Home Sellers Should Know These 3 Key Tips!

Mark Gladue shares some key tips for Home Sellers to get a competitive edge in the home selling process.

Tip 1: Clean and Stage your Home

“Staging” your home doesn’t mean buying new decorations and replacing what’s there. Your Realtor® will help you take your personal items and put them in the right place that will make Buyers feel welcome, and able to envision their lives there.

Create blank space

Clear away clutter and excess stuff; less is more when staging your home. Encourage your kids to store their toys in their toy trunks, and do the same with your own items. Store surplus furniture, making the space feel larger and more open. Clear off kitchen counters and remove empty moving boxes. Buyers want to imagine themselves in this space. Give them the chance to do that.

Keep it squeaky clean

Nobody wants to buy someone else’s mess, so clean up like you’re having family for dinner! Freshen the bathrooms with simple things like leaving the seat down, folding hand towels and replenishing the toilet paper roll.

Dust is a menace, so let’s remove that lived-in layer! Afterwards, vacuum carpets, drapes and blinds to give every surface a fresh feel.

Finish those small projects

How can you make your 30 year old home feel young again? Doing those chores you always say “I’ll do that tomorrow” to will go a long way. Home Buyers pay attention to detail, so they will notice a drip or creak.

Repair leaking faucets, fix door locks, touch up paint, replace dead light bulbs, and oil squeaky doors – these will all make your first impression one that counts.

Is your house in serious disrepair? We’ve got a great list of contractors we’ve used time and again. We’ll recommend the best handyman for your situation, just ask!

Tip 2: Create a Buying Mood

Part of staging your home and getting the atmosphere just right can be simple.

Turn on lights so they aren’t fumbling for the switch.

Adjust the temperature to something comfortable, especially in the heat of summer or the chill of winter. If you have The Nest Thermostat, you can control your temperature from your phone; adjust it half an hour before they arrive, and then back to normal after their appointment has ended.

Let the light in! Sunshine and natural light do wonders for staging a home. Open the drapes and blinds to flood the house with natural light.

Tip 3: Mentally Prepare

Your home will soon be open to potential Home Buyers, you’ll need to prepare yourself mentally to sell so the process doesn’t feel like an ordeal. Knowing what to expect goes a long way to calming your nerves.

Know that people will be walking through your home, peeking into closets and opening up your pantry. These Buyers aren’t here to gawk at your items, they’re looking at the bone structure and basic elements of your house.

For your comfort and for Buyer experience, it’s better to neatly store your clutter, rather than to hide it like a dirty secret. Keeping the place neatly organized will give you more peace of mind and give Buyers a better first impression.

Contact Mark Gladue with questions about his 3 Key Tips to the Home Selling Process.

Call or Text Mark (608) 658-0467 or email him.

Bonus Tip: Call a Realtor®

The best thing you could do!

Online search engines such as Trulia, Zillow and WisconsinHomes.com lack that human touch. With a Realtor®, you can get expert advice on selling your home, taking into account more than just square footage and number of bedrooms.

Your home value on these sites are a rough estimate but with an experienced agent your home will be priced according to size, bedrooms, bathrooms, updates, neighborhood and the current real estate market.

Curious what your home is worth? Contact our live agents today and get a Free Market Analysis of your property.

How to choose the right Realtor®

You should feel comfortable with and have faith in your real estate agent. Moving is a big deal, so you need to know you’re in good hands.
Find someone local who knows the area well. You wouldn’t want a Realtor® from Janesville selling your Near East Madison home if they don’t even know what awesome neighborhood qualities you have!

Ask family to recommend an agent, and ask agents you interview for references. Someone may interview well, but are they all talk? A key component to Realtor® Shopping is to look at reviews of their services.

Interested in meeting one of our agents? Contact us today to set up a time to chat.