As a realtor, I meet with clients who are either looking to sell their home or are in the hunt to purchase a new home or both. I spend time running comparative market analyses, setting up home searches for buyers, taking clients on home showings, meeting with potential sellers to discuss the market and their home’s value, among much, much, more. Last fall it was my turn to be the client as my husband and I personally went through the home buying and selling process. Having sold a home so recently, I was reflecting today on what we did to get it SOLD and sold fast. So below are 5 steps to take before selling a home that I not only find to be true in most cases when working with sellers but that I also found true for our home selling situation as well. (Keep in mind there are many more steps one could take, these are just a start!)
- Clean top to bottom! You know your friend, Liz, who’s house always smells like fresh baked cookies and lemon Pine-sol? When you walk in you know each of her rooms is tidy, dust free, and the grout was probably just scrubbed that morning. It’s comforting and refreshing, right?! Well you want to create that same kind of reaction
when your potential buyers walk in to your home. This may mean breaking out the toothbrush (a new one you don’t plan to ever use) to get in the nooks and crannies of the kitchen and vacuuming not just each room but the staircases, too (both going up to the bedrooms and down to the basement – ugh, not the stairs!). But at the end of the day when your home is spick-and-span and smells like Liz’s, you’ll be glad you took the time – and your potential buyers will notice, too! - Pack up your personal decorations, trinkets, toys! When your potential buyer walks through your home, they want to be able to picture their furniture in the family room, their picture frames on the wall, their kitchen table in the breakfast nook, and their kids’ toys strewn about the basement. If your decorations are on display – no matter if you made sure to dust around the 37 pictures and 19 trophies on top of Brad’s dresser or “picked up” and organized all of Susie’s 17 stuffed animals on her bed – it is a reminder that this is not yet their home and can ultimately be distracting. We’re not saying you need to remove everything – that would actually be the complete opposite of what needs to happen. But just put away all of the “stuff” that is indicative of your family’s living there. In this case, remember the phrase, “LESS IS MORE!”
- Update your fixtures! You may like your gold doorknobs, brass light fixtures, and brown retro carpet but if you have watched HGTV at all in the last 20 years you would see those just aren’t “in” anymore. (Sorry. Not sorry.) These date a house extremely quickly and at the core, may create a negative emotional reaction in your potential buyer – something you want to avoid! We’re not saying you have to spend an arm and a leg to get the latest and greatest most expensive mirrors, light fixtures, and kitchen appliances there are – but we would recommend something new and simple. We can also recommend the best places around Indianapolis to find those replacements at a discounted rate.
- Stage your home! You may think that staging is too complicated but in all reality, it’s just a spruced up version of making sure your home is clean, free of clutter, and that each room is highlighted to the best of it’s ability. So when you walk in to your dining room that you’ve actually used as the kid’s play room for the past 7 years,
take out all the toys and put in a dining room table. Or when you look at your family room from the kitchen, make sure the furniture layout in the room maximizes the space. Another simple thing you could do is in the bathroom, put your rinse cup and hairbrush away out of site and replace them with a vase of flowers. The flowers don’t even have to be real but they will set the tone that the room is fresh and comfortable. (If staging really overwhelms you, though, the good news is we are certified in home staging – so we can definitely help!) - Talk to a Realtor! Think about it. We, Realtors, are typically in and out of not one but multiple houses every single week. And if your realtor has been in the biz for awhile (like us!) that means they’ve seen A LOT of houses! Given our experience and exposure to so many homes, we can let you know how yours stacks up against the competition. That means we may suggest you change out carpet in the loft or paint Zak’s room from black to a neutral beige but please don’t take offense. Keep in mind that just like you, we want to get your home SOLD and at the best value we can. So our suggestions are simply to accomplish that goal – getting your home SOLD. We will also do the market research – called a comparative market analysis – to see what price points homes have sold at around you, how many are for sale that you would be in the market with, what your home is worth, and more.
After reading these tips we hope you’re encouraged that you can do most – if not all – of these 5 steps before selling your home! Don’t be overwhelmed! Know that the Indianapolis Home Team is here to help you navigate the waters of selling your home and we just want to help make that process as easy as possible. So don’t hesitate to give the us a call! We can start by meeting for coffee so you get to know us, who we are, and what we’re about! Oh, and if you decide to sell with us, chances are we’ll review these 5 steps to take before selling a home. 😉
Hope to hear from you soon! 317-431-8269 or joyalcock@gmail.com!
live in a certain school district so your children receive the best education possible? Or maybe you don’t need a super specific location but price of the home and number of bedrooms is really important to your family.
the question you may be thinking to yourself but not wanting to admit out loud, “Uhhhh, what exactly is a CMA?” If this is you, be not ashamed! CMA stands for 
orted my husband and I in two different purchases. The first experience she supported us as a first time home buyer and walked us through every detail in the process. Seven years later when we were looking to move we contacted Joy who gave us advice on improvements to make to our small home to add resale value and help it sell quickly. Joy also had an extensive network which helped us make these improvements within our budget. All of the improvements worked! Our home was only on the market for 15 days and we received an offer extremely close to our asking price. Joy was relentless in helping us find our new forever home and managed almost every detail with the seller. We have been in our home now for over 1 monthand we are exceptionally pleased with our choice and our experience with Joy as our agent. I would highly recommend her to a friend.”
Joy Alcock, Real Estate Broker 