Unfortunately, these things don’t just happen by accident but take careful planning and research to ensure that your home is exactly what buyers are looking for at a price that they can afford.
To that end, here is some important research you should do before you put your house on the market plus some tips on how to best present it to prospective buyers.
Research Similar Properties Online
It doesn’t take too much time or energy to research properties for sale in your area online. Make sure you look at properties which have similar features to yours and look at how they are presented.
Take note of the selling price, both high and low, and then work out an average so that you have a ball park figure to work with. Don’t leave it entirely to the selling agent to tell you what your property is worth.
Also note how properties in your area were sold. Were they sold at auction or through private inspections? What were the major features which were showcased in the ads and listings? How does your home compare to the best featured properties?
Having a subjective look at your home by comparing it to others can often identify maintenance issues or minor improvements which you may not be aware of.
Take Care Of Any Major Maintenance Issues
If there are any maintenance issues that you’ve been putting off, now is the time to attend to them. Do you have leaky taps or doors which are sticking? Do some of your fixtures need updating? Are there any holes in walls which need patching?
Sometimes even giving your walls a fresh coat of paint and updating the knobs on your kitchen cupboards can make all the difference. That’s why comparing your home to other successful sales in your area can help you to identify even small changes which can improve the appeal of your property on inspection day.
Go To Properties Which Are Open For Inspection In Your Area
It’s also a great idea to visit some similar homes for sale in your area on their open for inspection days and comparing them to your property. If possible take friend with you who can look at these properties with unbiased eyes and tell you differences that you may not see yourself.
Make sure you take note of how the properties are being presented on inspection day. Take an objective look at what prospective buyers are looking at and commenting on and also how long they’re spending inspecting the property.
If they take a quick walk around and then leave, try to ascertain why the property was of no interest to them. On the other hand, if people are spending a long time in the home, try and see what particularly takes their interest.
All these things will give you tips on how you can best present your property for inspection to garner the most amount of interest from prospective buyers.
Ask Your Mortgage Broker For A Property Report
Even though you’ve done a lot of research on other properties in your area and you may now have a fairly good idea of what your property is worth, it’s still a good idea to get a property report.
You can ask your mortgage broker for a property report of your area which will provide a comparison of the features of your property to other similar properties. This could include property age, land size and number of bedrooms. It will also give you an estimate of what you can expect your home to sell for.
Make Sure Your Property Looks Its Best On Inspection Day
It’s vitally important that your home looks its best on inspection day. This may or may not require you to put in a fair bit of extra time beforehand. Firstly make sure that you remove as much clutter as possible.
Clutter makes rooms look smaller and generally will create a sense of confusion when buyers are looking at your home. Try to remove anything that you don’t need at present, even if you have to put some items into storage until your home sells.
This is also a great time to critically look at all the things you’ve accumulated over the years and ascertain whether you really need them. It’s amazing how much stuff gets accumulated which you really no longer have a use for.
You can donate these items to charity, have a garage sale or even sell them online through your local buy, sell or swap marketplace.
Once you’ve removed the clutter, make sure you give your home a really good spring clean to ensure that everything sparkles. Wash curtains, clean your carpets and make sure your kitchen shines from top to bottom.
You can choose to do this yourself or enlist the help of a local cleaning company who will spruce up home so that every room looks clean and inviting.
Don’t forget the outside areas and the garden too. Make sure the lawns are freshly mowed and take care of any overgrown areas. Trim trees and shrubs and remove any unsightly weeds. You want your yard to look as low maintenance as possible.
Enlist The Right Agent For Your Property
Having the right agent list your property can make all the difference to whether you get a fast sale or not. Do some research of the agents in your area and enlist one who has sold similar properties to yours successfully.
Make sure your agent understands your area well and knows what prospective buyers are looking for.
Following the above tips will ensure that the sale of your home goes smoothly and that you will get the realistic price that you’re looking for. It might take a little time and effort to implement these ideas but you’ll find it will definitely be worth it when you sell your home quickly and for a great price.
