C21CherylBrewer.com - Make Your Move!

Seller Info
"It gives me a great deal of satisfaction when I leave a listing appointment knowing that my seller is confident in their ability to sell their home with my help."

The home seller needs to first and foremost think like a consumer.
Let's say you were in a department store looking for a new television and the some of the TV's were scratched and a couple had broken knobs, most were over priced. What would you do? Well, if you're like most consumers, you'd be disgusted and leave. You'd be off to another department store. Perhaps, you'd stay and talk to the floor associate to see if you could get some $$ knocked off the price. It is no different in the home sales arena. If you want the best price for your home you need to appeal to your buyers. You need to make your home look polished and appealing. Most of all, and I cannot stress this enough, you can't be over priced! I've put together a few of the most important tips in home selling I can think of. You may have ideas of your own. If you'd like to share your ideas, email Cheryl Brewer.

Find out how much your property or home is worth.

You could do this by hiring an appraiser or you can have a REALTOR do a comparative market analysis for you. If you choose the later keep in mind that the REALTOR will need to visit your home or get some specific information about it. They will need to know about: the style of architecture, lot size or acreage information, square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms; basement and garage information, information regarding out-buildings. The REALTOR will also want to know about the amenities that your home or building has like: air conditioning, fireplaces, sound systems, security systems or lighting, the type of siding, wood floors, ceramic tiling, etc. She/he will also want to know about updates to the home like: kitchens and baths, family rooms, electrical, HVAC and plumbing, etc. The REALTOR will take the information you supply or that which she/he gathers at your home and search for homes that have sold in very recent months that are similar to yours and in nearby areas. If she/he cannot match recent sales exactly to your home, additions and subtractions will be made to the subject property's (your home's) value. The result after calculations will give a fair market value. Click here to contact Cheryl Brewer.

Do a preliminary home inspection.
A home inspection may be done by a buyer anyway so it is wise to be prepared. The home inspector may identify areas of concern that could cause problems when you have a potential sale hanging in the balance. Why not get ahead of any problems and either price your home accordingly or fix the defects now?

Stage your home.
Home staging is becoming very trendy. Stagers are quite busy in some areas of the country. You may want to hire a stager before you list your home. However, they can be expensive. Your REALTOR is trained to sell homes. If you cannot afford to hire someone to stage for you, ask

him/her for their advice and then heed it. Try not to get mad or uncomfortable. A common trick in making a home "show ready" is to remove at least one piece of furniture from each room. This will result in a more expansive feeling. Clutter is very distracting to a buyer. If your home is full of "stuff" simply box it up and put it in storage until your house is sold. Let the prospect see as much of your home's natural character as possible. Paint walls in a neutral shade. Keep windows clean and curtains open. Update: lighting fixtures, window treatments, bathroom and kitchen faucets and countertops. If your carpet is dirty and worn, clean it or replace it. Go outside and take a look at the home from the street. If you see anything unappealing, your prospects will see it too. Consider updating doors, adding shutters, re-landscaping, re-shingling the roof, painting, etc.

Don't assume all home remodeling projects will bring you more money when you sell.
Some remodeling projects will actually cost you a small fortune and get you nothing in return at the sale of your home. Check average home sale prices in your area before you spend any money in home remodeling. Then decide whether or not the expense is justified. If you are doing the remodel project just to make the house more marketable then you need to be very careful in your spending. A REALTOR can usually make suggestions about updates or remodels that may help sell your home. Click here to contact Cheryl Brewer.

Allow home tours while you are away.
Most buyers are very uncomfortable about looking at a home while the seller is present. The buyer should feel free to talk with the REALTOR regarding the home. The seller's presence may hinder this. Allow at least one hour for the home tour. If you return while the buyer is still looking, it is best to leave and come back later.

Tidy up the home as much as possible before a home tour.
It is true that filthy or untidy homes may sell eventually; however, most buyers are more likely to relax and look around longer in a home that is clean and tidy.

Make a good first impression.

Manicure your lawn and landscape and clean all debris off sidewalks and driveways. Always have all your lights on when the buyer arrives. The REALTOR is trained to step into the home behind the buyer. Do not expect them to get the lights on for you. Have the window treatments open. Smell is a sense that goes into overdrive in prospective buyers. So if you have pets or you smoke, you should (during the listing period): keep pets clean (litter boxes and fish tanks too), smoke outside only, clean carpets and upholstery, clean all kitchen and bath surfaces as thoroughly as possible and remove all garbage. You may choose to light aroma candles or you can even put a pot of flavored coffee on to brew just before a scheduled tour. If you do this, alert your REALTOR. She/he will gladly blow out candles or shut off coffee makers for you before they leave.

Take precautions with pets.
To avoid liability issues it would be wise to remove pets from the home during tours. However, if you cannot, at least for the buyer's and pet's safety, try to cage the animal during showings. Some buyers will not even step into a home if a pet is loose. Don't risk losing buyers over your love of Fido.

Share all your concerns with your Seller's Agent.
The Seller's Agent cannot read your mind. There are no insignificant details. Keep your agent informed of changes in your situation.

Time is of the essence.
Negotiations can get pretty difficult at times. Contractual timelines can and do come into play. Please work with your REALTOR to make sure you are staying on top of the timelines built into your contract so that you do not jeopardize your position in the transaction.

Earnest money issues cannot be resolved by the REALTOR.
The earnest money acts as a good faith gesture to the seller. It will be held in a trust account until the close of escrow and will be credited to the buyer's side of the transaction at that time. If by chance the sale does not close and a dispute arises over the disbursement of the earnest money the REALTOR cannot decide who gets it.

REALTORS are not attorneys.
It is always wise for you to consult an attorney before signing any legal document. You are doing just that when you sign a Buy and Sell Agreement to sell a home or building. If you have any questions of a legal nature or any time a legal boundary or description is an issue, I would say you should seek the advice of an attorney.