Prepare it, don't just sell it

So often I see homeowners put the "For Sale" sign up in the yard and are anxious for that very first buyer to come along and snatch it up. They love their home and every part of it; even the new carpet they put in themselves in 1989. The doorbell rings, the owners are thrilled, "A buyer!" they exclaim, all to watch the same buyer walk back to their car in less than 3 minutes.

What the sellers often do not realize is that the way you live in a home is very different than the way you show a home. A very interesting observation about buyers is that they look for what they don't like in a home more than they look for things they do like. It is like they look at homes with a negative checklist and those homes that have the shortest list, wins. "This room is too small," "the carpet color is horrible," "did you see all the stuff they had?" All common statements buyers make upon leaving a home.

Ok, so what do you do? You still have to live your daily life, with a budget of course, so how does one make a better observaiton about their own home? Quite simple, really. You see, one must have a true objective, honest opinion about the condition and overall appeal of the home. Getting an opinion is not that hard, but it has to be from someone who is going to be objective like the buyers will be, not a close friend or someone who may hurt your feelings. It is your home you know. Real Estate agents are usually good choices for this task but even then it is important that you make it clear that you want them to be brutal, very open and honest about the situation since you really want to sell. If an agent thinks they may lose a listing because they offended you about your blue bedroom wall color, or that the home smells of pets or smoke, you may not get the answers you are looking for.

There are even specialists that do nothing but stage a home putting it in the proper condition for sale. But, this can be expensive and there are easier ways. In the next few blogs, we will go over what specifically you need to do to have your home ready to sell in no time, so that when the very first buyer comes along, you can put up the sold sign as he heads to his car.

Click on the title above to take you to a link for an article on preparing your home to sell. This article is taken from the National Association of Realtors and gives a lot more information on this topic.

As always, call me for your real estate needs. Even if you're not in the Springfield, Missouri area, call me anyway, I've got real estate connections all across this country and I can refer you to a quality agent if you are not in the Springfield area.

Paul