Avoid traps, pitfalls, and learn what

professional Real Estate Agents do

when marketing their own homes.

Getting Ready To Sell 3

Staging Your Home 7

Curb Appeal 11

Pricing Effectively 15

Using a Realtor 18

Getting Ready To Sell

3

You would never dream of

inviting guests in to your house

without making certain

preparations. Likewise, it’s a

good idea to first make the

necessary updates to prepare

your home for sale before

inviting potential buyers in. If you

are like most sellers, you want to

get as much as possible for your

home and you want to sell it

quickly. Here’s how you do it. 4

When a potential buyer walks through

your home, they need to envision their

belongings and décor without being

distracted by yours. While these items

may be special to you, they could

possibly prevent the buyer from being

able to imagine their own style

complementing the home. In addition

to removing any personal items, make

sure that you remove any clutter from

the home. A clean home seems larger

and more inviting, whereas a lot of

stuff laying around could give the

impression that the home is too small 5

Make sure that you have any carpet

stains removed, windows cleaned,

fresh linens placed in the bedrooms

and bathrooms, etc. You would be

surprised at how many people pay

attention to even the smallest of

details, so be sure to fix any small

repairs that could be a turnoff for

buyers. Spent some time checking the

exterior and interior surfaces, as well

as fences, banisters, etc. and touch up

any chipped or peeling paint.

A finished, flawless paint job can

enormously increase the value of and

attractiveness of your home! 6

Staging Your Home

7

Now that your house is clean it’s time to

put on the finishing touches on the

staging process.

The living room should have one focal

point, whether it be a fireplace, a

breathtaking view, bookshelf, or large

wall for art. If you have too many

features screaming out at potential

buyers they may feel overwhelmed, so

focus on one aspect and make it shine.

If your furniture is patterned, you may

want to mask it with a solid throw

blanket, or pillows, to complement the

flooring or wall colors. 8

Did you know that the kitchen and

bathrooms are two of the main

selling points to any home? Keep

this in mind when preparing for your

potential buyers. Remove children’s

drawings from the refrigerator and

clean up your counter space in both

the kitchen and bathrooms. A solid,

neutral shade in a tablecloth should

be selected for the dining room

table. In the center of the table, a

vase with fresh cut flowers (or silk, if

you have allergies) will add a nice

accent. 9

Master bedrooms are naturally one of

the most important rooms to a potential

Buyer, as it will becoming their own

personal sanctuary. To ensure the room

feels inviting, and not distracting, make

the bed, put away your laundry, shoes,

and other miscellaneous items lying

around. Adding some nice accent

pillows, or a colorful throw blanket, to

your bed dressings can complement

the space nicely. Remove any large

items of furniture that may make the

room feel too small and turn on the

lights, and open the draperies, to create

a bright and inviting environment. 10

Curb Appeal

11

A great deal of attention is placed on

the interior of a home when it comes to

home staging, but think of the first thing

a buyer will see as they drive up your

street searching for your address. Will

what they see get them excited about

the showing? Or will they be tempted to

drive away and cancel the

appointment? There’s a lot more to curb

appeal than cutting grass. Some

studies show that landscaping can

increase the value of a home by as

much as 25%. Other feature

enhancers, such as lighting, can add

value and appeal. 12

Decluttering your yard is just as

important as decluttering the interior of

your home. Remove items such as

kid’s or pet’s toys, hoses, and

gardening tools. Fix anything that is

broken. A leaning mailbox, cracked

steps, or a damaged fence can all

adversely impact your curb appeal.

Keep your lawn mowed and weed-free,

and remove grass clippings from

walkways and sidewalks. Flower beds

add a pleasant splash of color and are

known to do wonders for making a

good first impression.

13

Pressure wash your home’s exterior

and paint if needed. If you can’t afford a

new door, paint the one you have a

bold shade to complement your home’s

exterior. Consider giving your garage

doors a facelift, or power wash, as well.

