Putting Your House “For Sale” Takes Work

Putting a “For Sale” sign in your front yard isn’t all you have to do to sell your house.

There are a few major things you should keep in mind if you want to sell fast and for top dollar.

1. Make your house look its best inside and out by thoroughly cleaning, decluttering, and repairing any broken items. Every room in the house including basement, garage, and yard! Put yourself in their position. Would you want to move into your home?
2. Tell the truth on the Property Condition Report! You may be tempted to hide a problem so it doesn’t scare away buyers, but beware! If you hide any major problems like foundation or roof leaks, mold, or anything else that will peak its head out sooner or later, it could come back to haunt you. Any potential buyer will most likely hire an inspector that will find your hidden problems and then at that point will be brought up. At that point, the buyer has the option to back out of the contract or ask you to pay the cost for fixing the problem you tried hiding. If the problem is found out after the house deal closes, you could end up in a messy legal battle for misrepresentation.
3. Not being realistic about your home’s value. You may have bought your house for $150,000 and put in $15,000 worth of improvements to equal $165,000. This number is not what your house should sell for. The $165,000 is what you have invested in your house. As the economy rises and falls so does the value of your house. Research must be done comparing recently sold houses in your neighborhood, currently active houses for sale in your neighborhood, etc. to come up with a true value of your home.
4. Refusing to negotiate the price. Don’t be stuck on your asking price. You know when you get an offer on your house; it is most times lower than your asking price. At this point they are waiting for you to counter offer. Add that little bit of wiggle room when figuring your asking price. When it comes right down to it, ask yourself if it is really worth fighting over $500 – $1,000? Wouldn’t you be willing to forfeit that little bit when you can move into your dream home?

It would be in your best interest for you to hire a seasoned and qualified Realtor to assist you with your sale. They are the professional with the training and experience.

 

Article written by Lisa M Arthur Huben
Custom Kreations, Inc.