25 Tips To Help You Sell Your House Faster and For More Money From Guardian Mortgage
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Selling your home can be a complicated project. Here are 25 ways you can make the process easier.
Selling your home can be difficult, say the pros at Guardian Mortgage. Even with a great Realtor and a beautiful property, it can take a long time. And the more time that passes, the lower an offer may be.
Do you want to get your house sold quickly and get the price you’re asking for — or more? Then try these 25 tips from some of the best mortgage professionals in the business:
- A stager knows how to curate your decor and pick just the right pieces for your space, making it appeal to buyers.
1. Hire a professional home staging expert. A home stager can recommend small design changes and décor additions that could make a big difference in your home’s appeal. They may even help you garner higher offers.
2. Create a video tour. Most people start their home search on the Web. Help give your online listings more life with a video tour of your home. Walk potential buyers through its best features, and make them want to see the property for themselves.
- Sellers should consider posting their homes on Facebook, Pinterest, and other networks.
3. Use social media. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social platforms are all great for promoting your listing. You never know when a friend or colleague might be looking.
4. Get professional photos taken. Enlist the help of a professional photographer and make your home stand out from the pack.
5. Offer incentives. Include items in your listing that you’d be willing to part with—such as your refrigerator or your washer and dryer. Sometimes these incentives are just what a buyer needs to make an offer.
6. Up your curb appeal. Spruce up your lawn, plant flowers, and replace that old, leaning metal mailbox. Make your home swoon-worthy from the very first look.
7. De-personalize. Remove personal items like photos and make it easier for buyers to imagine themselves in the home.
8. Keep it neat. Hire a maid service to clean your home from top to bottom, and then make sure you keep it that way. No one finds a dirty, cluttered home appealing.
9. Use a lock box. Lock boxes make showings a breeze. You won’t have to rush home from work every time someone wants to see the home. A real estate agent can just let themselves in instead.
10. Price it appropriately. Do your research, and price your home right from the beginning. Be sure to factor in the market, other homes on the market in your area and any added features your property may have.
11. Paint the walls. A fresh coat of paint is often just the facelift a boring interior needs.
12. Host an open house. Open houses are a great way to get attention from potential buyers and Realtors in the area. Your real estate agent will arrange all the details and you won’t even need to be present.
13. Be flexible. Sometimes, potential buyers are going to want to come by with very little notice. It may not be convenient, but try to be as flexible as possible to allow them access. It could be just the buyer you need.
Are there restaurants, parks, shops, or mass transit nearby? That’s great information to include in your listing.
14. Include neighborhood information in your listing. Don’t just share details about the home. Make the neighborhood and surrounding area sound like a great place to live, too.
15. Clean out the closets. People like storage space, so clean out your closets, and show them how much space they’d have if they chose your property.
16. Let there be light. Lots of light—natural light especially—makes a space look more welcoming. Turn on light fixtures, open windows and part the curtains to brighten up your home before a potential buyer visits.
17. Use a great agent. Choose your real estate agent carefully. You want one who’s plugged in and embraces technology, online marketing and other innovative strategies, and who knows your neighborhood well.
18. Keep the pets away. Not everyone likes pets, and some people are even allergic to them. If at all possible, keep your critters at a friend’s or family member’s home until the house is sold.
Can you spot the pooch in this photo? While some potential buyers love dogs, not everyone likes to see animals in a home. In fact, some could be allergic.
19. Make some repairs. Fix that broken toilet seat, tighten that loose door hinge and make all those little fixes you’ve been meaning to get to over the years.
20. Do some spring cleaning. De-clutter your space. Donate old toys and clothes to a local charity and remove excess furniture to make rooms look larger.
21. Make bedrooms gender neutral. Chances are, buyers aren’t going to have the same family structure as you. It may be difficult for them to imagine their son living in a bubblegum pink room with a canopy over the bed, so try to opt for more gender-neutral decorating schemes in the bedrooms.
22. Don’t forget the backyard. Everyone loves a great backyard. It’s where you host barbecues, where the kids play and where you sit back and enjoy a cool iced tea on the patio. Up the ante by adding patio furniture, a fire pit or other enticing yard feature.
A beautifully manicured backyard can help sell a home fast.
23. Go seasonal. Opt for seasonal décor to really get buyers excited. Put out pumpkins in October, keep fresh flowers on the table in the springtime, and light a fire in the fireplace during the cold winter months.
24. Improve the smell. Make your home smell just as great as it looks. Use air fresheners, flowers, candles or bake cookies before a showing to make it smell great.
25. Go on some home tours yourself. Make time to go on a few showings of your own. Note what you like, what you don’t like and what you wish you’d seen. Then mimic that in your own home.
Now that your home is ready to sell — and sell quickly — it’s time to start looking for a new place. Contact a home loan officer at Guardian Mortgage Company for help. An expert lender can help guide you from start to finish, making your homebuying experience a breeze.
