Work With a Seller’s Agent
“Once you’ve made that decision to sell, get yourself an agent. Although we have all heard stories about ‘I sold my house myself,’ people usually don’t share the amount of time and energy they put into this. It’s best to let an experienced agent handle all of that. They know the market, they know the trends. Selling a house is an emotional and personal experience; as agents, we take that burden off of you.” -Aleen Weiss, Spitz-Weiss Realtors
“One skill of a great agent is to minimize the emotional connection that people get to a property. You need that emotional buffer.” -Kevin Fox, Residential Properties
Have Your Home Inspected and Correct Maintenance Issues
“Consider doing a home inspection before you list to discover unknown issues that you can deal with ahead of time – they’ll probably come up later anyway! Correct things that you know could be an issue. Address all or some of the issues, and disclose the rest. -Jay Readyhough, Bay Realty
“Prepare your home from top to bottom. You should have a pre-listing inspection. This allows you to mitigate some issues before you list your property. It won’t matter if the pretty white towels are in place in the bathroom if someone then walks in your basement and sees significant evidence of old water damage.” -Kevin Fox
“Take care of those pesky little maintenance issues you have let go. In the long run they will come back to haunt you. Walk through your house as a buyer. What would you want to be fixed?” -Aleen Weiss
“Repair deficiencies before putting your home on the market so that when the home is inspected the transaction doesn’t fall apart.” -Debbie Chennisi, Rhode Island Real Estate Services
Clean, De-Clutter and Beautify Your Home
“In order to get the best price, your home needs to look its best. There are simple fixes a seller can do such as apply fresh paint, make sure the landscaping is trimmed and neat, clean the windows and ensure that all lighting and plumbing fixtures are working properly. If not, replace them with new ones for an instant up-to-date look.” -Jim DeRentis, Residential Properties
“De-clutter. Listen to your agent – they do know what they are talking about. Pictures of your family and stacks of books make your house your home, but buyers are looking to make this their home. Highlight the space you have… de-clutter.” -Aleen Weiss
“Listen to reasonable recommendations made by your agent as to improvements that will enhance your property’s value and expedite the time it takes to make the sale. It may be a simple as moving some furniture, cleaning out a garage, weeding and mulching planting beds or repainting the front door.” -Jay Readyhough
“Homes that are staged can bring in as much as five to ten percent higher offers. Over a third of buyers are willing to overlook a home’s shortcomings if it is properly staged.” -Jim DeRentis
Price Your Home at Market Value
“Work with a professional Realtor who knows your market to properly price your home. If your home is six percent or more over the market, it will likely not sell or take longer and sell for less than a properly priced home.” -Jim DeRentis
“Sellers call us in, they want our expertise, but then they say, ‘I know you think I should list at $600,000 but I want to list at $950,000.’ Or they’ll say, ‘Hey, my friend Charlie up the street sold his house two years ago for $900,000… I know the market has gone down since then but I have better granite countertops.’ Understand that even if we put your house together at a higher price, an appraiser has to appraise the value. Then it goes to an underwriter and they have all their computerized algorithms.” -Kevin Fox
“Lost time on the market due to overpricing can really hurt you – you only get one chance to make a first impression in the marketplace.” -Jay Readyhough
“Price your home at or around market value. Buyers are very well educated and know when a home is of good value. Pricing it correctly out of the gate is critical to get the most for your home.” -Debbie Chennisi
Remember to Enjoy the Ride
“Most importantly, breathe. There are a lot of emotions that go into this… It will all work out.” -Aleen Weiss
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