selling your home

If you have to move away before you can sell your home, some unique problems may crop up! Find a Realtor who is used to working with out of state sellers.

It happens. You get transferred to a new position out of state and have to move, or move away for whatever reason. In a perfect world you would have time to sell your home before having to move away. Well, the world isn’t perfect and sometimes you have to move before you can sell. So here are some tips to make your sale the best it can be from states away.

First and most important, carefully hire a Realtor to assist you. It would be incredibly hard to clean, stage, show and sell your home yourself from so far away. Choosing the best Realtor to help you will mean you will hire someone who will show and market the home, hire contractors to handle upgrades and repairs, and ensure that there is a smooth sale of your home.

Be sure that you personally interview Realtors for the best fit. Choose one who has a great track record for sales and getting the best price, who communicates well and is comfortable with how you communicate (I.e. phone, text, email) and has a good reputation in the community.

Next, be sure to price the home correctly. Trust your Realtor to understand the market, the neighborhood and the condition of the home to get you the best price. Get it right the first time. Start with the best price, because if you miss that crucial first 30 days, repricing won’t help you sell for the best price. People will wonder why it didn’t sell and will low ball you with offers. Also, be sure that your Realtor is aware of the lowest price you are willing to accept. Be open to negotiation and other considerations for a lower price, but make sure there is an understanding.

No one will buy your home if it looks like an episode of Hoarders. They certainly won’t give you the best price if it is a cluttered mess. Before you move, pack up all of your belongings and those things you don’t want give away or throw away. If possible, leave a small amount of furniture to make sure the home doesn’t look vacant.

Then clean. Clean as if your life depended on it. If you can’t due to the impending move, or just don’t want to, hire a cleaning company to do a serious deep clean on the home. Also have any necessary repairs made, and any updates your Realtor recommends. Have the home staged for the best effect.

If you are looking for a Realtor in the Tampa Bay area who works often with out of area seller, give Deb Ward a call today! 727-410-0336

The trick in selling your Clearwater home is making a great first impression. In Clearwater or wherever your real estate may be, the first rule of home sales is make sure their first look doesn’t turn them off.

Curb appeal

Curb appeal is the obvious place where first impressions are made. Walk outside and look at your home. Does it look old, beat up, in need of some TLC? What about the gardens and landscaping?

Make a list of all the things that need some help and get them done. Mow the lawn, weed the gardens, trim shrubs, plant some new flowers to add some color. If you have a porch, clean it up. Have your home power washed. If trim, doors or porches need paint, paint them. If siding is looking worn out, redo it. If windows need replacing, replace them.

All of these updates will make your home look fresh and loved. Plus new siding and windows will make the home more energy efficient, which is something buyers will love.

Have a friend check for smells in your home

Next, have a friend walk into your home, and through it, and tell you how it smells. You live there and are probably “nose blind” to how it smells. However, prospective buyers aren’t. If you have pets, how obvious is it by smell? What about food odors? Smoke?

Scent is the most powerful sense and bad smells can make a home that looks perfect, unpleasant and unsellable. A really thorough cleaning, replacement of carpeting and curtains and of any damaged areas that can’t be de-scented should do the trick. Then keep pets out, smoke outside and don’t cook with things that will make your house smell.

Clean and clutter free

Clean and clutter free homes are also important. Making the living areas, all of them, but especially the ones that are seen the minute you walk into the house, look spacious and clean is exceptionally important. Take time to clean from ceiling to floor everywhere in the home, pack up a lot of the items that might make things look cluttered and lighten up your house.

Buyers will buy if you give them a great first impression. Want more information about selling your Clearwater home? Give us a call today! 727-410-0336