Updated March 3, 2024
Selling your home can be a stress-inducing experience. You may be wondering:
To help you out, our Southen California real estate agents put together a selection of tips for selling your house that actually work. Scroll down to see our top nine real estate tips for sellers who want to get the most out of their home sale.
One of the oddest tips for selling your house is to make it over completely.
While some of the benefits of owning a home is the freedom to spruce it up, spending an arm and a leg on expensive home upgrades won’t necessarily translate to a larger profit down the line. Although a potential buyer may appreciate upgraded appliances or cabinets, they will love the home for the same reasons you do. With that being said, do the necessary upgrades but don’t overspend when unneeded.
Too often, sellers who want to maximize their home’s value and take out home improvement loans to make changes that just aren’t necessary.
Costly, time-consuming home renovations can be worthwhile if you’re planning on staying in a home for a long time, but if you’re not, it’s better to let the new owners put in their own chef’s kitchen or home sauna.
More importantly, style-related upgrades, such as marble kitchen countertops, skylights, and built-in aquariums, can turn a prospective buyer off.
Seller tip: Some upgrades can help you to get more offers. To figure out what your home needs, ask your real estate agent to give you their most candid advice for your individual house.
Your Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties agent will be happy to chat with you about upgrades that have a high return on investment (ROI), such as refinishing your wood floors or putting in a new garage door.
When it comes to selling your home, the tips for selling your house that you’ll get from an experienced, tech-savvy broker can be invaluable.
Why? Simply put, when you choose to work with a seasoned real estate agent, you avoid the following risks:
Before putting your home on the market, it can be smart to get a pre-listing inspection. This step provides a comprehensive overview of your property’s condition and can be a benefit in the following ways:
What’s the first thing potential buyers will notice about your home?
Actually, several things will strike them off the bat, namely:
Because you never get a second chance to make a first impression, one of the most crucial real estate tips for sellers is to put some effort into these aspects of your house.
Before buyers visit, we suggest:
A few hours before your potential buyers arrive, bake some bread or cookies. This will fill your home with wonderfully cozy aromas. You can also use our guide for the best scents and fragrances to impress home buyers.
California REALTORS® will give you insight into anything else you need to do to make your home buyer-friendly. As a pair of fresh eyes, they’ll be able to spot the small fixes necessary for optimizing your property.
Seller tip: If you don’t bake, try burning candles with universally well-liked scents, such as lavender, lemon, or beeswax. Essential oil room sprays can also work for this purpose.
When buyers view your home, you want them to be able to visualize themselves living in it. That’s why making your house as much of a blank canvas as possible is one of our top tips for selling your house.
The items that give your home its personality, such as family photos, edgy art, distinctive furnishings, and everyday clutter, prevent buyers from imagining what each room would look like if their possessions were in it. An interested buyer will love to see how they can make your home their own and clutter can detract from what they are looking for.
In addition to tips and tricks on the selling side of a home, there are also real estate tips for buyers. Understanding both sides can help you in selling your home. To help your buyers see what’s possible, store as many of your possessions as you can. A storage space is ideal for this purpose, as buyers will be looking at your closets and garage. Let’s face it, stuffed storage areas seldom look their best!
Store as many of your possessions as you can comfortably do without. As a rule, you can usually stow:
While this may sound labor-intensive and inconvenient, your home will show much better once you’ve decluttered it. Your newly empty rooms will look bigger and more adaptable.
Seller tip: Scan your paperwork to make it easier to dispose of. You’ll be amazed at how free you feel once you’ve gotten rid of all that unnecessary paper clutter.
Seller tip: We recommend hiding pet bowls and chew toys in the garage or closet. While this may temporarily disappoint your pooch or kitty, these changes will help your home show better.
If you’re planning on selling a house as is, keep in mind that many first-time and older home buyers aren’t interested in fixer-uppers. That’s why repairing any issues that your home inspection will turn up before listing your property is one of our most urgent real estate tips for sellers.
Another reason to patch that hole in the roof and make sure your HVAC is up to code? The buyer’s agent may use flaws like these to bring down your home’s asking price.
If you’re not sure which problems you should address, ask your real estate agent. Having trouble and wondering how to find a good real estate agent to help you with these problems? A California Properties seller’s agent can tell you which as-is home issues will be seen as red flags and which ones are merely cosmetic imperfections.
