There are lots of great home deals right now. But if you’re not a first-time buyer, then you’ll need to sell the house you’re in first and that’s not easy in this market. You have to be smart, and you have to get creative. Here are some tricks to help make that “sold” sign go up faster.
Host a 24/7 open house. You heard us. Make your house available to potential buyers any time of the day or night—on the Internet. That’s where 84% of people start their home search. If you don’t know how to build a website, ask a tech-savvy friend (or any adolescent). (Some Realtors offer this service, so negotiate for it.) Create a virtual tour with photos or video. Advertise the URL on sites such as Craigslist.org or even a local billboard.
Sell it like an infomercial. Infomercials are irresistible because the pitchpeople are always throwing in extras. Do the same with your house. Throw in a $500 gift card from Home Depot, a flower-of-the-month club subscription, closing costs, or points on the mortgage—but only, of course, if you buy now!
Get it inspected. Ask your Realtor to recommend a reputable home-inspection service. For a few hundred dollars, these guys will examine your home like a dermatologist hunting carcinomas. If anything major needs fixing, do it. If not, then you can boast a clean bill of health. Either way, you win.
Move out early. It’s tough for potential buyers to see themselves in your home when all your stuff is there. So rent a self-storage unit or ask Nana to use her garage and clear out what you can in order to open up those closets and basement. Oh, and have hubby take down the elk head.
Put on a fresh coat. Nothing freshens a home more than a new paint job. But stick with whites and neutrals.
Hang a new shower curtain. It’s the simplest way to brighten up a bathroom.
Comments from Members
Where is the old tip of freshly baked bread on the counter? Get some frozen stuff and it's a snap :)
Don't want to leave a scented candle burning while you're not there? Put it (and its holder) in a shallow Pyrex dish and place in the kitchen sink.
when we sold our house we removed everything that was personal to us; pictures of anyone, favorite fingerpainting on the fridge, etc. What made it 'our' home did not make it the buyers home. We painted the walls a semi-gloss white and sold that on easy clean up after kids and pets, waxed the floors and cleaned the carpets. Nothing on the counters in the kitchen or bathrooms. Needless to say the first looker also bought the house; we had a total of 3 families in 3 days and the first family bought it on day 3. Clean the yard because the buyer also envisions their lawn furniture out there and also the garage; leave it wall to wall empty. It works.
Definately all the above, remove personal items (pictures), paint inside and out, and bake somethine right beofre you leave so the house smells good. I wouldn't leave a lit candle, but in the sink, maybe. Also clean up after yourself. Pick up clothes and toys and move toys (if you have children) out of the way.
What happens if there isn't anywhere to store or move boxes and furniture? Expecially when you can't afford to rent a storage room . The way the economy is now you may have to pay for a storage room for a year.
USE CITRUS PEELS TO FRESHEN UP THE DISPOSER; RUN A FEW SECONDS. REMOVE POTS & PANS OUT OF THE OVEN. USE PLASTIC SHOE BOXES TO ORGANIZE PANTRY, BATHROOM & CLOSETS. NEUTRAL COLOR CURTAINS, PAINT & COMFORTER FOR THE BEDS. REMOVE PETS, TOYS, DOGHOUSE ETC.. REPLACE W/ AN INEXPENSIVE BISTRO SET & FRESH CUT FLOWERS. REMOVE ANY SIGNS THAT MIGHT INDICATE YOU OUTGREW THE HOUSE W/ A WELL ORGANIZED HOUSE & GARAGE. REMOVE HUGH PIECES OF FURNITURE (IT MAKES THE ROOM SEEM SMALLER)GIVE THE ROOM AN APPEARANCE THAT THEIR FURNITURE WILL FIT BY DECLUTTERING THE ROOM & CLOSET & ADD SMALLER PIECES. DO NOT BLOCK ANY OF THE WINDOWS W/ FURNITURE, LET THE SUN SHINE IN, TO GIVE THAT WARM & COZY FEEL. DO A WALK THROUGH, TO MAKE SURE THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN FALL/TRIP OVER. HAVE THE A.C. RUNNING W/A CLEAN FILTER. REPLACE ANY BURNT BULBS & IF YOU HAVE AN CHANDELIER MAKE SURE ALL BULBS & LT SWICHES WORKP; ALONG W/GFC PLUGS IF YOU HAVE THEM IN YOU'RE HOUSE. STORE ALL OUTSIDE HOSES, YARD TOOLS IN A NEAT MANNER, WHERE THEY ARE NOT IN THE WAY. BUY SOME INEXPENSIVE PLANTS, HANGING BASKETS & POTS TO ADD CURB APPEAL. A NEW DOOR MAT.
