Four Easy to do to-do tops for anyone who desires a quick and painless sale.
There is no such thing as a home that cannot sell. There are certainly homes that do not sell, but that has very little to do with the homes ability to be sold. All homes can be sold. There are three basic reasons why a home does not sell; location, presentation and price. So how does a home owner prepare a home to be sold?
To make sure your home sells for the best price possible, and in within the time frame that you desire for it to be sold, you need to make sure your home stands out from the competition and enters the market in the best marketable conditions possible.
THE WELL TUNED ATHLETE:
Have you ever noticed that professional athletes spend more time practicing than they actually spend playing. That’s not because they don’t know how to play, or because they aren't great at the game, or because they like torturing themselves. Professional athletes know that their paycheck is directly related to their performance against the competition, and that their performance against the competition is directly related to their pre-game preparation.
PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING
When you make the decision that you want to put your home on the market, you need to prepare yourself and your home in order to get the best results. Here are some simple, but highly effective steps to take in preparing your home. Don’t take these steps AFTER you've listed your home. Start taking these immediately.
STEP 1: Have your home inspected.
I've been in real estate for over 25 years and I've come to expect some tension in the room when I recommend this. After all, who wants to spend money on a home they are planning to sell? The truth is that part of the preparation process is to have an independent, outside source of critique about your home’s condition. You need to know if there are any minor or major issues you should address prior to having your potential buyer’s inspector point them out. This way you can either correct them so that you can get the highest price possible for your home, or not correct them and adjust the price accordingly.
If you don’t think a home can cost you money prior to selling it, consider the following. If the house goes into contract and the buyer’s inspector finds any flaws with the house, you can end up paying a lot more to correct them than if you had discovered them on your own, prior to listing the home. Once you are in contract, you no longer have the luxury of taking your time shopping around for necessary services. Be prepared!
STEP 2: Storage is your friend
Part of the pre-sale preparation is the beautifying of your home. Remember that presentation is one of those key points to address prior to listing your home. Prepare your home to be seen through the eyes of a buyer that suffers from a case of clutter-phobia. The less-is-more approach is always best when you are trying to sell your home.
You may want to find a storage space for large furniture items that you want to get rid of, and get rid of the rest by donating them or having a yard sale. Store the things you don’t need to use right now. Save them for the day you move into your new home. Have a designated area (empty cabinet or pantry shelf) to put away the items that you need to use on a daily basis, but want to hide when potential buyers come see your house.
Invite your Realtor over and have him walk through your home to point out what may send the wrong message to the buyer. Sometimes that which has become part of your every-day world may push potential buyers away. Don’t take it personal. Remember, your Realtor is on your side. I am sure that if you visited my home, there would be things that would make very little sense to you, while not having them would destroy the comfortable flow of the Rosario household. Ask me about this and I’ll tell you why my home flows differently than yours. I guarantee you will have a good laugh at my expense.
STEP 3: Give your home a face-lift
Keep in mind that if your neighbor is selling his home, and he paints it, has it professionally cleaned and replaces any missing knobs and handles, his home will show better than yours. Which one do you think will get more offers, higher offers and quicker offers? Research shows that clean kitchens and bathrooms sell homes. Research also shows that homes that smell like fresh paint sell faster than homes that don’t.
If you have rugs, have them cleaned. If you have hardwood floors, have them cleaned. Clean and empty your kitchen cabinets. Your local Realtor can tell you exactly what to do to get this home ready, and well as give you some valuable insight into the local professionals that can provide these services, many of them giving discounts to customers referred by this Realtor.
My partner Lev Shalomayev and I have a list of contractors that service our local area. If any of our clients call any of these contractors and disclose that we've referred them, the contractors will honor a very substantial discount on their services. Contact your preferred Realtor and let him/her direct you to the right contractor for the job.
STEP 4: Pretend YOU Are Buying This Home
Buyers do not walk around blindly anymore. They go to the building department to check if there are outstanding violations on your property. They check property records to see what government agencies are saying about your home. You may want to check into this yourself. You may discover discrepancies that could hurt the sale of your home. Remember that banks will not approve mortgages on homes that have outstanding issues.
Research your home’s status now and stay one step ahead of the buyers.
George L. Rosario
Real Estate Salesperson
Coldwell Banker Kueber
www.GeorgeRosario.com
George L. Rosario is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Kueber in Glendale Queens, and President/Founder of RosarioRealty PP Inc, a consulting group for local real estate investors. George L.Rosario, his partner Lev Shalomayev and the newest member of the team, George L. Rosario Jr. service the Greater New York City areas of Brooklyn, Queens andManhattan. George L. Rosario is an authority in New York City's luxury homes market. George L. Rosario has been interviewed onsite at this office by NY1 and has appeared on top media outlets including CNBC, Good Morning America, FOXBusiness, HGTV, FOX News and Bloomberg. He has met with both Republican and Democrat political leaders as a consultant in our country's real estate investing future. He has received several awards and certificates for his work with veterans in the sale of their homes after retirement. George is best known for his undivided devotion to his wife and seven children.
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