Are you a first time home seller that’s thinking about putting your home on the market, and you want to make sure you’re going to get the best return on your investment? These tips should help with exactly that. Selling homes is second nature to me, but I get nervous sellers all the time, and of course you’re nervous, because it is a big deal. It’s HIGHLY LIKELY that your home is THE BIGGEST investment of your life.
I’ve helped so many sellers in the Oakland / Berkeley / East Bay Area to sell their homes and I understand how nervous it can make you. So there are actually 4 things that get your house sold – marketing, negotiation, condition and location! Let’s talk about condition, particularly the Curb Appeal.
This is the fourth step from my previous video on My 3 First Steps in Home Selling. The important because it’s the first impression your buyer will have when they roll up to your home. The best thing that you can do is either rent a power washer or hire someone come and do it. Either way, you want to wash years of dirt off your driveway, sidewalk and home. You want your house to look to pretty! It doesn’t matter if you’re someone that doesn’t care about pretty, HOUSES HAVE GOT TO LOOK PRETTY.
You also want to pay attention to your home’s front door. As an agent, it takes me a few seconds to open a lockbox, and this gives the buyer a chance to really look at your entryway while they are waiting. Take a moment to make sure there isn’t any peeling paint on the door or cobwebs around the lights or a whole bunch of dirt caked on around the windows.
Next, step #5 is to work with your agent on staging your home. 77% of buyer’s agents said that staging a home makes it easier for buyers to visualize themselves living in it. And Staging will help your home stand out against the competition by showcasing the best features of your home to any prospective buyers. Also, research shows that professionally staged homes can sell for as much as 10% more than homes that are not staged.
Also, #6 is now that you’ve gotten your home ready, you need professional photos of your home. Cell phone pictures DO NOT CUT IT. According to National Association of Realtors, 67% sixty seven percent of buyers will walk through a home that they saw online, so professional pictures are a must in your preparation.
Lastly, now that your home is all ready for buyers you gotta have a showing plan. Buyers and their agents may request a showing of your home at any time and you gotta be prepared. Until your home is under contract, it’s SUPER important to be able to leave your home at a moment’s notice. So how do you help facilitate that? You could plan simpler meals for easy clean up. If you’re working from home, make plans to work somewhere else during the day, and maybe make plans for some outdoor activities on the weekends. Also, find a place to bring your pets during showings, maybe family or a good friend can take care of them. All these things will help you in selling your home faster and for more money.
This is Tanja Odzak, Our East Bay Home brokered by eXp Realty, if you’re thinking about selling, feel free to reach out. I’m always here to help.
I’m a Top Producing Realtor® in the OAKLAND / BERKELEY / EAST BAY AREA. I’ve been in the San Francisco East Bay Area since I came up to do my undergrad at UC Berkeley (a long time ago!), with a short stint at UC Davis while getting my Master’s. I take my duties as a Realtor® and Fiduciary very seriously, I enjoy educating my sellers and buyers along the way. Putting People, Before Profit.
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