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DIY Home Projects Open the Door to A Better Sale

Guest Post by: Suzi Wilson

No one wants to wait weeks or months to sell their home when it goes on the market. But knowing what to do, and how to take an active role, can be tricky. Here are some easy tips on how to sell your home on your timetable.

Listing

One of the best things you can do is get some professional help to sell your property. While you can list the home yourself, agents offer numerous benefits. Agents can work with you to determine a competitive price for your location and size due to their experience in your locality. They can also help you decide when is the best time to sell, based on when other homes in the area sell best. A good listing agent will set up an online presence for your home and let you know what you can do to further promote your house. Don’t stop the professional help there, however. A photographer who specializes in listing photos may help your home sell faster. In fact, homes with professional listing photos sold for $3,000 to $11,000 more. However, it’s always important to ask whether you should hire a professional photographer yourself or if the agent will take photos of the property themselves.

Staging

Staging is one of the most important things you can do to sell quickly, and not just for the photographs on your listing. It’s important for both the outside and the inside of your home need to appear immaculate, spacious and bright. It may seem difficult, but depersonalize your home as much as you can. Remove family pictures, knickknacks and anything that could be considered opinion-based, such as political or sports paraphernalia. Bring in as much light to your rooms as possible, so keep curtains open, and make sure your light fixtures provide ample illumination. If practical, put half of your things into storage. A home that seems empty is spacious, and suggests ample storage room.

The entire home should be sparklingly clean. If the grout in your bathroom is not white, or whatever color it was originally, scrub it. Clean the shelves in your fridge. Overlook no detail, as you can guarantee that prospective buyers will see, and judge, everything.

Fix It Up

If your walls are an extraordinary color, or if it is dingy or chipping, it’s time to repaint. Sometimes, simply painting the walls with a fresh coat can transform a living space to make it look new. Your house paint, roof, and front door should look perfect. If the carpet is frayed, or the curtain rod does not sit quite straight, whatever it is, fix it. In fact, if you have carpet, you may want to discuss replacing it with your listing agent. Hardwood invariably sells better than any other flooring.

Is your wiring or plumbing faulty? You need to fix them before you list. All your switches should work, as should each faucet. Even if a leaky faucet or broken light switch manages to sneak past a buyer, often Home Inspectors will find them, and will then need to be taken care of to complete the sale.Last but not least, ask your agent if they know about or offer any programs that can assist with the cost of fixing a house to sell. Not every seller has the money to make the required repairs, so reaching out for financial assistance may help them get their house sold for the best price.

Remodeling

Depending on the state and modernity of your home, you may not need major remodeling. However, updating your kitchen may be beneficial. Ask your listing agent what homes in your area focus on, and make sure you are competitive. It may be something simple, such as replacing the faucets in your sinks, or putting a fresh coat of lacquer or stain on your cabinets. Updating the linoleum to tile doesn’t need to take a good deal of time, or money, and may make all the difference in the world to giving your kitchen a new feel. What remodels you choose should be influenced by how much of an increase in profit you can expect to make from said remodeling. Therefore, be smart and research before you dive into a project, and definitely consult your agent beforehand.

While it might seem like a lot of work, these projects may really pay off in the long run. Find the right listing agent, hire a photographer and use a little elbow grease to give yourself the best shot at selling your home. You may be surprised by how quickly your house sells.

When you’re ready to put your home on the market, Jack A. Edwards of Coldwell Banker Realty can help. Check out his Marketing Plan and give him a call at 916-240-9302 or fill out the contact sheet on his website.

Image Courtesy of Pixabay.com

Thank you to my guest author, Suzie Wilson Happierhome.net   suzie@happierhome.net