5 small but vital pieces of advice for anybody who has their home listed for sale or is thinking about selling their home.
Nichole Story
In this market, homes that show correctly sell VERY quickly. If some of these rules seem over the top, just remember if you market the property correctly up front it shouldn't be an inconvenience for long, as your home should sell quickly.
All of my sellers understand and strictly follow the cardinal rules for showings, hence the average listing time for my clients is 6 days and typically they net 8-12% over market value when they sell their homes. I know these rules sound simple, but it is vital to properly prepare your home for showings if you are serious about selling.
1) Clean EVERYTHING before you list your home and before every showing. A clean house could possibly be the most important part of keeping your house in show-ready condition.
Tip: Hire a housekeeper to deep clean your home before you list it.
2) Barking dogs should be boarded. I know it is inconvenient, but if you want the highest price for your home I highly recommend it. Even for buyers that are dog lovers it is hard to think clearly and get emotionally attached to a home when there is a big distraction.
Tip: Come up with a “showing plan” where you send the dog to doggie day care specific days of the week and let your Realtor know what days those are so he/she can schedule the bulk of your showings on those days.
3) I know rule #1 was clean EVERYTHING but this is also worth mentioning: Clean your carpets before you list your home, it will make your carpets look a lot better if not brand new.
Tip: Your Real Estate Professional should be able to recommend a good carpet cleaner to you. They should also bring booties to your home so that moving forwardall potential buyers wear the booties to preserve your clean carpet. It also elevates the image of your property to the potential buyer.
4) Choose an agent that will answer phone calls AND text messages. So much of today's real estate business is done over text messaging. If your agent refuses to answer text messages, they are missing out on many potential showings for you.
Tip: When you are interviewing agents make sure to go with one that is technologically savvy.
5) Choose an agent that will tell you the TRUTH! Sometimes the reasons a home is selling or not selling are very minor. Choose an agent that doesn't mind telling you,"You will make $10,000 more if you clean the vanity in your bathroom and get rid of that old poster over your bed." Or whatever the case may be that is stopping your home from showing at it's absolute best!
Tip: Your CPA and/or Doctor would never candy coat the truth, nor should your Realtor. Selling your home is a big financial decision and your Realtor should be able to articulate the best selling strategy for you.
If any of the items above sound silly, remember, I have seen it all! And you would be surprised at what "seen it all" entails in the life of a Realtor! I have seen thousands of properties and most listings I take, no matter the price point, typically need a little staging or a showing preparation plan before they go onto the market. If you are interested in finding out more about the things you should do to your home specifically before you list it contact me, Nichole Story at (949)375-9981 or Nichole@NicholeStoryGroup.com