The real estate market is hot, and tales of homes being snapped up by eager buyers have convinced you it’s time to sell your house. It may not sell the first weekend it’s listed, but you still want to unload it quickly.
You can — if you take a few smart steps. Set the price, make the house sparkle inside and out and show it off with skill. Your humble abode may even spark a profitable bidding war between buyers.
“The most important thing is to price it right,” says Layne Morrill, president of the National Association of Realtors.
A real estate agent can help you determine the fair market value of your house, based on recent sales of comparable properties in the neighborhood. If you’re selling the house yourself, do some homework before setting a price. Check out current homes for sale in the area, and be objective about how yours compares. To find out the prices for recent sales, go to your county’s deeds office. This information is a matter of public record in most communities. Or the United Homeowner Association’s Home Price Line, (800) 842-6644, can give you the sales price of specific properties.
Expect the agent to go through your house with a critical eye, offering suggestions on how to whip it into quick-sale shape. If the house is a “fizzbo” — for sale by owner — ask an objective friend to play the part of the scrutinizing potential buyer. You’ll be surprised at the negative impact of seemingly insignificant details.
The first step is creating what’s known in the industry as “curb appeal.” A tidy front yard will catch buyers’ attention. Overgrown plants and peeling paint will turn them off.
Start by removing any dead foliage, Morrill advises. Sweep up walkways, trim hedges, even reseed the lawn, if necessary. If you have a pool, keep the water free of debris. You can plant eye-catching, colorful seasonal blooms, but don’t do anything too fancy. Your yard should look inviting, but not like a high-maintenance nightmare that will gobble up the future owner’s weekends.
All those niggling small repairs you’ve put off — the broken drainpipe, damaged window seal or baseboards beaten up by the vacuum cleaner — need to be completed before putting the house on the market. You may have learned to live with these minor defects, but “when the prospective purchasers come in and see these things, it’s a turn-off,” says Morrill.
“People remember houses by the defects,” he adds. No matter how minor, defects represent money potential buyers may not want to spend on basic repairs.
Morrill recommends hiring a professional cleaning service to scrub every crevice, including the windows. Remember to oil squeaky hinges and replace old shower curtains. You can even make small improvements, like replacing overhead light fixtures that look like they came from the set of “The Brady Bunch,” tired-looking handles on kitchen cupboards, or a bathroom medicine cabinet that looks too worn.
You may also need to repaint the interior — choose a light, neutral color to visually expand rooms. Changes like these are minimal investments that can pay off with a quick sale.
But Morrill warns sellers to stop short of making costly major changes. Instead of ripping out the avocado-green tile in the kitchen or tearing up the rust shag carpet in the family room, it’s better to acknowledge these dated features with a slightly lower asking price. The new owners can use the savings to install what they want to live with.
If an agent is showing the house for you, leave. Your presence may inhibit buyers from asking questions or making comments. They need to feel free to investigate every closet, drawer and cranny before falling in love with your house.