Selling a Home

As a real estate seller, you can play an important part in the timely sale of your property. When you take the following steps, you'll help your RE/MAX Sales Associate sell your home faster, at the best possible price.

The easiest and most reliable way to improve the appeal of your home is to enlist a quality home service professional. The right professional can help real estate sellers get everything in order - from repainting the kitchen to arranging a thorough cleaning.

Guidelines for the real estate seller

1.       Make the most of that first impression
A well-manicured lawn, neatly trimmed shrubs and a clutter-free porch help real estate sellers put their best foot forward and make prospects feel welcome. So does a freshly painted - or at least freshly scrubbed - front door. If it's autumn, rake the leaves. If it's winder, shovel the walkways. The fewer obstacles between prospects and the true appeal of the real estate seller's home, the better.

2.       Invest a few hours for future dividends
Here's your chance to clean up in real estate. Tidy the living room, the bathroom, the kitchen. If your woodwork is scuffed or the paint is fading, consider some minor touch-ups and redecorating. Real estate sellers can benefit from updating the hardware on kitchen cabinets, adding new slipcovers to sofas and keeping a vase of fresh flowers in the entryway. These are some of the simple touches that can go a long way. If you're worried about time, hire professional cleaners or painters to help get your house ready. Remember, prospects would rather see how great the real estate seller's home really looks than hear how great it could look "with a little work."

3.       Check faucets and bulbs
Dripping water rattles the nerves, discolors sinks and suggests faulty or worn-out plumbing. Burned-out bulbs or faulty wiring leave prospects in the dark. Don't let those problems detract from what's right with your home.

4.       Don't shut out a sale
If cabinets or closet doors stick in your home, you can be sure they will also stick in a prospect's mind. Don't try to explain away sticky situations when you can easily plane them away. A little effort on the real estate seller's part can smooth the way toward a closing.

5.       Think safety
Real estate sellers learn to live with all kinds of self-set booby traps: roller blades on the stairs, festooned extension cords, slippery throw rugs and low-hanging overhead lights. Make your residence as safe as possible for visitors.

6.       Make room for space
Remember, potential buyers are looking for more than just comfortable living space. They're looking for storage space, too. Real estate sellers should make sure attics and basements are clean and free of unnecessary items.

7.       Consider your closets
The better organized a closet, the larger it appears. Now's the time to box up those unwanted clothes and donate them to charity.

8.       Make your bathroom sparkle
Bathrooms sell homes, so let them shine. Check and repair damaged or unsightly caulking in the tubs and showers. For added allure, real estate sellers should display the best towels, mats and shower curtains.

9.       Create dream bedrooms
Wake up prospects to the cozy comforts of your bedrooms. For a specious look, get rid of excess furniture. Colorful bedspreads and fresh curtains are a must if real estate sellers want buyers to be able to imagine relaxing there.

10.   Open up in the daytime
Let the sun shine in! Real estate sellers should pull back curtains and drapes so that prospects can see how bright and cheery the home is.

11.   Lighten up at night
Turn on the excitement buy turning on all your lights - both inside and outside - when showing your home in the evening. Lights add color and warmth, and make prospects feel welcome.

12.   Avoid crowded scenes
Potential buyers often feel like intruders when they enter a home filled with people. Rather than giving your house the attention it deserves, they're likely to hurry through. Real estate sellers should keep the company present to a minimum.

13.   Watch your pets
Dogs and cars are great companions, but not when real estate sellers are showing their homes. Pets have a talent for getting underfoot. So do everybody a favor: Keep Kitty or Spot outside, or at least out of the way.

14.   Think volume
Rock-and-roll will never die. But it might kill a real estate transaction. When it's time for a real estate seller to show the home, it's time to turn down the stereo or TV.

15.   Relax
It's best if you're not there when your home is being shown. However if that's not possible, be friendly - but it's not necessary to force conversation. Prospects want to view the home with minimal distraction from the real estate seller.

16.   Don't apologize
No matter how humble your abode, never apologize for its shortcomings. If a prospect volunteers a derogatory comment about your home's appearance, let your experienced RE/MAX Associate handle the situation.

17.   Keep a low profile
Nobody knows a home better than the real estate seller. But RE/MAX Sales Associates know buyers - what they need and what they want. Your RE/MAX Associate will have an easier time articulating the virtues of your home if you stay in the background.

18.   Don't turn your home into a second-hand store
When prospects come to view your home, don't distract them with offers to sell those furnishings you no longer need. You may lose the biggest sale of all.

