6 Tips for Selling Your Home Faster

Selling your home? Then it’s time to get to work!

Putting your house on the market takes a lot more than just sticking a “For Sale” sign in the front yard and adding some photos on the internet. Before you go through the entire process of listing your home, complete this checklist to get yourself better prepared.

Some of the tips for selling your home are simple and some of them will take a little more energy. However they all will help out tremendously when it comes to impressing buyers!

Hire a Great Real Estate Agent

Selling your home without a real estate agent is almost always a recipe for disaster. It’s important to interview agents that can list your home at the right price, maximize your home’s exposure to potential buyers, are experts about your community, and have strong negotiating skills.

You deserve a comprehensive marketing strategy to get your home in front of thousands of people in the area.

Make a Great First Impression

You never get a second chance to make a good first impression, and that counts for your home too! Buyers might be less likely to check out the rest of a house if the outside is unappealing—even if the interior is stunning.

If you’re looking to sell your house, a few changes to your home’s exterior could help make the process smoother. From being able to sell faster to add greater value to the asking price.

Focus on Staging

Has your furniture been arranged the same way since you moved into your home several years ago? You may be comfortable with the current setup but it may not be the best way to showcase your space.

It also goes without saying that you will need to take some time to declutter, deep clean and depersonalize. Think about how it feels when you walk through a brand new model home and then try to recreate that vibe. Simply put, when selling your home, you want the buyer to envision themselves living in your home.

Plants Bring Life Into the Home

Live plants can do wonders for you and your home. Indoor plants are not only decorative, they also help clean the environment and air around them. Adding some house plants will create a welcoming feeling for buyers. Place them in inviting areas of your home such as the kitchen and living room.

Smell Test Your Home

When selling your home, even the slightest sense of an odor will have buyers wanting to leave your home as fast as possible. Seriously, this can be a huge deal break on whether or not you get an offer. If you want to make sure all is smelling well, invite over a third-party guest to give you a little smell test.

It’s likely that your home smells just fine but just in case it needs a scent intervention, tackle lingering odors head-on by replacing the carpet, painting the walls and deep cleaning. You can also minimize odors by using baking soda, coffee grounds, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar and lemons.

Once you get any unpleasant odors under control, don’t forget to use wall plug-ins, candles or essential oil diffusers to distribute a cohesive and pleasant scent throughout your home.

Lighting, Hardware & Fixtures

Let there be light! Buyers love light and bright rooms so make sure all of your light bulbs have been replaced. If your fixtures are dated, consider replacing them. Make sure your lighting temperature is cohesive throughout your home and that you use a combination of overhead lighting and lamps to create a welcoming atmosphere.

Are your light switch covers, doorknobs and handles looking kind of grungy? What kind of shape are your shower heads and kitchen faucet in? These items are very easy to replace and can make a world of difference to a buyer when selling your home.

Source: Sotheby’s International Realty