South Florida Palm Beaches Real Estate
LOCAL EXPERTISE GLOBAL REACH
Martin Group of Realtors®
+1-561-339-1779
Decide if you are really ready to sell. Here are a few thoughts to consider:
Getting your home ready to sell and hiring the right people have costs with time, money, and emotions.
Homeowners tend to love their homes. Make sure you’re emotionally ready to let go.
Low interest rates are projected to continue to the end of this year.
If space or functionality is the issue, sometimes taking out loans for renovations could be a better fit for you than going to a larger house and a bigger mortgage payment.
1
Selling Options
If you want to sell your home faster, then the first step is to hire a professional real estate agent or a licensed Realtor®. The ideal person will know the local market and able to provide you with a professional CMA or Comparative Market Analysis of your home with the others in your area.
Keep in mind that a Realtor® will help with the entire process, from hiring a professional photographer who will take top-notch photos of your home to negotiating for the best price.
Realtors® also write a real estate listing that sells your home. Planning and hosting showings of your home, as well as marketing your property to get it seen by buyers, is included in their services.
Another option is to sell your home yourself, known as FSBO or For Sale By Owner. Everything done is up to you, the owner.
Contact the Martin Group of Realtors® at 561-339-1779 for your FREE consultation, without any obligation.
2
De-clutter, De-personalize, Clean
De-clutter: Take half the stuff out of your closets, then neatly organize what’s left. Rearrange the furniture so your home looks inviting and so buyers can move through your home without bumping into anything. If necessary, put bulky items in storage. A crowded room looks like a small room.
De-personalize: Remove all your family photos and memorabilia. You want buyers to see the house as a home for their family, not yours. Remove political and religious items, your children’s artwork (and everything else) from the refrigerator and anything that marks the house as your territory rather than neutral territory.
The same goes for any collections such as figurines, sports memorabilia or kids’ toys that can make a buyer think less about the house and more about you. Family photos can be replaced by neutral art or removed entirely – just be sure to remove any nails and repair nail holes where any hanging photos used to be.
Clean Everything! Nothing turns off buyers like a dirty house. Hire a company to deep clean if you can’t do it yourself. When your home is on the market, no matter what time of day, it should be clean and neat.
Key places to keep clean while your home is on the market include: kitchen countertops, inside kitchen cabinets and appliances, floors and room corners where dust collects, shelves, bathroom countertops and cabinets, toilets, tubs and showers, inside closets, windows, inside and out, walls, baseboards, doors and garage.
3
Make Minor Repairs
Focus on quick repairs to address things that could deter potential buyers. Survey the house and you can probably take care of the easy repairs yourself: Fix loose tiles, leaky faucets, paint scuffed areas on walls, fresh coat of paint on outside of front door, tighten door knobs and handles, fix mailboxes, deep clean carpet or replace when there are pet stains, and replace nonworking light bulbs and smoke detectors.
Depending on how much time and money you want to spend getting the home ready, you might also need to update fixtures, buy new appliances, install new hardware on the cabinets, and give the interior a fresh coat of Depending on how much time and money you want to spend getting the home ready, you might also want to update fixtures, buy new appliances, install new hardware on the cabinets, and give the interior a fresh coat of light neutral paint color.
4
Refresh Flooring
Deep Clean or Replace Carpeting
Clean, Buff, or Refinish Hardwood Floors
Clean, Buff or Replace Tile
5
Landscape the Front Yard
If you want to sell quickly, then it’s essential to make a good first impression. And the first thing a buyer sees is a home’s exterior and how it fits into the surrounding neighborhood.
To boost your home’s curb appeal: Paint the front door, plant colorful blooming flowers, sweep away spiderwebs and debris from windows, eaves, and porches.
Wash the windows inside and outside, fix broken light fixtures and mailboxes.
Make sure the trees, shrubs, and lawn are kept nicely trimmed. Plus get patios, sidewalks, porch ceilings, driveways and house pressure-washed, if needed.
Keep in mind that a tidy exterior not only looks nice, but also signals to potential buyers that you’ve taken good care of the place.
6
Offer Buyers Some Extras
Another way to make the home purchase more attractive to a buyer is to offer something to sweeten the deal. You could offer, for example, to pay some or all of the closing costs. Buyers are looking for a deal, especially since the price of sold homes have increased in the 2022 market.
Another tip is to offer a transferable home warranty, which provides discounted repair and replacement services for household appliances and systems. A potential buyer may feel more at ease knowing that the home is protected, which could make your home more attractive than a competing home.
Do your best to make the buyers feel that they are getting something extra with your home that other listings do not have.
7
Determine Best Selling Price
Price it right to sell quickly! One of the most effective ways to sell your home fast is to price it competitively. And be ready to lower the price if you don’t have any offers by a certain date.
If your home is overpriced, it will take a lot longer to sell plus you probably will end up selling it for much less.
8
Professional Photos
- Pick neutral colors for walls, decor, and furniture
- Let in all the natural light you can Leave just enough furniture in each room to make it look functional and roomy Deep clean everything Take photographs with as much light as possible Invest in a wide angle lens for great photos Take high-resolution images—a camera will typically take higher resolution photos than your phone
9
Advertise
Online Ads and Social Media
Promote your house yourself by telling all your friends and family about the sale of your house.
10
Showing Your House
Natural Light. Drapes/curtains/blinds open. Lamps, spotlights turned on. Fresh Air…Clean Smells.
Selling a home can be stressful—even more so if you’re on a tight deadline. Fortunately, whether you need to sell fast because of a new job, a life event as death or divorce, or financial reasons, there are ways to speed up the process.
If you don’t have the budget to get your home ready to sell, then focus on that first impression. Buyers can make a decision within seconds—a few from the curb, and a few when they step inside the front door. Make those seconds count with a tidy yard, a sparkling home, and, if you can swing it, a fresh coat of paint.
Sources:
National Association of Realtors –How Much Does Home Staging Cost—and How Much Will You Gain?”
Investopedia – 6 Tips to Sell Your Home Fast
Realtor – Home Selling Checklist: Things to do Before Selling