19.   Defer to experience - It's the Experience®
When prospective buyers want to talk price, terms or other real estate matters, let them speak to an expert - your RE/MAX Sales Associate. As the real estate seller, you might feel tempted to weigh in, but your two cents could cost you much more.

20.   Help your agent
RE/MAX Associates have an easier time selling homes if showings are scheduled through their offices. And real estate sellers appreciate the results.

5 Easy, Inexpensive Ways to Add Value and Comfort to Your Home

When the housing market is hot, it seems like just about any project is a good investment for boosting your home's value and appeal. But when the market's tight, you want to be more selective about which projects you undertake and what you expect to gain in return. There's nothing worse than wasting time and money on a major project that barely raises the value of your house. If you've been thinking about increasing your home's value or just making your living space more comfortable, these ideas can help you start off simple and prioritize your list. Before you start knocking out walls and renovating your roofline, consider these ways to make a difference...cost-effectively! 1. Spruce Up Your Curb Appeal Buyers often decide whether to look at your house before they even get out of the car. So, before you spend a lot of time and money remodeling the inside, take a good look at the outside. Washing windows, repainting trim, planting flowers and small shrubs, trimming tree branches and overgrown bushes, fixing screens, resealing your driveway, and mowing the lawn can make a big difference. Start out by making a list of 4 to 7 simple projects and then set aside an hour or two each day. In just one week, you - and potential buyers - will be surprised how appealing and welcoming your house looks when driving up. You may also want to consider larger projects, such as replacing the siding, adding a patio or deck, or even replacing a dilapidated driveway. But remember, although these bigger projects may help your house stand out, they probably won't yield as high of a qualitative return on investment in terms of your home's actual value. So, weigh your options and ask your Realtor® for advice before investing in any of these bigger projects. 2. Does Your Entryway Invite People In? A cozy first impression is crucial. Now that you've boosted your curb appeal, it's time to turn your attention inside - starting just inside the front door. To make sure your entryway invites people to come in - rather than turnaround and run - try adding a wicker chair and table outside the door along with a fresh coat of paint to your foyer. For even more impact, replace old light fixtures and update the floor in your entryway with a throw rug or easy-to-apply self-adhesive linoleum squares. These projects are inexpensive and easy enough to do yourself in just a few hours. 3. Spiff Up that Old Bathroom Remodeling an old bathroom can make a big impact. You should start by simply de-cluttering the countertop. It's amazing how spacious even a small bathroom appears after the styling products, pictures and miscellaneous bathroom decorations are removed. From there, you can freshen up the paint, replace that old shower curtain, add a new medicine cabinet on the wall, and even a upgrade your faucet and shower head for very little money. For a little more, you can also install a double sink or re-tile the floor. 4. Hot in the Kitchen Renovating an outdated kitchen is practically a sure thing - as long as you don't splurge on extravagant items like hand-painted Italian tile or built-in espresso machines. Instead, focus on the basics: replacing the handles on your cabinets and drawers, freshening up the paint, installing new flooring, adding a backsplash, and painting or re-facing your existing cabinets. You can also make a dramatic impact by installing new countertops and even replacing your appliances. All of these projects will go a long way to making a new buyer feel at home. 5. Add a Second Bathroom Perhaps no improvement makes a bigger impact on your family's comfort and your house's appeal than adding a second bathroom. The number of bathrooms is always a big sticking point for potential buyers, especially families with two or three children. Although adding a bathroom costs more than simply fixing up your old one, it also increases the value of your house more. Plus, having that second bathroom may help you sell your house faster than if it only has one, which is an important point to consider in today's market. So, if you have a house with roughed-in plumbing just waiting for you to take the initiative, you may want to consider adding that second bathroom you've always wanted. However, if your house doesn't have roughed-in plumbing or floor plans that called for a future bathroom, you'll definitely want to consult a professional Realtor® to discuss how much a second bathroom will add to your home's value. After all, if you have to start moving walls and re-plumbing your house just to add a bathroom, you may find that your time and money are better spent on a handful of smaller projects that will ultimately add more impact. Plan Ahead and Avoid Headaches Overall, the best advice about adding value to your home is to start small, work your way up, and always plan ahead. You don't want to get halfway into a renovation only to find that you have to update your entire electrical system or that your time and effort was wasted on a renovation that doesn't add as much value as you thought. With a little planning and prioritizing, you can make your house more comfortable and valuable with very little time and money. Happy renovating!