Sellers, what to do and not to do when selling your home

Selling Don’ts

1. Think you know more than your Realtor and insist on listing your home over what your Realtor  advises. They are the experts and know the market. This is the most important “don’t” when selling your home, bar none!

2. Clean your home by cramming all your junk into every conceivable storage space. It’s a given that buyers will look in your closets, cabinets, basement and garage. If your storage areas are crammed with “stuff”, you’re sending a flag that their “stuff” won’t fit either.

3. Wait until a few days before your open house to discard or store unnecessary furniture, personal collections and family photos. Rent PODS – the newest, fastest growing self-storage units, or call on family to store the things you don’t absolutely need. This serves two purposes: you’ll have far less to do once you sell and showcase the room’s square footage.

4. Assume buyers are going to take on your deferred maintenance like broken doorbells, leaky faucets, chipped molding, running toilettes and/or torn screens. Buyers want turnkey homes. Moreover, you don’t want to give them instant negatives when they walk in the door.

5. Fill your home with Glad Plugins and similar products. It’s akin to spraying perfume in lieu of a shower – it doesn’t work and buyers suspect your trying to mask unpleasant odors. Clean is the only smell everyone loves!

6. Assume buyers are pet lovers – many are not and some are allergic to cats and dogs. During showings and open houses, temporarily take pets and all trances of them out of the home. Yes, this is a hassle, I know, but it’s temporary and your goal is to sell quickly.

7. Neglect curb appeal – it’s buyer’s first impression of your home in person and on MLS (where 90% of buyer’s start their home search). Hire a landscaping company or do it yourself. Don’t forget to trim hedges, add fresh mulch and blow debris clear from walkways, porch and driveway.

Selling Do’s

1. Find a reputable, seasoned Realtor and let them price your home based on their research, knowledge and comparable comps. Did you know that 85% of people think their home is worth more than it is?!  Defer to your Realtor and trust that they understand the market and are experts at pricing homes!

2. Throw out any outdated, dusty floral arrangements and flower swags that went out with the eighties. Replace them with real plants, or buy high quality silk arrangements that will pass for the real thing – just not at the dollar store!

3. Paint the interior of your home in neutral colors. Nothing cleans and brightens up a home more than a fresh coat of paint. Moreover, it yields the biggest bang for your buck with a staggering 150% return on investment. Consult a home stager for the most popular neutral wall colors that have mass appeal.

4. Have your rugs shampooed so they are clean and odor free. You can rent carpet cleaners at most grocery stores or hire a carpet cleaning company. While you’re at it, open all your windows and air out your home every few days.

5. Give every room a purpose taking the guess work out for buyers. If you’re selling your home as a 4 bedroom, but have been using one of the rooms as an office/home gym, return it to a bedroom. If you have a small room with no closet, make that room an office.

6. Make your master bedroom non-gender specific.Invest in neutral bedding and add some decorative pillows. Look at high-end hotels. They are designed to appeal to the masses. Grandma’s homemade afghan isn’t going to cut it!

7. Invest in a home staging consultation. Home stagers are experts on preparing your home for the market. They understand and can implement all the necessary changes that will give your home that competitive edge it needs in today’s market.