When you’re selling your home, there are some things you can do to make the process easier and faster, which may even result in getting more money when you sell. However, these tips aren’t widely known by the general public because real estate agents have an interest in keeping them quiet so that they can get more business from homeowners who want to sell their homes faster and for more money! Here are the 10 best kept secrets when selling your home!
1) Reshape Your House
Sometimes a new coat of paint can help a home sell faster and for more money. This is especially true for homes that have been on real estate listings for months. A fresh coat of paint is one of those small updates that can bring big returns.
Don’t forget to replace any broken window panes or cracked glass before you put your house on sale, though. You can create some inviting curb appeal with landscaping changes like adding flowers, but don’t invest too much money in exterior renovations until you know how long it will take to sell and whether or not they will yield any benefit at all.
2) Stage Your Home
Real estate listings are extremely limited in terms of their real estate photography. While high-end houses that sell for millions of dollars can be photographed with professional equipment and lighting, realtors don’t have that option to make themselves look better.
That doesn’t mean you should take a typical cell phone picture and slap it up on Zillow or Redfin, though. We asked several real estate agents for tips on staging a home and they told us there are several easy things homeowners can do to enhance their pictures: Turn off all overhead lights so sunlight provides most of the illumination. Overhead lighting can appear cold and unflattering.
3) Get Professional Help
Selling a house can be scary, even for an experienced homeowner. There are so many factors to consider—it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Real estate agents know all about their industry, which means they have strong opinions on who you should use to market your property, how you should price it and what renovations could make a difference in value.
Instead of going at it alone, take advantage of their knowledge and trust them with everything from staging tips to advice on negotiating buyers’ offers.
4) Set a Realistic Price
Home buyers are accustomed to seeing real estate listings that boast what an incredible deal they’re getting. The problem with these claims is they may be a little too good to be true. Instead of discounting your price and setting up an unrealistic expectation, consider changing up how you present information so potential buyers don’t think you’re asking more than you really want for your property. Have a great kitchen?
Mention it in an itemized list of pros rather than calling it out in a large block of text. Keep what sets you apart as a house—but make sure it’s clear that there are no hidden deals or discounts involved for anyone who buys from you.
5) Prepare For Open Houses
Once you’ve decided that it’s time to sell, you need to prepare for open houses. And you might think all you have to do is list your house with a realtor and get ready for potential buyers.
But preparing means more than just getting curtains professionally cleaned and re-hanging any family pictures that may have fallen from their frames. It also means making some major decisions about what needs to stay in order to make sure potential buyers know exactly what they’re getting into if they decide to buy.
Prepare for open houses, not just by pulling out any musty carpets or sweeping away cobwebs, but with photos taken from every angle of every room in your house–inside and out–that show off its wow factor and emphasizes why it’s worth purchasing.
6) Include Something Free With the Sale
When it comes to getting people to look at and buy your house, one of the most effective tactics is making it seem like an irresistible deal. Real estate agents know that one way to get a potential buyer’s attention is to offer something for free in exchange for viewing their home.
While you might not be able to afford a new pool or hot tub, you can still offer something with very little cost. One option is a meal that leaves out everything unhealthy from your kitchen (even condiments!). While another could be two movie tickets or other small gifts.
7) Repair Only What’s Needed
When it comes to renovating, most people have good intentions. They don’t want to waste money on small projects that might not even be noticeable. While it makes sense to think like that, don’t let cost-consciousness impede you from making key upgrades.
While large overhauls are more expensive upfront, they save you cash in a long run because they will require less upkeep and help sell your house for more money if you ever decide to move on down the road.
So although a new shower or kitchen might seem like overkill now, go ahead and make those essential upgrades; it will pay off in spades later.
8) Paint the Front Door
Most buyers take one look at a front door and decide if they like it or not. While they are in their car looking at homes, they often imagine themselves coming and going through that front door.
It’s easy to look past flaws in other areas of a house but colors have an impact on people. If you have dead grass or plants around your house, do a little maintenance before showing it and make sure doors are freshly painted so buyers can picture themselves in the home for longer periods of time.
9) Make An Appointment with the Curb Appeal Doctor
You might have heard people say, Curb appeal sells homes. With that said, it can also break deals. Potential buyers won’t take a second look at a property if they don’t like what they see from their car.
The next time you’re getting ready to list your house, call in a professional to spruce up its curb appeal. The most critical areas to address are the front entrance and lawn. Get rid of any dead plants or trees. Trim bushes and plant fresh flowers and new shrubs.
Fix any cracks in driveways or sidewalks; clean out gutters; give fences and windows a fresh coat of paint; place potted plants on steps leading up to the front door.
10) Prune Plants and Shrubs in Time for Springtime Buyers (or Rentals).
Don’t let overgrown landscaping be a turnoff for potential buyers. If you don’t have time to hire a pro, take advantage of February and March’s warm days and nights to tackle spring cleaning on your own.
Trim dead stems and branches, then use hedge trimmers to shape trees and bushes. If you have hardy plants, like evergreens or rose bushes, remove winter damage from them before moving indoors; drape damaged limbs with black plastic bags to keep out pests while they heal.