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Tips and Tactics: Preparing Your House to Sell
Clean Up, Clear Out, Fix and Repair
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 Remember that the actual cash value of your property is the price that someone will pay for it in today's real estate market.
When selling your home, appearance can be the single most important thing that attracts a buyer. Needed improvements and repairs can add to the value of your home. Start by walking through your entire property looking for improvements that could be made prior to showing your home to potential buyers. Your Realpro professional wil definetely be able to advise you in getting your home prepared and to maximize the appeal your home will have with buyers
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Examine the exterior of your home carefully. Does it need washing or maybe a coat of paint? Make sure that lawn, trees and other landscaping is neatly trimmed and mowed. If the season allows, add flowers here and there for extra color. Make sure your yard is free of leaves and refuse. Remember, buyers will register their first impression of your home as they drive up to your property.
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Try to put yourself in the buyer's shoes as you walk through our home. Does the interior of the house need painting? Are the windows and window screens clean? Does the carpet need cleaning or replacing? Do all of the homes mechanical appliances work correctly? And don't forget about those hidden problems that a buyer's inspector may find such as leaky plumbing, ungrounded outlets, slow drains or code violations.
Have your closets clean and organized so they look as large and spacious as possible. Remove items from storage areas. The same is true for every room in the house. Remove any items that seem to decrease the size of the rooms. Remove personal items and knick-knacks throughout the house. They may be items close to your heart, but to a potential buyer they're just clutter. Remember you want to keep your buyers attention on what they came to see ... your house!
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With little preparation and some small improvements, you may very well increase the value of your property!
The following check list will help to ensure your home is ready to show!
Print this page out to use as a guide!
Repair/Replace:
Cleaning and Maintenance
Obtain a valuation on your property and set your asking price. Before you put up your property for sale and start showing people around, be clear on exactly what is included in the sale price (for instance carpets, white goods etc.). Be prepared to negotiate regarding price, but have a clear "minimum offer" figure in mind.
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Getting Your Home To Market
One of the most common ways of putting your property on the market is to use an real estate agent. Either ask friends for personal recommendations or search the NAR (National Association of Realtors) database.
Most agents operate on a commission basis, charging a percentage of the sale price therefore earning nothing if they fail to sell the property. But if successful, they make quite a lot on each sale since they charge anything between one and three per cent of the price for their efforts.
A few agents charge a flat fee whether they sell the property or not. If they're successful, that's good news for the seller, but if there's no sale it could be a waste of money.
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Going going gone
One other way of selling your property is to put it up at auction. Before the auction takes place, you will have to set a guide price with the auctioneer setting out the minimum price you will accept before the day of the auction. Around one week before the auction, you must set the reserve price - the minimum that you are prepared to accept at auction. This is kept confidential between you and the auctioneer. If the sale is successful, you pay commission to the auctioneer - usually about 2.5 per cent of the sale price or the auctioneer will ask for a "buyer's premium" which , in essence it is the buyer who pays the auctioneer.
There are several things to bear in mind when considering selling your property at auction. One is that if the property fails to reach its reserve price, you will have wasted time and have to go through the whole process again. Also both you and the buyer are committed to the sale - and a completion date - once the gavel has fallen.
Accepting an offer for your property
Every state has different methods and procedures for the sale and purchase of real estate.Some use escow companies, some attorneys, There will probably be an Abstract or Title company involved and closing procedures are different for each.
Once you have exchanged contracts you and the buyer are committed to the sale. A completion date will be set and you could end up paying damages if you fail to move out by the agreed date.
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Realpro Consultants are a group of professional men and women, both brokers and REALTOR Associates.