To the first poster, K. Please don't type in all caps. It's considered "yelling" and it's obnoxious.My husband and I recently bought our first house; if I had walked into any house that had a burning candle anywhere I would have thought the sellers were whacko.
Sorry, I mean the previous poster. I thought the oldest posts were at the top.
IF SOMEONE IS INTERESTED,THEY WILL STAY ON TOP.I AGREE ITS BEST TO HAVE FURITURE ,ITS MAKES THE HOUSE LOOK BETTER,BUT YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL.PICTURES ON THE WALL OR FURITURE CAN HIDE ALOT OF PROBLEMS.
When it comes to family pics, I've heard it both ways...one realtor said to remove them so the potential buyers could see it as thier home, not yours. While another said to leave the pics because it helps them to see the potential memories that could be made by their family in the home plus it adds warmth to the house as well as hide any wall imperfections.
My sister is a real estate agent and when she had to sell her rental house in a hurry. She spent a little over a week getting it ready and spent some money on paint and new carpet. She borrowed a few pieces of furniture and artwork for each room so the house looked livable but not cluttered. A few plants, candles and flowers made it very homey. Her neighborhood has many, many houses on the market, but by staging her house right and competitively pricing it from the get go, she found a buyer in less than 30 days and should close on the sale in about a week. I think many people overprice their homes and it sits on the market for month as they continue to make markdowns. They need to be realistic and price it right from the get go. The proper staging is the icing.
We have sold 2 homes. One took 3 months and the other took 1 week. We left both homes as they were - walls painted and my stuff out. The homes were neat and clean but looked lived in. I had glade plug-ins in the first home and got constant compliments from realtors and buyers alike that the home smelled good. The first home had every room painted a different color. People will buy a home b/c they like the home and can envision themselves living there - not because they don't like the color of paint on a wall. The second home we sold with the condition of as is and didn't have to worry about fixing all the little things that an inspector finds. We did that with the first home and it was a pain. You don't have to kill yourself redoing a home to sell it.
Use OLD ENGLISH on the wood cabinets.Smelld great and shines them up.If the handles are old buy some updated ones,makes it look great.Do it in the bathroom also.Those handles or nobs make a big difference.
I've had my house on the market for 4 months without much movement. Internet viewings are high but visitors are slim. I had a person stage my home removing a lot of our extra furniture and kid's toys which has helped because the few people we have had walk through say the house is decorated beautifully and very clean. Unfortunately, what has hurt us is living on a busy street and the neighbors on either side of our home not caring for their properties...things I really have no control over. Ugh.
Clean, fix, organize, and make sure you're priced right.
Another poster mentioned using Old English on your cabinets. If you have wood trim around your house, use it on the trim too. Takes away scratches and makes your trim looking shiny and like new.
I agree with the freshly baked bread or brownies. That way you aren't burning the candle. If a house had a burning candle I would wonder what other smells they are trying to hide.
I'll try some of these! We have been trying to see our house for 6 months.
What do you do if yuo have two cats? Mine haven't had any accidents anywhere or anything gross, and they're totally declawed----but how important is it to try to remove any trace of them for a showing??
Make sure closets are organized and items are off of the floor and shelves are uncluttered. Learn how to hang towels correctly. Beds need to be neat and nothing should be stored under them. Use indirect lighting if possible. Fresh flowers in the kitchen and dining areas!
Hi Rachel, From everything I have read and watched on tv, there should not be anything around that would give the potential buyer a sign that animals live in a house. Possibly animals could go to visit family or friend while the house is being shown. The bowls, food, etc. should be also be removed. Sometimes that is easier said than done.
Make sure there are no burned out light bulbs. Also open the shades and drapes to make the house look light and airy. Clean the windows inside and out and make sure they SHINE.
Thank you for this information! It got me motivated!
Some good ideas that I hadn't thought of yet! My favorite is to bake brownies right before an open house and leave the pan in the oven to cool. Nothing beats the smell of warm brownines baking! I also hide extra counter top/bathroom, kitchen bedroom etc... things in a large tote and but it in my closet... Then nobody knows! After an open house I put all of my "necessities" back for us to use. Cleaning up the extras really gives a "magazine" look to your home.
I learned alot of these tips on HGTV.
