Real Estate Information

Selling Your Home - Be Sure It Shows Well


Whether you are selling a house, townhouse, condo or apartment, there are universal tips that will help it sell. Primary among those tips are making sure your home "shows well."

First impressions of a home go a long way to determining how quickly it will sell. Here are a few suggestions that will make your home show well.

1. Be sure the approach to your home is clean, tidy and well groomed. Any brass should be polished, paint on the door should be in good condition and the door should be washed clean of fingerprints and paw marks.

2. If your home is a single family house, be sure the grass is cut, leaves raked, plant beds mulched and weeded, etc.

3. If your home is in a multi-family building, be sure the approach and hall to your home is clean even if it is not your job!

4. Be sure your home is tidy and uncluttered. This includes closets, cabinets, garages, and other storage areas. When "stuffed," no amount of storage "shows" as adequate. When really messy, no room looks charming.

5. Make any repairs that are noticeably needed. Door handles and locks should fit well and firmly. Exterior doors should shut and lock solidly. Drains and downspouts should be firmly attached and clear of debris so water flows freely. Attached light fixtures should be firmly attached. All switches should turn on whatever they were designed to turn on -- light, fan, disposal, etc.

6. Conventional wisdom dictates your home should be "neutralized." You can't really go wrong following this advice. You know the drill -- beige or soft gray carpet, beige, gray, or taupe walls, white or off-white woodwork and ceilings. Sometimes a very soft gold or a soft sage green can also "read" as neutral.

7. If you have a sure sense of decorating (you probably do if family and friends frequently ask your advice and you enjoy making decorating decisions), and especially if you plan to leave color coordinated window treatments, you might leave more definite colors in place understanding that a potential buyer with no imagination might be put off by them and not think to request a "redecorating allowance" in a contract offer. Still, beautiful decorating which is not neutral undeniably attracts some buyers.

8. If your carpet is in poor condition, but you cannot afford to replace it, get several neutral samples in a mid-price range from a local carpet store, spread them on the floor, and add a note stating that you will be glad to provide a carpet allowance from the proceeds of settlement.

9. Dark homes show badly. Make sure lamps are on and lampshades are straight with the seams toward a wall. Make sure there is as much natural light as possible; have curtains, shades and blinds open.

Buyers are looking for a home they can see themselves living in. Follow the above tips and you will position your home to sell quickly.

Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org - providing homes for sale by owner, "FSBO", properties. Are you thinking, "Should I sell my home?" Visit http://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm to sell your home sale for free for one month.


MORE RESOURCES:

Sydney Morning Herald

Real estate power broker dead of apparent suicide
CNN International - 2 hours ago
Steven L. Good was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound in his car Monday CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- One of Chicago's most well-known real estate moguls ...
Real-Estate Executive Found Dead in Apparent Suicide Wall Street Journal
Chicago real estate executive kills himself, police say Chicago Tribune
Real estate tycoon found dead Straits Times
Chicago Sun-Times - WBBM780
all 43 news articles


New York Times

Tough '09 Is Seen for Commercial Real Estate
Washington Post, United States - Jan 5, 2009
By Dana Hedgpeth This year will be among the worst for the US commercial real estate industry, as unemployment leads to a drop of as much as 30 percent in ...
Commercial Real Estate Miami Daily Business Review
Commercial real-estate market faces worsening slump San Bernardino Sun
Debate over a commercial real estate bailout Journal Record (subscription)
NASDAQ - New York Times
all 95 news articles


Real Estate Channel

Real estate activity rebounded in Nov.
Bizjournals.com, NC - 2 hours ago
Philadelphia-area real estate activity in November rebounded from a low point during the height of the global financial crisis in October, but was still 23 ...
Pending home sales plunge to record low in Nov. BusinessWeek
Pending home sales rose in November in Philadelphia area Philadelphia Inquirer
Pending Home Sales Drop to Seven Year Low Dividend.com
istockAnalyst.com (press release) - New York Times
all 648 news articles


Boston-area commercial real estate sales plunge
Boston Globe, United States - 14 hours ago
Now, real estate investors don't have data to guide them in pricing properties in the soft economy, making it less likely that buyers will come forward out ...
Office vacancies rise south of Boston The Patriot Ledger
all 4 news articles


New York Daily News

New York City neighborhoods with the best real estate bargains
New York Daily News, NY - 10 hours ago
Now the tides may be turning, according to a new real estate study by Streeteasy, a website that tracks real estate trends. The good news: there are a lot ...
Manhattan housing up in 4Q, but luxury market down BusinessWeek
Streeteasy study finds home sales in Manhattan drop 34% New York Daily News
all 41 news articles


New York Daily News

Tom & Katie Are Not NYC's Next Real Estate Moguls
E! Online - 20 hours ago
Are Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes trying to give Donald Trump a run for his New York City real estate money? If a new report is to be believed, ...
Katie Holmes spends $14m in six months in New York Telegraph.co.uk
Katie Holmes: Final Week On Broadway! The Gossip Girls
all 105 news articles


Overseas Property and Investment News

Striking Declines Seen in Manhattan Real Estate Market
New York Times, United States - Jan 5, 2009
By JOSH BARBANEL For those New Yorkers who wondered what the Manhattan real estate market might be like without the ever-rising bonuses of Wall Street’s ...
Manhattan's Sterling Real-Estate Market Begins to Tarnish Wall Street Journal
NYC real estate defies gravity - so far CNNMoney.com
More Confirmation Real Estate Market is Tanking Gothamist
AHN - Sun-Sentinel.com
all 102 news articles


PerezHilton.com

Shaquille O'Neal boxed in by drop in real estate values
Los Angeles Times, CA - Jan 6, 2009
As everybody knows, the real estate market has tanked since then and Shaq just relisted his Miami home with a dramatically reduced price of $25 million. ...
Shaq' home back on market Bizjournals.com
all 13 news articles


New York Times

International Real Estate For Sale in Mexico
New York Times, United States - 19 hours ago
Oceanfront homes on Cozumel start at about $1 million, said Nancy Edwards, a broker with Cozumel Living Real Estate; condominiums sell for around $500000. ...


Bailing out the real estate market
Boston Globe, United States - 5 hours ago
But in a switch, the powerful real estate trade group is not downplaying the bad news this time. "A real estate-focused stimulus plan is urgently needed," ...
NAR Urges Obama to Boost Property Sector Quickly NuWire Investor
all 5 news articles

Real-Estate - Google News

home | site map | Contact Us | Privacy policy | Disclaimer
Copyright © 2006 realestategainer.com - contact us:- info@realestategainer.com