If you want to help your real estate agent sell your house, go for the “low-hanging fruit” of home upgrades. We’re talking about relatively cheap fixes that have the power to dramatically enhance your home’s look.
These include:
Seller tip: Up for some slightly more drastic changes? If your bathroom and kitchen cabinets have gotten dingy, wake them up with a coat of neutral paint. In the eventuality that the cabinet doors are damaged, consider refacing them, as this can be done for a relatively low cost.
As you look through lists of real estate tips for sellers, you’ve probably seen the advice that it’s very necessary to deep-clean your home before showing it.
It’s true that your home needs to be cleaned before it’s toured, but is it really necessary for you to deep-clean it yourself? Why not ask the pros to do it?
A professional cleaning service can quickly (and unemotionally) take care of any neglected areas you’d like to address before your home showings commence.
Similarly, scheduling a professional window cleaning team can also be a good investment, especially if you live in a multi-story home. Window cleaners have the tools to reach exterior window surfaces that you can’t safely access—and leave them sparkling.
Hiring a home stager with professional lighting skills may not be the worst idea, either. Most homeowners under light their rooms, which can make them feel drab to potential buyers.
A professional home stager knows how to use lighting to set off architectural features, minimize imperfections, and make your house seem inviting.
These details, although small, can truly make a difference in the way your home sells. Home buyers are not going to pay top dollar for a dirty, cluttered home. Do the necessary measures to put your home at the top of a prospective buyer’s list.
Seller tip: Our PINNACLE home services program can help you make all of these upgrades and improvements with no cost out of pocket, meaning you don’t pay until your home closes escrow.*
Before buyers tour your home, it needs to catch their fancy online. That’s why great, high-resolution photos of your home are a must.
For best results, hire a professional photographer. Many real estate photographers also specialize in 360 virtual tours and aerial photography, essential options to consider in the era of COVID-19.
Seller’s tip: Once you’ve got some enticing digital assets, share them far and wide. Instagram is a good venue for such photos, especially when you geo-tag them, to call them to the attention of buyers shopping for homes in your area.
Setting the right price for your home is a critical decision that significantly influences its market appeal. Utilize accurate and up-to-date data to ensure your pricing strategy aligns with the current market conditions. Your real estate agent will be a valuable resource for this part of the process. Experienced agents have expertise in this area and can also provide a comparative market analysis (CMA) to determine a competitive and realistic listing price.
Together with your agent, you can assess the following:
Seller’s tip: Monitor the market closely and be open to adjusting your listing price if necessary. Flexibility in pricing demonstrates a realistic approach and can attract more interest from potential buyers.
The last of our real estate tips for sellers has to do with timing, a topic of vital importance.
According to the U.S. News & World Report, the best time to sell your home is spring.
What makes spring such a propitious season for selling in the housing market? Spring-listed homes attract more interest from buyers, due to factors like:
In addition, listing your home in April gives you a head start on selling it that those who list in June just won’t have.
Seller tip: If you must list your home later in the year, try to avoid August and December.
Your dead August lawn won’t be impressive to potential buyers, while the holiday season makes November and December inauspicious times for putting your home on the market. If you can wait, please do!
When preparing to sell your home, a strategic move is to invest in a pre-listing inspection. This proactive step not only helps you identify and address potential issues before they become negotiating points but also instills confidence in prospective buyers.
In today’s market, being prepared to move fast is a key advantage to securing a real estate transaction. In order to do so, start by making sure you have all necessary documents ready, including property disclosures, inspection reports, and any required permits.
When you’re in the open house phase, be flexible with scheduling showings to accommodate potential buyers’ timelines. Quick and convenient access to your property increases the likelihood of attracting serious and motivated buyers.
Throughout the process, respond promptly to inquiries, offers, and any communication from interested parties. Quick and clear communication signals your commitment to a smooth and efficient transaction.
As offers start coming in, it’s important to evaluate them objectively to make informed decisions that align with your selling goals. Consider these factors to assess offers effectively:
If you’re like most homeowners who are preparing their properties for sale, certain questions keep you up at night, such as:
Here’s the truth: your worries are valid. However, you can address them by acquiring professional guidance. That’s where we come in.
Our seller’s agents can help you to:
The bottom line: If you want to sell your house quickly for an advantageous price, contact your local Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties office today!
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