10 Secrets of Success in Selling Your Home

Secret #1: The first impression can only happen once

• Curb appeal and entryway are key. Make people feel warm, welcome, and safe as they approach the house. Liven the home’s exterior perimeter with inexpensive shrubs and brightly colored flowers. You can typically get a 100% return on money spent for curb appeal. Then add fresh flowers to enhance the indoor entryway!

Secret #2: Always be ready to show

• Keep the home show-ready at all times, even when you are at home. Keep your sink and dishwasher clear of dishes, keep bathrooms sparkling, and make sure there are no dust bunnies in corners or on fan blades.

Secret #3: The kitchen comes first

• Remodeling the kitchen reaps great rewards, and the best part of it is that you’ll get about 85% of your money back. A few thousand dollars can keep a buyer knocking $10,000 off the sales price. Use neutral-color paint and new cabinet hardware. Update with one fancy stainless steel appliance to elevate overall perception.

Secret #4: Take your home out of the house

• De-personalize! Buyers need to imagine their new home, not your old one. Pack up personal items, pictures, and collections. Hire a home stager to maximize full potential of the home’s floor plan and use of space.

Secret #5: Don’t over-upgrade

• If it’s not a fixer-upper, doing less is more for your bottom line. Clean baseboards and get a fresh coat of interior paint. Remove dark curtains or buy new, inexpensive ones. Replace door handles, cabinet hardware, and faucets—the “jewelry” of the home. Get sliding doors on track, fix leaky faucets, and clean the grout.

Secret #6: Conceal the critters

• Not everybody finds pets endearing. Buyers don’t want to see a bowl of dog food, smell pungent kitty litter, nor have tufts of pet hair stuck to their clothes. It will give buyers the impression that your house is not clean. For all showings and open houses, hide the critter paraphernalia and arrange to vacate the pets.

Secret #7: Choose representation wisely

• A secret sale killer is not hiring an agent or hiring the wrong agent. Hire an agent who is totally informed, monitors the multiple listing service (MLS), and knows the sold, listed, and coming-soon comps in your neighborhood. Your agent should demonstrate a combination of technology and advertising expertise.

Secret #8: Light it up for bright and cheery

• Good light is an element that every buyer cites that they want in a home and it improves sellability. Remove old drapes, clean windows, change lampshades, increase light bulb wattages, and trim bushes blocking sunlight.

Secret #9: Half-empty closets and cabinets

• Storage is something every buyer is looking for and can never have enough of. Purge and pre-pack! Neatly organize what’s left. Keep all closets and cabinets clean and tidy.

Secret #10: Pricing it right

• List at the most competitive price, you will generate more offers sooner and may receive offers over asking price, even in a buyer's market.