Selling? 5 Easy Steps to Make it Happen

I list a ton of homes each year and often get asked, “what can I do to get the house ready to sell?” Here are 5 easy steps that I usually suggest, and they almost always help your buyers envision this home as theirs.

1) Get Packing– WE know that even if we get an offer on day #1, it will take on average 30+ days for the transaction to take place. So start packing, after all you ARE SELLING, right? Go to your local U-haul store, bar, or call me for boxes . Start packing everything that exists in the home that clutter space, you don’t “need” on a daily basis, and can live without for over a month. In my last move we had over 100 boxes packed and ready to go by the time we got an offer. Doing so took 1/2 the stress out of the move, because we diligently packed and were ready for our offer. Buyers love this because you are ready to move, and they are ready to move in!

2) Fix it– Call an inspector or contractor, or if you have any bit of Handyman in you fix it. Often times there are things that are broken, don’t work right, or have duct tape holding it together because it was an easy and cheap fix that “you” did. Having a contractor/handyman, our preferred contractor is Project Melton, come out fix these problems will save you money in the long run, as they’ll most likely come up in the inspection. Having an inspector out prior to selling can give sellers ideas of issues they might not have known about, and again can save sellers money by taking care of this issue either on their own or with a contractor/handyman of their choice. Again you’re selling right? Fix it.

3) Update it– I can’t tell you how many times I have listed a home that needs carpet, fixtures, or paint, and the sellers know this is an issue. I am always asked, should I update that brass fixture, replace or clean that carpet with pet stains, or paint the walls where the kids have nicely made their latest collage? YES! Updated fixtures all throughout the home can be one of the easiest and least expensive updates sellers can make and I always send clients to Menards to get started. Carpet should be cleaned, we gotta guy, if not too beat up, and if needs repaired, let’s just update it. There are tons of great deals out there on carpet and flooring all the time. Take a look at the Sunday flyers, and find a good deal. Painting the walls neutral, and doing it yourself can save tons of money, and help sell your home quicker. If you need a great, quick, and reasonable painter, I have your guy.

4) Family Pictures Down– I personally know that you spent a ton of money to have great pictures of your lovely family taken, framed, and set up in your home. It makes for fantastic wall decor, and always reminds us of the great love we have for our family. The problem is when your buyers come into a home full of “your Family” pictures, then a sub conscience thing goes off in buyers heads- “this is a great home for this family” and not for ours. It is a weird and quirky thing, but you went out and got your boxes, so put those family pics in there till we move you to your next home.

5) Clean it– I don’t often have the problem of getting sellers to agree to this, but clean the home, spic and span, top to bottom. There are lots of cleaning companies out there with great reasonable service, dirt robber is a great option. Doing it yourself will again save you some moola, but look out for some of these services you may need or not want to do.

In final, there are some quick and easy things you can do as the sellers of your homes to make the agents duties a little easier, but ultimately the first step is to get in touch with your agent, have them do a pre-listing walkthrough, take good notes, and get prepared to sell. At WKRP Indy “We Love Your Moves”

Chad