Top Ten Thing Real Estate Agents Do Before Selling Their Own Home

Top Ten Thing Real Estate Agents Do Before Selling Their Own Home

by Bruce Swedal

When it comes to getting top dollar for their homes Real Estate Agents know how to get it done. After all it is what they do for a living. The only thing that typically keeps a typical home seller from achieving the same results is the reluctance on their part to invest in the sale of their home.
Since Realtors package, market and sell homes for a living and they know what home buyers want. Here is a list of the top ten items that real estate agents do when preparing their own home for sale.

Carpets are clean and in good condition. Otherwise, get rid of them. All clutter is removed. Everything is thoroughly cleaned. Pet odors are eliminated! Broken items are fixed. All clutter is removed from the front yard. Curtains are always opened, windows shades always up and lights always on. Walls are clean and there are no smudge marks. The closets are reorganized so they appear larger. The front lawn and shrubs are manicured. Excess furniture is removed and either put in the basement or into storage.

When it comes to the exterior of the home you should know that curb appeal scores big points. The impression from the curb is the first impression that a potential home buyer forms and sets the stage for the rest of the showing. If they get a poor impression first impression prior to even getting out of the car you may have already lost that buyer and never have an opportunity to get them back.

Beautify the exterior with paint, landscaping and any repairs needed to give it a crisp and uncluttered appearance. Buyers will want to purchase a home that they feel they can invite their friends and family to and be proud of what they have. You want the buyers to feel the pride you have in your home through the appearance.

When it comes to the interior of the home there are a couple key elements to keep in mind. Buyers like space and cleanliness. They do not want to feel that they will quickly outgrow the home so make sure that you clean out any unnecessary furniture to create more space. Also look at the cabinets and closets and clean out those spaces to create the feeling of having plenty of room.

Cleanliness may sound like an easy topic but people have different concepts of what is clean. Go overboard on cleaning and presenting an uncluttered appearance. Think of it in terms of your home can never be too clean when a buyer comes through. Buyers what to see show homes when it comes to cleanliness so take it to the extreme.

A key point to remember is that you should never do more than is necessary to sell your home.

Often sellers think that the more they fix-up, the higher the price they will get. When you go beyond the necessary fix-ups, you get to the point where you are wasting your money. Do all the necessary fix-ups prior to selling, but never do what is un-necessary.