Part 2: The staging sells your house fast.
In 2009 many people started a real estate sales business by selling their own home. Today, (2010) many of these same people are still trying to sell that first house. The market is tough and with so many homes on the market today’s buyer is looking for an extraordinary home at a reasonable price, not an ordinary home at an extraordinary price. If you are a For Sale by Owner seller who is not associated with a REALTOR®, this article will provide you with some guidelines to help speed up the process and make your home extraordinary.
For example, using our checklist as a guide, the first task after setting the right price (see item 1) is to prepare your home for sale, or “staging.”
Before we get into the heart of staging, we need to talk about disclosure. Putting on stage does not mean hiding. As a seller, you should be aware that a seller’s disclosure of material facts is an important part of a real estate transaction. We suggest that you first have a licensed home inspector inspect his home. Make sure your home is termite free and has good plumbing; water quality, lead, radon, septic tank, asbestos, electricity.
If you are partnering with a REALTOR®, they will know of a trusted and experienced professional. If you’re strictly on your own, you can look up their phone book listings under Home and Building Inspectors. However, be careful. Anyone armed with a do-it-yourself book and a business license can call themselves a home inspector. Some states do not require the inspector to pass a test or be certified. Be sure to go through the Better Business Bureau. Ask for their credentials and check references. It is a small effort that translates into maximum benefits.
As we discussed in the last “Setting the Price” article, the first thing to remember when selling your home quickly is to highlight the best parts of your home. Remember: the “first impression” is important. Just because many of you still live in the house you’re selling, doesn’t mean the house has to look “occupied.”
Make your home attractive to a potential buyer by making sure that the first glance is your most attractive sight. Walk to the street in front of your house and turn around. Do you see? Be honest with yourself; Would you pay the price you’re asking? Is the lawn mowed, the sidewalks trimmed?
Are bushes trimmed? Is the paint fresh or chipped and discolored? Has the roof seen better days; Are shingles missing or curled up in places? Are the windows broken, are the screens missing? Is there clutter everywhere, bikes and toys lying around? Are the fences sagging or missing battens or links? Are the walkways broken, cracked or missing? To answer the obvious question here: NO, the new buyer does not want to do those repairs himself, no matter how attractive the price.
Ok, assuming the exterior checklist is done, walk inside the house, same critical eye and notepad in hand. Make sure the interior of your home is attractive. A well-decorated house, with freshly washed or painted walls and clean carpets, with tidy furniture, will sell faster and for more money than one that looks “occupied.” Depersonalize the house. Get rid of your child’s personal memorabilia and wall decorations, sports plaques, or finger paint that you’ve pasted on the refrigerator, as well as clear out and rearrange desks and shelves.
Clean the kitchen and bathrooms until they shine. These are the two most analyzed areas of the house, right after the living room. If you are having trouble doing this, you may need to hire a home stager and a professional cleaning crew to keep your home looking organized, clean and tidy.
Once your home is in its best performance, you can also hire a professional photographer to take some great photos of your home. Why do you ask? Because in today’s market, many homebuyers and their buying agents search for homes online first.
If you belong to a FSBO service, they usually have a place for you to post photos of the house. Don’t trust this requirement to your trusty digital camera you got for Christmas. Get a professional who knows real estate sales. Remember that the first impression is important, how can you sell your house fast if your house itself does not look attractive on the web? You want them to be willing to see your house after they’ve seen the photos you put up.
After all of those things are done, you can start doing an “open house.” Open Houses should be scheduled at a time when your home is in its best performance or condition. For example, if you have a beautiful garden, display it in the morning before the flowers begin to fade. If there’s something you like best about your home, be sure to share it with potential buyers, but don’t hold back. Let potential buyers search for themselves. Let them ask questions and answer them honestly, but then shut up. As a professional REALTOR® partnering with FSBO sellers, I’ve seen more first-time sellers talk a client out of buying than I’ve ever seen them convince one to buy.
With the current influx of foreclosures, if you need to sell your home fast, you may need the help of a professional to tap into your buyer list and national marketing.
If you are partnering with the services of a real estate company, your REALTOR® will be able to help you determine what needs to be repaired or corrected.
In conclusion, selling your house fast by yourself is not an impossible task. Those expenses you will incur to renovate the house are well worth it when compared to the money made on the sale.
By Hans Rosielle – GRI
Property Mill Real Estate Group LLC
A REALTORS® Guide to Fixed Fee for the FSBO Seller.