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[Just Bling]

Many of you know I just went through this but I thought what I learned (not experienced at all) can help maybe one person out there.

If you are going to cover the buyers' closing cost, do not let your realtor just add them to the selling price (they want that) because later when it's time for the realtor's commission, those closing costs are part of the percentage of commission paid.  That holds true for anything else your realtor decides to add to the sale price.

If no one is living in the house, rig the house for you to know that someone was in there.  Yes, we all know there's a lock box but combinations can be given out.

Label the light switches to identify what switch goes with what light.

Vacant houses are subject to people breaking in, make sure lights go on and off, pick up the mail, pick up any brochures left in the doors (there are groups of people who intentionally deliver brochures and put them in doors and go back days later to see which ones are there and not.

Best wall color:    white

Change your light bulbs to LED, the daylight bulbs add an inviting light to your rooms.   Get as much light as you can in the house.

No need to hire a landscaper but keep the yard clean and grass mowed.

Declutter (if you are living in the home)

Fresh flowers in a hallway or kitchen are always inviting, no need to get a dozen roses but a small vase of grocery store flowers go a long way.

Get rid of all the plug in air fresheners.  After I bought them all thinking that a great fresh smell will help the house, the exact opposite is true.  Buyers see the fresheners and believe you are covering up the smell from something.

Keep the house clean, free of dust and dirt.  We all know everyone has dust and dirt but new buyers walk into a house and think that maybe this house is different if they don't see any of it.

Before your realtor "rushes" you to make a decision, even if it's an hour or two, delay him/her and think about what you are about to do, don't let them rush you.  Even call someone if you are alone, just discussing something might pose another question or prevent you from doing something down the line you won't be happy about.

Anyone want to add, please add, these are the one's the stand out to me.

[itsmagic]

Great suggestions. 

i think if I were to sell a house again I would hire a home inspector before I listed it to see what problems would need fixing rather than wait until after I had a buyer. 

[DiAnne]

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@itsmagic wrote:

Great suggestions. 

i think if I were to sell a house again I would hire a home inspector before I listed it to see what problems would need fixing rather than wait until after I had a buyer. 

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I was an out of state seller on the last house I sold in California.  I hired a home inspector to see what I was dealing with (if I had major problems I would have lowered the price and sold as is).  I had no major problems.  House sold in two weeks - I actually had an offer within a week of listing but they had finance problems.  

After I moved out I hired a painter to repaint the interior of the house including the inside of closets and cabinets.  He did it on a week-end.  Also had the trim on house freshened up.  I paid  a landscaper to have lawn mowed until escrow closed as a courtesy to my neighbors.  

[151949]

Our realtor advised if we were going to paint any rooms to paint them ivory. Otherwise, just keep the house spotless and don't cook anything that has a bad odor like fish or cabbage in there as those can linger for days. Our buyers inspector came up with 8 pages of stuff he thought needed fixed - however the buyers only asked to have a few of them actually fixed. It is the seller's choice to either repair them or give money off for the buyer to repair them later. We chose to do the repairs, much to their dismay. They just wanted the discount - however, most of our friends are in the trades so they fixed stuff either inexpensively or free, and gave us a certificate to prove they had been repaired professionally.

BTW - our realtor told us that in our state it isn't legal for the seller to pay the closing costs SO that was not even discussed. He did say that many couples want this because they see on HGTV that this is sometimes done. He just tells them you can't do it here.This is actually just a way to finance the closing costs into their mortgage. He said if someone is so tight on cash that they can't pay closing costs they probably will have difficulty getting their loan anyway.

[SilleeMee]

Put away personal stuff like family pics and personalized decorations (trophies).

Wash windows.

Pressure-wash driveway and/or sidewalks.

Use mulch to cover "sins" on the yard.

[Laura14]

You can also have someone come in and "stage" your home for you if you are not the Martha Stewart type.  My mother works with a realtor who hires her every once in a while to tour a home for sale and give them tips like this.  

In lieu of that, just having an honest friend or family member, especially one that hasn't been in your home in a while, give their opinion about what strikes their eye can be very helpful in directing your efforts too.  

[Zita]

Good tips, all. Just about ready to do the final inspection and closing on my TH.  As for staging, too much is made of this. My realtor recommended a dingy woman who didn't call for days, was rushed and breathless when she did call. I told her thanks but no thanks. My two daughters did an excellent job of going through and on all the comment cards, prospective buyers gave us a 4 or a 5 for staging.

So get a good friend or relative to do it for free!

[GCR18]

Remove personal items and clutter.  Like nick nacks, family pictures, magnets on the fridge, stacks of newspapers, etc.

Repaint interior a light neutral color.  If not in the budget, paint rooms that are bold colors or painted special for a child.

Remove wallpaper and borders.

Shampoo the carpet.

Make the bed every morning.  

Keep kitchen and bathroom spotless.

[151949]

We left the wallpaper up in the master bedroom and one other bedroom and the bathroom. I did take down the paper in the kitchen because even I didn't like it. Not one of our feedbacks made mention of there being wallpaper.

[ID2]

We just sold our house, that we lived in for 18 years, a year ago. We sold it pretty darn quick! I never removed any of our wallpaper. I just kept the house impeccible during the selling process. I especially kept my kitchen sink shined up and looking spotless. I put away the cat bowls and their litter boxes during showings. I sure hated the "drop everything and vacate the house" every time we had to show it, but looking back now it was all good. We actually made a killing on the sale and are on to our new life. So all is good.