Whether you decided to sell your home today or you’ve had it on the market for a month or more, there are always opportunities to improve it for sale. You may need to make some major improvements, or you may just need to put some thought into the process.
Either way, Buy Owner® is here to give you a head start with the Top 10 Improvements Needed to Market Your Home:
1. Change your home’s first impression. What’s the first thing buyers will see when they pull up to your home? Throughout your property’s listing, you need to keep up with the yard work. Mow the lawn and trim bushes regularly. You do not want to run the risk of having overgrown shrubs crowd your front lawn and block buyers from even getting into your house! If the yard is looking a little bare after a long winter, plant some new flowers and perennials. Windows get dirty over time, as well. Polish your picture window with some glass cleaner every week. Make sure that the first thing buyers see is a well-kept home that invites them inside to see everything else it has to offer.
2. Price aggressively. If your home isn’t selling, price may be an issue. Compare the prices of other homes that are for sale in your town. Pricing your property just below those homes gives you an advantage. Many homes nestled within the same community have almost identical floor plans. If your house is selling at a lower price, a buyer is that much more likely to attend your open house instead of the one that is down the street. If your competition lowers their price, you may have to, as well. Also, be ready to accept all serious offers.
3. Declutter! Take a look around and make sure that your entire house is clean, tidy and ready to be shown to a prospective buyer. If you accumulate things from shops, garage sales, etc., put as much as possible into storage. Remember that buyers need to be able to imagine their stuff in your house! And here’s another tip: If you have designated a nice-sized room in your home as storage space, it’s time for a change! This room could be a potential bedroom, a home office or a workout room. A buyer shouldn’t have to work to imagine the possibilities: you need to make it easy for him or her.
4. Make the necessary repairs. If you were offering a carpet or paint allowance, and your house is still unsold, perhaps it’s time to do the repairs yourself. Buyers will always be attracted to a home that is move-in-ready. The less they have to do to improve the home, the better! If you take the time to do home improvements yourself, you may find that you could sell your home a little faster. Rather then letting the buyer fix up the house, get them excited about decorating! After you have decluttered, repainted and installed new carpeting or tiling, buyers will be able to begin planning on the design of each space.
5. Keep it neutral. If you have yet to get rid of bold accent colors and wallpaper, do it now! Some buyers may not have the same tastes as you. So while your crimson and beige living room walls may be a big trend right now, some buyers may prefer a light, neutral tone that complements different-colored furniture pieces. Because you’re looking to appeal to the most possible buyers, neutral is best.
6. Stage your home. Don’t personalize it. You may have placed a few picture frames on the coffee table in the living room to spruce up the space. However, doing this actually takes away from the buyer’s experience of walking through your house and imagining where their own picture frames might go. Take a look at these two Buy Owner Blog posts: Smile for the Camera and Depersonalizing for a Home Sale. If you give buyers ideas, they will picture their own personal belongings in each space.
7. Go Green. Many people appreciate a home that is friendly to the environment. For example, get rid of any appliances made before 1990. Newer models use less energy and don’t have to work as hard. Buyers will appreciate the reduction of future energy bills! Here’s another tip: the Buy Owner Blog is full of Green Living articles.
8. Let people know that your house is for sale! If you have not listed your house with Buy Owner, you should consider it now! By using Buy Owner, you can market your home through not just a yard sign, but also professional photographs, descriptions, virtual tours and more. What’s more, your advertisement will appear on the highly popular site BuyOwner.com, drawing views from around the world.
9. Check the Buy Owner Blog regularly. The Buy Owner Blog gives countless tips for homeowners who are looking to sell their own properties. The site is updated on a regular basis, and lots of helpful ideas are posted each week!
10. Use Buy Owner to your advantage. When you sell your home with Buy Owner, you are utilizing the best tool in the FSBO business to help you sell on your own! With Buy Owner, you have total control over the entire process: You can choose the photos. You can change the text. No matter how long your home has been on the market, you can call Buy Owner and make changes to your ad. Every staff member is committed to giving you the best advertisement possible for your home.