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Selling your home is a big decision, and takes quite a bit of effort. Our team is aware of how selling a home can affect your life on a daily basis. Here are a few tips to help make your selling experience a good one.

 

1. First Things First

Listing your home is not the first step! Knowledge is power and Price is pertinent! We recommends working with a local REALTOR® in Lee County to provide market details so that you can know where your home fits into the current real estate marketplace, prior to putting your home up for sale. There is a clear difference between a desire to list your house and a desire to sell your home. A REALTOR® can help get your home SOLD rather than just listed!

2. Prepare

After choosing a REALTOR® and determining a reasonable market price, take time to view your home through a buyer’s eyes. Start at the mailbox, with a notepad in hand, and walk through the home as a buyer would. Make notes of anything out of place or in need of repair, and address those items! Here are five details that can quickly make your home show ready:

  • First Impression

    – A first impression is a lasting impression! Make sure that your yard is pruned and manicured, and your front door step is clean, fresh, and inviting. This is the one place that a buyer prospect will stand still longer than any other place in the home, as the agent works to unlock the door and manage their belongings.

  • Smell

    – W have found that many buyers remember a home by the way it smell. Pleasant smells are not powerful smells. Most buyers tend to react positively to the aroma of a batch of warm cookies, a fresh pot of coffee or the smell of subtle cleaning supplies. Most often, buyers specifically remember are are turned off by the smells of pets, smoke, or strong spices or air fresheners.

  • De-clutter

    – Make sure that buyers are encouraged to look at your home upon entering, rather than looking at your life. “People like people” is a phrase that we often quote. Our team sees that most buyers enjoy looking at photos and seeing a family’s lifestyle because it is intriguing, however, buyer’s should be encouraged to spend more time enjoying the viewing of the home. It’s up to the seller to make sure that there aren’t too many distractions in the home showing.

  • Remember the Details

    – It’s all in the details. Buyer’s may not notice and comment on the little things that you do, but they will certainly notice them if they aren’t done (ie. clean windows, clean bathrooms, dusting the fans and baseboards, etc.) Also, information is good! As a seller, it is good practice to leave a list of any minor or major updates or upgrades you have made to the home, so the buyer can notate these items while they are in the home.

  • Provide an Atmosphere

    – Selling a home begins with a feeling! When a buyer walks into a home for the first time, they either feel as though they could live there, or not. As a seller, help the buyer have the right feeling, by providing a comfortable and inviting atmosphere. Make sure all of the lights are on and blinds are open. Take the pets out for a walk, turn on some music, and provide a snack or a drink. Create an atmosphere, where a buyer is comfortable and enjoys their experience in your home!

3. Help Your Agent Help You!

Prepare your home before listing your home, and once     you and your agent determine a specific listing date, be ready for showings! Buyers tend to make decisions quickly, so a short showing notices are inevitable. Be ready, and be prepared to have an open mind when an offer is presented.

4. Know Your Plans

If your home is priced right, advertised appropriately, and presented properly, it will sell! Many buyers like to gather more information when they become interested: utility costs, ages of the appliances/roof, information on the schools, neighbors, etc. Have this information readily available. These are all positive signs of an offer soon to come. Most closings can take place within 30 days of contract in the Auburn/Opelika area. Know your plans, and be ready to proceed to your new location.