poles, matchbook covers, billboards and late-night TV? Houses sold this way are
heavily discounted. You will sell your property quickly, but it will go cheap,
most likely at a below-market
price
that really won't make you happy. If it's too good of an offer to be true, it IS too good
of an offer.
26. Ask for company help. If you're relocating because of a job change or
company transfer, you may be eligible for home-sale help from your employer or a
relocation company representing your employer. Generally speaking, these buyouts are fair.
An appraiser would appraise the property and the buyout would be for the suggested fair
market value less a sales fee. The company would then put the home on the market with a
local real estate professional. While that's a great deal for the home sellers, it's worth
noting that many companies are scaling back on their relocation packages, so it may not be
an option.
27. If time runs out and you end up having to move without
selling your home first, consider renting it. Just be sure to strike a deal with the
renters so your home will be available for showing. For example, if a home such as yours
normally rents for $1,000 a month, offer a discount (say $750) in exchange for the renters
making the house accessible for showings to potential buyers. The downside of renting a
house that you're trying to sell is that its condition probably won't be as pristine as
you or buyers would like. One way around this problem is to rent with an option to buy.
Let people move in six months, pay rent and then close!
28. Don't forget the exterior! From the sidewalk,
check out your landscaping from your potential buyer's perspective. Cut back
overgrown shrubs, bushes and trees so that more of your home is visible from the
street. Plant colorful annuals in the flowerbeds and keep the lawn green and neatly
trimmed. Painting exterior doors and window trim can freshen your home’s look
without the huge expense of a complete exterior repainting. Shine or replace worn door
knockers and hardware. Replace or remove torn screens or damaged storm windows. Make sure
exterior lights are working and have fresh bulbs - some buyers like to drive by your home
at night to see how it looks.
Get rid of outside clutter - pick up toys, excess furniture
and tools and anything else that may block pathways or access. Give your windows a
good cleaning and hose down outside walls and/or stucco - you want your house to look as
bright and clean as possible.
29. Thinking about a major remodeling job, such as a kitchen update, a
new roof or upgrades to an electrical system? Generally, you won’t get your
money’s worth from these projects, but here’s what you should consider.
Remodeling is for buyers, not sellers. Major renovations usually don’t pay for
themselves, let alone add enough value for you to make a profit, so why would you want to
go through the hassle and the expense right before you move? Concentrate instead on
smaller fixes with bigger impact, and let your buyers remodel to suit themselves.
Serving Palmdale - Rancho Vista - Quartz Hill - East Lancaster - West Lancaster - Ana
Verde - Rosamond - Acton - Leona Valley - Littlerock - Canyon Country - Aqua Dulce - Sand
Canyon - Antelope Acres - Antelope Valley - Bouquet Canyon - Green Valley - Lake Elizabeth
- Lake Hughes - Santa Clarita and the surrounding communities of AV & Los Angeles
County.
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