Seller's Tips

When it comes to selling your home there are two major factors that buyers will look for, price and appearance.  The tips following will help you with these two factors.

Price

Determining Fair Market Value/ Tips for Setting the Price

1. Abandon your Personal Bias

In order to determine the market value of your home, you must objectively establish what someone else would pay for your house. This means setting aside your emotional attachment to the many wonderful memories you have shared in your home. Some things to consider when determining the price of your home: total square footage, floor plan, construction quality, condition, amenities, lot size, topography, view, landscaping and neighborhood.

2. Educate Yourself

Visit local open houses and compare the location, condition, size and amenities of these houses to your own as objectively as possible. If your house is located in a neighborhood that is highly in demand, you will be able to get a higher price than you can for the same house in a less desirable area. A house that has been well-maintained will show better and, therefore, is likely to sell more promptly and for a higher price than one that needs work. When a house offers amenities that are currently popular in the marketplace, it will invite a higher price.

3. Get a Comparable Market Analysis from your Real Estate Agent

We will give you a full Comparable Market Analysis after examining what comparable homes have sold for in your neighborhood in the recent past. Drawing upon our knowledge of other homes within the area, we will determine what we believe to be an approximate value of your home.

4. Consider Market Conditions

How is the economy? Interest rates? Local job market? What season is it? Homes tend to sell more quickly in the Spring and Summer months than in the Winter because people prefer to move during the longer warmer days and between school years. Are prices of homes in your neighborhood on the rise? Are they selling quickly? Check your Comparative Market Analysis to determine the days on the market for each comparable house sold. When real estate is booming, houses may sell in a few days.

Appearance

Preparing to Sell Your Home

1. De-personalize Your Home

The first step in getting your home ready to sell is to "de-personalize" it. You should remove all photographs and other small items from table-tops. Buyers should be allowed to imagine their personal possessions in the home, not look at yours. You should also put away your personal collections so that buyers don't get so interested in looking at them that they forget to look at the house.

2. Make Sure It's Your House They Come Back to for a Second Look

Here's a critical bit of home selling advice: don't even think of putting your house on the market until you've taken a close look at its condition. You usually only have one shot at impressing potential home buyers, so take some time now to prepare the house for showings and you might be rewarded with a faster sale and a higher offer. In order to do so though, you must trust your instincts. Ask yourself what changes would make immediate improvements and what features you want to show off the most. Evaluate your own home as if you were a first time buyer.

Quick Tips for Showing Your Home

1. Keep it clean. Even though you have thoroughly cleaned and prepped the home to put it on the market, you must still live in it between showings. Be prepared to tidy up and vacate your home at a moment's notice so it can be shown. Make up beds first thing in the morning so that they are not forgotten. Keep disposable floor wipes handy to be able to quickly mop floors as well as freshen up bathrooms and kitchen sinks.

2. Open all window coverings to let in as much lights as possible. Turn on lights in smaller rooms, such as bathrooms and the laundry room, to help them appear larger. You want to create a lighted environment without overdoing it. If the weather is nice, open a couple of windows to create a breeze and get some fresh air into the house. If you have ceiling fans, turn them on to help circulate air. In winter, think about turning the heat up slightly to make it cozy feeling to potential buyers who walk in from the nippy outside.

3. You will also want to create a pleasant mood as the house is being shown. One way to create this mood is to play soft music while the buyer is there. You may also wish to place fresh flowers around the house to create a cheery atmosphere. You may wish to create visual ambience by turning on key lights such as chandeliers or scones.

4. Finally, make sure the home is vacant as it is being shown. You and your family should take a walk or otherwise do something outside of the house. Make sure the pets are gone too; put them in cages or take them to a neighbor.

Your goal is to make home buyers fall in love with the house as soon as they see it from the street. And that comes with a bonus--a great overall impression is often enough to make a buyer more lenient about minor repair issues. Every house is different, and no one expects you to be a professional home stager, but taking the time to prepare the house to the best of your ability can put extra dollars in your pocket, and in less than average time.

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact me. You'll find that my expertise in this area is unmatched.

ASSISTING FSBO'S

DON'T LOSE MONEY, CALL TODAY!!!

                                            Melissa  801-414-5486   
                                                        utahREagent@yahoo.com