Make sure your porch and yard

furniture looks fresh and inviting.

Buying a new welcome mat a place

potted flowers near the entrance.

Replace burned-out light bulbs in all of

the exterior lights and consider

replacing the light fixtures closest to the

front door, or porch, for an updated

look. 14

Pricing Effectively

15

Many homeowners believe there's no harm in erring on the high side when pricing their home. After all, you can always lower the price if the property doesn't sell, right? While true, remember that interest will be greatest when your home is new on the market. If not priced competitively, many potential buyers won't even take a look at your property, and recapturing their interest later on can be difficult. The longer your home remains on the market, the less likely it is to sell for a good price. Some buyers actually question their own taste when attracted to a property that's been sitting on the market for many months. As a result, homes that were initially overpriced frequently end upselling for below market value.

16

Pricing a home correctly, particularly in the current market, takes considerable skill and experience. Knowing which homes prospective buyers will be looking at and comparing to your property is crucial when setting your price. So is the ability to make adjustments for features, location, condition, and terms, while taking into account market trends and fluctuations. Don’t: List your property “just to see what

happens”. Fool yourself in to thinking trends and

competition don’t matter. They do. Do: List your home effectively. Consult an expert if you’re unsure.

17

Using a Realtor

18

REALTORS® have a great deal of

knowledge and experience in a number

of areas that can make a real difference

in selling a home. Expertise ranging

from market analyses to establish a

selling price, to simple repairs and

improvements or proven “staging”

techniques to show a home in its best

possible light, can translate to quicker

sales and better purchase prices. The

same is true for the established

advertising and marketing tools and

strategies REALTORS® employ to gain

the highest visibility in a far-reaching

market. 19

Did you know that on average, homeowners who sell

their homes through a Real Estate Agent or Broker

make substantially more money on the sale than those

who attempt to sell it themselves? That's because

selling a property is not only about knowing your home,

but knowing how it compares to other, similar

properties on the market. It's about having the

experience to understand what kind of advertising

attracts the attention of the most desirable buyers. It's

about understanding the psychology of the individual

homebuyer and that the aspect of your property your

prospective buyer finds most compelling might be

something you never think about. And it's also about

pricing. Most houses being marketing by their owners

are priced incorrectly. They either sell for too little to

begin with, or are initially overpriced and linger on the

market for ages before the asking price is drastically

reduced. Professional REALTORS® specializing in

your area have access to resources not available to

the public, allowing them to set the right price to

achieve a speedy sale at top dollar. 20

Real estate agents provide a valuable benefit with

the tools and experience to judge potential buyers.

This allows them to not only be sure they are

showing properties of interest to buyers, but also to

ensure the prospective buyer is genuinely

interested in purchasing a property and is

financially qualified to do so. As a result, sellers

have a better idea of the people who will be visiting

their home, can show the home more securely, and

have only qualified buyers visiting their home.

Further, in today's buyer's market with a wealth of

information available to prospective buyers, sellers

face well-informed buyers who are often tough

negotiators, particularly when dealing directly with a

homeowner who likely has an emotional

attachment to the property being sold.

REALTORS® are experienced, objective

negotiators - an advantage in working out a deal in

the seller's best interests. 21

Recap

22

Remove personal items from your home and

touch up any chipped or pealing paint.

Create a focal point in your living room and

declutter the kitchen and baths.

Make the master bedroom warm and inviting

with a simple throw or accent pillows.

Remove items such as kid’s or pet’s toys, hoses,

and gardening tools from your yard.

Fix items such as broken mail boxes, burned out

light bulbs, cracked steps, or damaged fence.

Spruce up your landscaping or add flowers near

your entry way.

Avoid pricing your home too high and

understand your immediate competition.

Most importantly:

Contact a local REALTOR®.

Trust a REALTOR’S® expertise and allow them

to assist you in the selling process. 23

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