Selling a home can be a time-consuming, emotional, and stressful endeavor. Depending on the location and condition of the house, it can take anywhere from under a month to several months to sell your property. On top of that, you’ll need to factor in the standard 30 to 45-day close.
There’s an art to selling a home and it can be daunting to navigate the ins and outs on your own. Instead, consider hiring an agent. Or, if you are looking for a quick turnaround, sell your home through an auction.
A home sale is usually a complex transaction, which means it’s easy for homeowners to make mistakes. There are some tips, or as we’ll refer to them in this article, well-kept secrets, that can help you sell your house faster and for top dollar. Some of these tips are obvious, some not so much, while others are simply overlooked by homeowners. But time has shown again and again that these tips are immensely valuable to people looking to sell their property.
Below, we let the cat out of the bag as we reveal some of the best-kept secrets when selling a home.
Secret #1: Check Your Emotions at the Door
Selling a home is usually an emotional experience. You put time and effort into finding the property and saving up or obtaining funding from different sources to buy the house. Then, you put your mark on the property in the form of art, furniture, and so on. There is also the matter of the memories created during their time living there.
All of the above can make selling a home very emotional. You are probably fond of your home and the work you’ve put into it over the years, and it can be very frustrating to see potential buyers not sharing your sentiments.
If a potential buyer doesn’t like your home, don’t take it personally. Don’t see yourself as a homeowner – you are now a businessperson trying to sell a product. It may be easier said than done, but the more you can emotionally detach your emotions from the property, the easier it will be.
Secret #2: Set a Fair Price
Pricing your home appropriately is key to selling it in a timely manner. An expensive price tag will discourage buyers while pricing it too low means little to no profits.
To know how to price your home, research similar properties in your area and check how they are priced. There are several resources and websites you can use to check this. A local real estate agent can also help you value your home.
Secret #3: De-personalize and De-clutter
When potential buyers come to inspect a property, they start to imagine what it would be like living there. The more personal items you have in your home, the less they see themselves living there. After all, they want a property that’s somewhat of a blank canvas which offers them the opportunity to personalize it.
Minimize the amount of interior decor and remove personal items like family photos, personal upkeeps, and even pets. Yes, your furry friend or four-legged companion may be adorable, but many people prefer a pet-free lifestyle. You can have your friends or family members look over your pets or take them to a pet hotel.
In addition to de-personalizing your home, you also have to remove all clusters and arrange your furniture to showcase the floorplan and maximize space. Even if you have a large space, clutter can make your home look smaller. You may want to invest in storage space while selling your home to temporarily remove bulky items or clear cluttered spaces. Companies like Clutter will come pick your items up, move them into storage, and then deliver it back to your new home once you’re ready.
Secret #4: Carry Out Some Quick Fixes
Your home may have a number of quirks you ignore and live it. But when it’s time to sell your home, you can no longer turn a blind eye to those quirks as they can significantly lower the value of your home.
The trick is to carry important, inexpensive fixes to boost the value of your home. Is the paint of the property outdated? Inject some life into your property by adding a fresh coat of paint, preferably in neutral colors. Wash the curtains if they are dirty. If the curtains are too old or worn out, replace them with inexpensive ones.
Fix leaky faucets, replace door handles, and cabinet hardware. Individually, these repairs may not seem to make a difference but together, they can significantly increase the value of your home while requiring very little investment.
Secret #5: Focus on Lighting
You may not give much thought to lighting but it’s an important part of interior decoration and affects how people perceive your home. Gone are the days when lighting was only about providing illumination. Nowadays, you can use lighting to create different effects.
The right lighting can make a room look bigger and more spacious. You can also use lighting to highlight specific space elements such as bar tops, kitchen islands, flower vases, and so on.
Natural lighting is the recommended solution for a space. To maximize natural light, take down drapes and clean windows. If there are bushes outside blocking natural light, cut them.
Don’t forget about artificial lighting. Properly-lit homes are generally more appealing and inviting, so it’s never a bad idea to improve the lighting of your home. Potential home buyers are bound to connect more with properly lit homes over those with poor lighting.
Secret #6: Make Your House Show-ready
Potential buyers can call anytime and request for an inspection of your home. So, it’s important to have your home showready, i.e, in a condition where you can show it off to buyers at any time. Invest some time in cleaning – whether you have the time to do it yourself or hire a professional cleaning service – to get your home looking show-ready.
Consider investing in the curb appeal of your home. You have only one chance to impress potential buyers. The first impression is the only impression you’ll get and people will judge your home before they even take a step inside.
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