Learn 40 Years Of Hard Real Estate Lessons In 5 Minutes

“How to sell your home quickly and the most common mistakes to avoid” By Robert J. Piazza/Broker

MAKE THE MOST OF THAT FIRST IMPRESSION
You don’t get a 2nd chance at a 1st impression. A well-manicured lawn, shrubs, and a clutter free exterior welcome prospects, so does a freshly painted or freshly scrubbed front door. The fewer obstacles between prospects and the true appeal of your home, the better. Remember when a potential buyer is standing at your front door ringing your doorbell or knocking, they are looking around. Is there peeling paint or shoes laying around or any kind of mess, dirty glass, anything at all to turn them off as they wait? Does the doorbell even work? Make the front entrance inside and out shine, that is where the 1st impression will be made!

INVEST A FEW HOURS FOR FUTURE DIVIDENDS
Here’s your chance to clean up in real estate. Clean up in the bedroom, the bathroom and the kitchen. If your woodwork is scuffed or the paint is fading, consider some minor redecoration. Wash the windows. Prospects would rather see how great your home looks than hear how great it could look with a little work. Clean houses sell faster, much faster. Clean, clean, clean!!! Get rid of the clutter! Paint gives you the biggest bang for your buck, use neutral colors only like beige, tan, or white. It makes rooms look new, fresh and smell better.

PUT PICTURES AWAY
Put all family pictures and portraits away. Buyers need to see a neutral type house where they can envision them living and that is hard if there is a picture of a relative in every room. When you go in a model home, do you see a picture of any relatives on the wall? Hard as it may seem, take the personal pictures down off the walls. Try to make your home look like a model home when it’s being shown.

TAKE A HIKE
Get out of the way! Even though it may be impractical with kids, pets, etc, that’s what you need to do if you want a quick sale. There should be soft music, pleasant aromas, and good lighting (every light should be on even during the day). Family members and pets should get out of the house if possible or out of the way and you should too unless you are selling on your own. Even you should leave or be out of the way if a Realtor is showing the house. For Realtor showings, do not follow them around the house! Stay out of the way but be accessible if there are questions. If a buyer can feel comfortable in the home without lots of people and pets around, they are much more likely to see themselves living in the house. Of course put all your valuables away. Potential buyers often feel like intruders when they enter a home filled with people. Rather than giving your house the attention it deserves, they are likely to hurry through. Keep people and pets present to the bare minimum. Do this and you will sell your house faster!

CHECK FAUCETS AND BULBS
Dripping water rattles the nerves, discolors sinks and suggests faulty or worn-out plumbing. Burned-out bulbs leave prospects in the dark. Don’t let little problems detract from what is right about your home.

DON’T SHUT OUT A SALE
If cabinets or closet doors stick in your home, you can be sure they will also stick in the prospect’s mind. Don’t try to explain sticky situations when you can easily plane them away. A little effort can smooth the way towards a closing.

THINK SAFETY
Homeowners learn to live with all kinds of self-set booby-traps: roller skates on the stairs, festooned extension cords, slippery throw rugs and low-hanging overhead lights. Make your residence as non-perilous as possible for visitors.

PUT VALUABLES AWAY
Put any obvious valuables away like jewelry, important papers, prescription drugs, etc. There are not usually problems or issues but it does happen from time to time. Be smart.

MAKE ROOM FOR SPACE
Remember potential buyers are looking for more than just comfortable living space. They are looking for storage space too. Make sure your attic and basement are clean and free of unnecessary items.

CONSIDER YOUR CLOSETS
The better organized a closet, the larger it appears. Now’s the time to box those unwanted clothes and donate them to charity. Make sure it’s well lighted too. The closets need to look as large as possible.

MAKE YOUR BATHROOMS SPARKLE
Bathrooms sell homes so let them shine. Check and repair damaged or unsightly caulking in the tubs and showers. For added allure, use your best towels, mats and shower curtains.

CREATE DREAM BEDROOMS.
Wake up prospects to the cozy comforts of your bedroom. For a spacious look, get rid of excess furniture. Colorful bedspreads and fresh curtains are a must.

OPEN UP IN THE DAYTIME
Let the sun in. Pull back your curtains and a drapes so prospects can see how bright and cheery your home really is. Be sure your windows are sparkling clean and open them for some fresh air if weather permits.

