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How To Sell Your Home For The Most
Money
The Market
Will Pay!
Dear Home Seller:
The decision to place your home on the market can involve a
number of stresses and strains. Many home sales are motivated by
circumstances outside your control: Job relocation, family problems,
financial issues, divorce, and more. Others are related to family issues:
The need for a bigger home, a better neighborhood, schools, etc.
Whether you’ve lived in your home 2 years or 20, you know it’s
not just a shelter, or even another investment. It’s the place where your
dreams come to life. In flower gardens and family rooms. Backyard
barbecues and home-cooked Sunday dinners. It’s the place we raise our
children. The nest we nudge them out of, and welcome them back to again
and again.
And for some, it’s even our place of business.
But there comes a day when it’s time to move on. Time to
reflect on old memories, and prepare to build new ones. Time to leave the
past behind for a new future. It’s no wonder why buying or selling a home
is often emotionally charged and potentially overwhelming.
That’s why I created this report. Regardless of your reasons
for selling, your goal is to sell your home for the most money, and in the
shortest amount of time. And for the least amount of hassles and
distractions.
Unfortunately, The Way Many Sellers Go
About Selling Their Home Leaves Them Wide Open To The Very Problems
They’re Trying To Avoid.
When you’re getting ready to put your property on the market,
there are a number of things to think about, to prepare for, and to
organize. Here’s a list of 7 costly pitfalls to look out for…
Mistake #1: Failing to DRESS Your
Property For Sale
Buyers look for HOMES, not houses. They buy homes which they
FEEL they would like to live. One of the major factors in getting your
home to sell quickly is very simple: MAKE IT FEEL LIKE “HOME.”
Most buyers select their home based on EMOTIONS. Once their
decision is made to buy, they justify their purchase with LOGICAL reasons:
facts and features. So, it’s most important to make your home appeal to
all senses. Your property is NOT the only home the buyers will see. You
are competing with other homes in the market, and some of them have been
professionally decorated.
The Way You Live In A Home, And The
Way Your SELL A Home
Are TWO Very Different Things
When you’re showcasing your home for sale, it’s going to look
very different from the way it looks when you’re living there. Here are a
few tips for showcasing your home for sale:
Ø
First impressions set the tone for a buyer visit, and
they’re LASTING! Approach your home in your car like any buyer would.
Examine the outside as you’re approaching. How does it look? Are shrubs
away from the home? Oil in the driveway? How does the grass and
landscaping look? Cluttered looks detract from the architecture of the
home. A clean, polished landscape says your home is valuable and well
maintained!
Ø
Take a look at your actual home. Is the paint fading or
chipping? Is the color outdated or impersonal? How does the roof look?
As you drive up to or away from your home, what do you see first?
Ø
Now go inside just like a buyer would. You want to be aware
of 4 senses: smell, touch, sight, and hearing. Go through room by room
and test all 4 senses. Check flooring and carpet for stains and odors.
Most importantly: Pack away all appliances, get rid of excess furniture,
put away useless dishes – and make your home neat and orderly. If you’ve
ever visited a model home, you’ll notice it’s clean and uncluttered. You
have to move anyway, so you might as well pack early, and make your home
more saleable. Go to the garage and make sure it’s neat.
Ø
Hire someone to professionally clean your home. Top to
bottom! Cleaning and cosmetic fix-ups, especially in the Kitchen,
bathrooms, and master bedroom can many times yield you up to $10 in extra
sales price for every $1 you invest.
Ø
Pets should be out of sight (and smell!). Get rid of pet
odors for showings. Remember the 4 senses. Also, some people are uneasy
around pets, and they may distract attention from the features of your
home.
Ø
Pay particular attention to lighting. During the day, open
all your blinds and curtains. If it’s cloudy out, turn on all lights for
showings. At dusk, leave your front drapes open and turn on all the lamps
and lights.
At night, do the same, but close your blinds and curtains. When showing
your home, turn off all appliances, television, radio, and anything that
will distract attention from your home. You might want to play a little
light music to enhance the emotional experience for your buyer.
Mistake #2: Pricing Your
Home Incorrectly
Every seller wants to realize as much money as possible when
selling their home. The natural inclination is to price the home high,
thinking you can always come down in the future.
But a listing price that is too high frequently nets the seller LESS money
than an original price at market value. Why is this? Because people
looking for homes in your price range will reject your home in favor of
other homes in a reasonable price range.
And here’s the real clincher: Agents who would readily bring
buyers through your home will automatically cross it off their showing
schedule because it’s priced too high. They’re only motivated to show
homes with the highest probability of selling. Agents simply will NOT
show overpriced homes because they work by commission. They know market
values because it’s their job to know. And they don’t want to waste their
time.
So you price your home high, thinking you can come down.
Problem is, the agent and buyer community doesn’t look at it that way.
They see it as an overpriced home. After a few months go by, 8 or 10 open
houses, signs, Realtor tours…and not a nibble. So you decide to lower
your price again. But it’s too late…your home has already been “branded”
by the Realtor community. So you reduce your home a little more. And
little happens.
Finally, in order to attract attention back to your home, you’ve reduced
your home price more than you ever thought you would, and you’re now
netting much less than if you had priced it correctly in the beginning.
And think about this: the money you lost is not just the lower
sales price, but all the extra interest you paid on your mortgage…all the
extra property taxes and other carrying costs that accrue while your home
is waiting to sell. I’ve seen it happen time and again!
Real Estate Fact: The Seller Is Solely
Responsible For
How Much, And How Quickly Their Home
Sells!
Overpricing almost always increases time to sell, and adds to
your carrying costs. That’s why I provide a complete, no obligation
evaluation of your home. I call it my “[Maximum Home Value Audit.]”
Unlike many agents who will give you an inflated value just to
seduce you to give them your listing, I’ll give you a real world home
value analysis. Based on verifiable facts and figures. I’ll also
physically inspect your home to identify those areas where spending small
amounts of money can yield many times return in sales price.
I’ll be straight with you, and tell you precisely why it’s
worth what it’s worth. I’ll also show you how to net more money in your
home sale. Here are a few more areas my exclusive [Home Marketing
Plan] can help you with…
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How to set the asking price to maximize exposure and a
profitable sale…
Ø
How do you really define and compare market value between
homes?
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How the principle of “substitution” affects the value of
your home…
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How to protect yourself from crime when selling your home…
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How to handle buyers during a showing to help yield the
highest price.
Once you understand these important issues, you’ll know how to price and
sell your home for the fastest, most profitable sale. Also, with this
information, you’ll never pay too much for any home you buy for the rest
of your life.
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