Get Ready to Sell Your Home This Spring

By: Maria Girlie Pascual

 

The snow might still be on the lawn, the temperatures still in the 20’s, and you may still be cursing the cold, however, if selling your property is on your mind, then this may be a good time to prepare it to sell fast. These are ten steps that you may want to take to get the best price for your residence, changes that may raise the value of your home so here we go:

1) Call an expert to give you an extensive market analysis. There is no cost nor obligation to you, but the agent/broker does need to come see your house in order to give you an accurate valuation. This way, if you know the costs involved in selling your home, the money you will spend to prepare it for sale may coincide with the bottom line, or your net proceeds. The agent or broker can also give you their honest opinion on whether or not you will need to make renovations on your home in order to sell it for the right price.

2) Now that you know the selling price and bottom line net proceeds, try to make a list of renovations that you may need to make your house competitive with the market.

3) Kitchens and bath renovations get the best return on your investment, but simple things like fresh paint and new window treatments are inexpensive ways to spruce up your home to make it look fresh and newer.

4) For major improvements, make sure to get several quotes from licensed contractors that can do the job because a home inspector may see some deficiencies that you will need to remedy, and being able to go back to these contractors may be necessary.

5) For vacant properties, a staging expert may be a good idea because statistics have shown that furnished homes sold faster than unfurnished ones, and outing a budget for that service may be worth the return on the cost. Beware of Photoshopped listings—according to buyer feedback, finding out that the home was not really furnished like the online photos was a letdown, and may elicit a negative reaction from the buyer when they come to see the home.

6) De-cluttering and de-personalizing your home is more important than you think. Sellers must get into the mental zone of putting themselves in the buyers’ place when preparing their homes for sale. How can buyers imagine themselves living in a home that is literally bursting with personal stuff? Make sure to start boxing up knick-knacks, photos, décor and other items that are not used daily, particularly in the living areas— kitchen, family, living and dining rooms. Use half of the garage, if necessary, to store your stuff while you are showing the house so buyers can walk around freely and make the spaces appear bigger without the clutter.

7) Make sure that all the systems, equipment and appliances are in working order. Have the furnace serviced because that is one of the major items on a home inspector’s list, as well as the circuit breaker box, the roof, foundation, and plumbing. Try to repair and clean all these areas so as to avoid items showing up on the home inspector’s report. A clean and well- maintained home is indicative of how the owners have taken care of their home and will inspire buyer confidence in submitting an offer.

8) The outside should reflect the condition of the inside. Make sure that the roofs and gutters are well-maintained with no debris, and for older roofs, if you don’t want it repaired or replaced, try to get an estimate from at least two contractors, this way, you will be prepared if the issue comes up. Also, the lawn and surrounding amenities like patios, decks or pools should be well-kept and in good repair, and adding flowers to walkways and even colorful plants by the front door or lawn will definitely add to the home’s curb appeal.

9) Although the home inspection clause spells out that the items that affect habitability, safety issues in particular, are the seller’s responsibility to fix or repair, always remember that future major ticket items will be a concern for the buyer if and when they decide to put in a bid for your home, so getting a quote, fixing the deficiencies or factoring it into the bottom line are all good ways to stay on top of these issues.

10) Finally, keep it real and stay positive. It may be stressful to keep the house clean all the time, fielding appointments, getting negative feedback, but if you did everything right the first time, starting with the correct listing price, your home should sell quickly and with minimal negotiations. It will even be more stressful if you start out with the wrong price, not getting the showings, then having the appraisal not come up to your idea of the “right” price, even if you did find the “right” buyer. Work with your agent/broker closely, pay attention to the suggestions and market analysis, cooperate with the showings and soon, you will be on your way to your next home!

For a complimentary market analysis for your home, whether single-family or attached homes like condos or townhomes, please call or text me anytime at (847) 912-3997, or contact me through email at maria.pascual@bairdwarner.com and I hope to hear from you soon.

Interest rates are holding under 4% for a conventional, 30- year fixed mortgage, and the Federal Housing Authority just recently announced that they have considerably reduced the cost of the Mortgage Insurance Premium or MIP (for loans with less than 20% down), to enable buyers to qualify better on their home loans.

I can also help first-time or move-up buyers with their purchases. Put my 30-year experience to work –call me today!