Secret #1: It’s your kitchen that’ll sell your home.
While buyers want the right bed and bath count to meet their needs, years of experience tell me it’s your KITCHEN that’ll sell your home.
As you get your home ready for the market, every minute (and dollar!) you spend prepping your kitchen to look its best will give you a high ROI.
At a minimum, clean, declutter, and clear off those countertops for every showing (save a vase of fresh flower).
Wanna do a little more? Update cabinet hardware, replace the faucet and sink, install a backsplash, or splurge on new light fixtures.
Secret #2: Declutter, depersonalize, and stage your home.
Buyers must be able to picture themselves living in YOUR home. Give them a chance to do just that by decluttering, depersonalizing, and staging your home:
• Declutter: Picture your home as a vacation rental. If you wouldn’t see it out in a rental, you shouldn’t see it out during a showing.
• Depersonalize: A few modest photos here and there is fine, but pack away the excess, take down oversized monograms, and remove wall letters from the kids’ rooms.
• Stage: If you’re using the dining room as a craft area or home office, reset it as a space to dine. Also, get rid of unnecessary furniture to make your living room feel airy and spacious. Staging doesn’t have to be costly or complicated — it simply helps buyers make sense of your home and see its potential.
Secret #3: DON’T go overboard on upgrades.
In an effort to get top dollar for their home, well-intentioned sellers take on major renovations without consulting a realtor first. Misinformed and assuming they’ll get every dollar back (and then some!), they go overboard on upgrades only to be disappointed at the closing table.
And while there are upgrades worth doing prior to selling, they’re often quick fixes, not major renovations.
If you’re thinking about selling soon, reach out to a realtor who knows your neighborhood and can give you data on the upgrades that matter most to buyers in your area.
Got the kitchen looking great?
Got your home decluttered, depersonalized, and staged?
Chatted with a realtor about worthwhile upgrades?
Fist-bump! You’re SO ready for Secret #4 in our 5 Secrets to a Successful Sale!
While this one won’t require any elbow grease, it will take a tiny leap of faith. Secret #4 is all about pricing your home to sell — fast.
Secret #4: Find out what your home is worth, then price it attractively.
• Pricing your home just below market value instantly gets buyers’ attention and motivates them to schedule a showing ASAP.
• Once buyers see your home (and LOVE it), they’re more likely to put in an offer if they feel like they’re getting a deal.
• When they realize there are other offers on the table, buyers tend to get competitive and are willing to increase their bid to land the home they want.
I’m rounding out this month of luck with the last secret in our 5 Secrets of a Successful Sale — secrets that together will help you sell your home without a hint of luck or wishful thinking.
Secret #5: Work with the right agent.
The easiest way to hire the RIGHT agent? Knowing when they’re the WRONG agent. Here are few warning signs:
• They have few references.
• They aren’t familiar with your neighborhood.
• They are new to town.
• They are hard to reach by phone, email, or text.
• They pressure you to make decisions before you feel ready.
There are a ton of AMAZING agents out there. So don’t settle! Keep looking and asking around until you find an agent you “click” with — getting a successful sale (and maybe that pot o’ gold!) depends on it.
