When it comes to learning how to sell your home, the return you get can come down to much more than you might expect. Small things can make a big difference, and you’ll want to make the effort when the costs of selling a home can be high—not to mention, emotionally taxing.
So how to you making the selling of your home an efficient, stress-free experience? It comes down to preparation, cleanliness and effort. Here are some of the things you can do to maximise the success of a property sale.
1. Bring your home up to ‘modern specs’
Upgrades will bring your home up to date and help attract buyers that would have otherwise passed it by. This is because many couples and families who are looking to buy their “forever home” want a property that is “move in ready”. Once prospective buyers begin thinking about all the renovations they will need to do, how long it will take and how much it will cost them in addition to the sale price, they may move onto the next property.
So what we mean by ‘modern specs’ is to make your home look fresh, updated and new. Some things you might want to consider are a new (open) kitchen, updated baths, painting the interior of the house a neutral colour, new flooring throughout, and general landscaping.
2. Highlight existing storage
Closets are a valuable space when it comes to selling your home because closets, wardrobes, in-built shelving and general storage space is hard to come by (especially for apartments, townhouses and condos). This is because building new storage can easily cost thousands of dollars. This is why it is important to showcase any existing storage that your property has in all of the living spaces.
With some professional staging, you can often make a smaller space feel much larger and livelier and with less clutter, prospective buyers can easily spot all the storage that makes your home stand out.
3. Meticulously clean everything
How to sell your home faster? With a clean home. A clean home conveys that the property has been loved and cared for. Generally speaking, the cleaner your house is, the more likely you are to get higher offers. This is because homes that look like they’ve been cared for and well-maintained sell faster than those that show signs of neglect.
That’s not saying that buyers won’t make an offer on homes with visible stains on the carpet or a little wear and tear. But their offers won’t be as high as they would for a cleaner home with no damage.
This also applies to the garden so rake those leaves and trim those hedges! Maximise the curbside appeal of your property so that you can pull at them heart strings! An emotional buyer usually leads to a higher sale price.
The best way to keep your property clean and tidy prior to sale is to live somewhere else so that you don’t have to continuously clean up your home for inspections.
4. Repair all (visible) problem areas in the home
Similar to a clean and tidy home, a property with a broken fence, non-functioning light switches, and peeling paint can signal to a prospective buyer that the property has even more issues than meets the eye.
However, when you have lived in a property for a long time you may not recognise all the areas that require repair. It pays to have an external party (e.g., a friend) to come over and inspect it through a pair of fresh eyes. This will allow you to identify things that you have gotten used to and prioritise them for repair.
Mold is something that many buyers will be on the lookout for (it can make you really sick) so make sure that any mold is taken care of and that your home is adequately ventilated.
5. Let your yard capture the heart of prospective buyers
Your yard should be the real selling point of your home (especially if you know that your target audience are young families). Therefore you want to make sure that it is as attractive as possible before you show it off to potential buyers.
Keep the weeds at bay and cut the grass on a regular basis. Make sure there is no debris or garbage anywhere in or around the yard. Buy a swing set for the backyard or rent a trampoline to let parents picture how their life could be if they owned the property.
Essentially, keep it looking like the “forever home” that prospective buyers are hoping to find.
The good news is that general gardening and landscaping upkeep is relatively inexpensive. You can use a service such as Airtasker to find someone near you who can do the job.
Bonus tip: use a press release
A press release can be an effective way for someone to sell their home. Whether you are trying to sell your home locally, nationally or internationally, a well-written press release will help maximise visibility of your property to potential buyers.
Once written, press release distribution services like Get the Word Out will ensure that you can maximise the exposure of your property. However, before you concern yourself with spreading the message, you’ll want to ensure that you have a well written press release – there are a few factors to consider.
a) The first section of the press release should include the location and price of the home, as this is essential for most real estate professionals. You can also include a link to your home’s listing on a real estate website, if possible.
b) The next section should highlight the unique features of your home and why it would be ideal for a buyer. For example, you might have put in new flooring, updated bathrooms or installed better insulation. In addition to highlighting important features, this section can also be used to describe the neighbourhood.
c) The penultimate paragraph is where you include information about yourself or your family. This helps humanise the press release and let potential buyers know who they could be sharing a neighbourhood with. Finally, end the paragraph by letting readers know how to contact you if they would like more information about the home. Closing the press release with a quote from yourself or your realtor can add another element of interest to the story.
In addition to writing a good press release, you also want to be sure that it is released in a timely manner. Listings often generate a lot of media attention when they first become available and many potential buyers will start looking for homes on the same day. If you wait too long to release your press release, it might be irrelevant by the time it is picked up.
And remember…
If you’re researching how to sell your home, you’re already in the right mindset. Selling your home doesn’t have to be a difficult experience as long as you’re preparing early, setting budgets and managing your expectations.
Keep yourself updated with useful tips like these by getting registered on Soho. Not only are we finding you your dream home, but we’re also helping you save for it and decorate it! So don’t forget to swipe on your property matches so we can get you there faster.
