10 Tips to consider when selling your home!

March 14, 2018 | By Imma Giocoli

10 Tips to consider when selling your home 

As a local Real Estate Broker and property owner I wanted to create and easy to do list for clients considering a sale whether it's an apartment or townhouse the steps are easy to follow and make a bug difference to the people looking to buy a home.

1-Hire a professional to sell your home-my suggestion is you meet with 3 agents maybe one is someone you know, one may be random and one may be a referral, mix it up try a boutique firm, a medium sized firm and a large firm and compare and ask questions, once you are done align with the profesisonal that you feel speaks your language, knows Real Estate has sold homes before and is ethical and forthcoming, remember this is a relationship and it's like finding a team member. YOU have to be able to communicate with the agent, openly and honestly.

2- DeClutter - OMG and EAGADS is what comes to mind first - but take a deep breathe set the intention and get it done, when we say declutter we mean it - remove those papers and books that you have stock piled in the corners of every room, place all laundry in proper areas , clear off all counter tops , Clutter to a a buyer represents lack of space - so open up the space by removing items you do not need on a daily basis.

3-Loose doorknobs,hinges and the likes - to a buyer a simple loose doorknob gives the impression that the home may not be cared for, if there are loose items they will begin to think "hmmm what elese is wrong with this place" we do not want to make a lasting negative impression so break out the screw driver and get it done.

4-Scuff marks or old plaster cracks some homes have plaster walls - plaster cracks and therefore leaves a hairline crack which for the buyer appears to be a crack in the wall, and OMG the house is not stabke, and why allow the run away train to keep running-put on the breaks and fix that up its a little bit of elbow greese remove the scuffs and hairline cracks.

5-Windows - everyone likes for light to stream in and not to look out through a cloudy glass - get the windows cleaned - hire your local window cleaner to come every 2 weeks to give it a once over for those of us that live in the city or every 3 weeks if you live outside the city, now how nice is that - clean , clear windows to look out and admre the view you rave about!

6-Cleaning - we know how much you love scruffy and fido, and so do we but someone who is buying maybe sensitive to pet dander - so whether you have pets or not, give the place a deep cleaning before hitting the market - you only get one shot at a first impression - make it a positive - and lasting one.

7-Paint - I know I know the big bad (expense) curse word..BUT it doesn't have to be. Hire someone local that has many references and get that purple wall painted white or any other neutral color, when buyers enter a home that THEY may purchase the buyer needs to be able to envision living there and although we LOVE colors, this is that one moment in time when neutral works better. So, paint those walls and let the place look amazing.

8-Staging - for some homes I highly recommend staging especially if your home has that 1950's design, and there is nothing wrong with the 50's other than the age, so remove some furniture out and place in storage for the time period of the sale and rent or buy some new stuff to spruce up the place and bring it to to date. I highly recommend consulting with an expert in this field.

9-Plants and Flowers - Well everyone loves to see living things - bright and colorful so if oyu have a garden or window box's head to your local nursery or Home Depot, and pick up some seasonal plants and place them at the entrance or in the flower box's...feel free to bring some green inside the home too - Plants work amazing with people and the green color lightens up any dark room.

10-Review the marketing material with your agent and schedule that first open house together this is team work. Hit the market and make a dent ! 

Happy home selling!