LIGHTEN UP AT NIGHT
Turn on the excitement. Turn on all your lights, both inside and out, when showing your home in the evening (or day). Lights add color, warmth, and make prospects feel welcome.

WATCH YOUR PETS
Dogs and cats are great companions, but they are not when you’re showing your home. Pets have a talent for getting in the way. Do everybody a favor: keep your dog or cat outside if you can, or at least out of the way. Also, be sure your home does not have any pet odor that could make the buyer feel uncomfortable. Put dog dishes, beds, litter boxes out of sight. Clean up the pet mess in the yard too as buyers will likely be walking around the yard. Having them step in something will not help matters!

THINK VOLUME
Rock ‘n roll will never die, but it might kill a real estate transaction. When it’s time to show your home, it’s time to lower the volume on the stereo and put on some soft music instead. Prospects do not want to be talking over music and will concentrate better if it’s low.

RELAX
Be friendly, and don’t try to force conversation. Prospects want to view your home with a minimum of distractions or interruptions.

DON’T APOLOGIZE
No matter how humble your abode, never apologize for its shortcomings. If a prospect volunteers a derogatory remark about your home, let it pass and don’t argue or try to defend. You must remember that although your home has many pleasant memories, to a buyer it is just more merchandise on the shelf to inspect. Don’t take it personal.

KEEP A LOW PROFILE
Nobody knows your home as well as you do, but Realtors know their buyers. They will know what they need or what they want. Realtors will have an easier time articulating the virtues of your home if you stay in the background. Even better would be to leave the house and go for a short walk.

DON’T TURN YOUR HOME INTO A SECOND-HAND STORE
When a prospect comes to view your home, don’t distract them with offers to sell your furnishings, lawn mowers, and articles. You may lose the biggest sale of all, your home. Include any personal items you are leaving with the house on the fact sheets.

DEFER TO EXPERIENCE
When prospects want to talk about price, terms and conditions, or other real estate matters, it’s best not to negotiate verbally. If someone is interested, have them submit a written offer through their attorney or Realtor. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you can’t answer.

TELL THE FACTS
Provide prospective buyers a hand out fact sheet of the house. Give them something to take home as it helps sort through all the houses they have seen that day. Mention features and improvements and try to include pictures so they don’t confuse yours with others they may be looking at. You could even include a web link to a video of the house so they can “see it again” when they get home. A sign out front is very helpful and will get the word out fast. A brochure box near the sign with these fact sheets is also helpful for drive by lookers as are the new text messaging systems.

DON’T TURN CLIENTS AWAY
Try to let customers look at the house when it’s convenient for them. It might not be a good time for you but you may not see a second chance with those customers as there are many houses to look at and they may find something else while you are rescheduling. This is one of the biggest mistakes a seller will make is by not allowing buyers through when requested. Make the house accessible and easy to get into! Also don’t interrogate the showing agent over the phone with questions about their buyers, let them do their job. Many times buyers will buy something they did not set out to buy, it happens all the time. Consider an open house at least once or preferably twice a month. In upstate NY it is customary for buyers to “wait” for open houses. A certain percentage of buyers won’t make appointments but wait for open houses. This is another mistake sellers make is not having open houses at least once in awhile and where practical.

DON’T GO FISHING
I never thought I would say that but seriously.. don’t go fishing for a high price. Don’t make the common mistake of starting at a high price to “test the water” or “I can always come down” type thinking. Price it right from the start when it’s new to the market and activity levels are highest. You will get more money. The longer a house is on the market, the less money you will get. If you are looking to buy a house, isn’t the first question “how long has it been on the market?” This is the single biggest mistake a seller will make. Everybody thinks their house is the best but if you start out too high, you will lose the high initial traffic new listings get and once you lower it, the traffic will not be there. The buyers for that will have moved on and you will be selling to new buyers who want to know how long it’s been on the market. If you ignore all the other tips in this article, don’t ignore this one! Also if the house is on the MLS offer a fair commission to selling brokers that will entice agents to show your house and maybe even consider offering a bonus. There are many houses out there to look at, make yours stand out!

Northern Star Realty

Div. of Northern Star Real Estate, LLC
Robert J. Piazza, Real Estate Broker
25 Hill Rd., Hilton, NY 14468
NYS Licensed since 1983
Servicing Buffalo, Rochester & Syracuse NY Regions

Rochester Office 585-392-8222
Buffalo Desk 716-240-4825
Syracuse Desk 315-760-4594
Toll Free 866-781-1296