We’ve started house hunting in the last few weeks and I have learned so much in this short amount of time! We haven’t found our house yet, but we’re diligently looking! I’m lurking Realtor.com like it’s my job right now!
In our search for our home I’ve noticed a few consistencies that have contributed to us to walking away from several for-sale homes, and to not even look at some. I want to share these things from a buyer’s perspective specifically with someone who is currently trying to sell their home (or who will be doing this soon) so that you can sell your home quickly and easily!
1. Clean your house. Please. To me, this is the most important thing a seller can do. If there is garbage, grime, dirt, or just junk lying around your house and/or yard I’m going to assume this level of care for the appearance of your for-sale home is consistent with how you cared for things like the roof, the plumbing, and the appliances. Please run a vacuum over the carpet, wipe down the fridge inside and out, and make sure you’ve removed all hangers and such from the closets if you’ve moved out already. You get one chance to make me think I want to spend the next 30 years of my life paying for your house. Make it count.
2. Keep and display manuals for all your appliances. This means so much- not just that you were considerate enough to lay them out for the buyers to use in the future, but that you kept them at all tells me that you probably maintained your appliances well.
3. Hire a realtor. Do not try to sell your house “by owner.” Hiring a realtor legitimizes your home in my mind and helps me feel more secure in buying it from you.
4. Maintain the yard. Even if you’ve moved out. This make such a huge difference to me as a buyer. If you’ve taken the time to (or paid someone to) cut the grass I will notice. Even the best, most lush yards look awful if they’re overgrown. I’m not saying you need to keep it perfect, but at least mowing the grass goes a long, long way in making your house look like it could be my home.
5. Fix everything you possibly can. We walked away from a house we really liked because the seller disclosed a leak but didn’t bother to fix it. I’m not going to take on that liability, it’s just too risky for me as the buyer! True story- we looked at a home last week with a 5 in x 5 in hole in a bedroom door. A hole in the door! Are you kidding me?!
6. Update. Do it within reason and within your budget, but if you can update please do! Things like wallpaper, contact paper, and wood panelling need to be ripped off every surface they cover! A little paint goes a long way! The less I will have to do to your house when I move in the better. I will consider a more expensive house if updates like newer appliances, fixtures, and flooring are included.
7. Post tons of pictures in your online listing. Do not just post a single picture of the outside of your house and call it a day. I know that realtors do this, but please provide them with as many pictures as you can. (Bonus points for extra pictures of your house decorated for Christmas! Something about this really makes it feel homey to me!) I don’t know a single person who doesn’t look online at a house before they schedule a showing. Long gone are the days of driving around calling the numbers on the yard signs or looking through real estate magazines at the grocery store. I’m going to be scouring every picture you post before I decide if it’s worth my time to see your house in person. Take pictures of every single room, hallway, and closet. Open the shower curtain when you take a picture of the bathroom! I want to see what the tub/shower looks like. If it’s closed I’m going think you’re hiding something like really old fixtures or cracked tile.
7.5 Post tons of good pictures in your online listing. Please make sure your pictures are in focus, don’t have fingers in the corner, and are horizontal. Cell phone pictures won’t cut it- use a real camera. Also, cluttered rooms are a big no no. I don’t care if you love knick-knacks. You’re moving anyway- put them in a box and make your house look as empty as possible. I don’t want to see pictures of your decorations, I want to see pictures of the rooms, the floors, and the walls.
Sell your house quickly with these 7 1/2 tips from a potential buyer! #RealEstate Click To TweetSo there you have it! My 7 1/2 tips to help sell your house quickly! If you don’t do these things, your house will move to the bottom of my “to see in person” list. I understand that selling your house is a huge endeavor, but so is buying one! Doing these 7 1/2 things will definitely improve your chances of selling your house as quickly as possible. Good luck!
Do you have any tips for someone selling a home? Post them in the comments and add to my list!
Love these tips! I’d say if you’re selling the house needs to smell nice! Bake some cookies or diffuse some good smelling oils. Nothing worse than a stinky house 🙂
Good tip Shannon! Stinky houses are the worst!
An old tip is to put a drop or two of vanilla extract on a lightbulb. Makes it smell like cookies.
Nice!!!
Clean the windows! Hardly anyone does this because it is hard, but it will make everything seem lighter and brighter and probably even bigger. No one will say “Wow! What beautiful, clean windows.” They will just think the house seems cheerful instead of dreary. I’m sure your dad would say a fresh coat of paint gives a similar result.
That’s a good suggestion! I never thought about it like that before but you’re right! We saw a house today with lots of new, clean windows and it really made a impact on the whole look of the house
A clean house is so important! Great list. 🙂
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There was a house for sale in our neighborhood and it got a fresh coat of paint for its listing… only on the front of the house! I guess they only listed a curbside view of the home in the advertisement. Never seen anything quite like it, but the new owners don’t seem to mind, since they haven’t painted the rest of the house to match!
Hope you guys find a great new home to plant your roots and grow! 🙂
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Wow that’s….interesting! I wonder why they decided to do just the front. I’m glad it worked out for everyone, though! Thanks!
Really good tips – especially about (flattering) pictures!
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Selling your home can be a roller coaster of emotions. However, I think these tips you have here are really helpful. The third tip you have is one of the most important, in my opinion. You should never try to sell your home without the help of an experienced realtor!
Thanks Silas!
Brittany, I love your point about how hiring a real estate agent will legitimize your sale. I also agree that keeping your home clean and free of grime, dirt, and garbage will make a big difference. My husband and I are wanting to buy a house this year. Knowing I can rely on the expertise of a professional will help put us at ease and allow us to find the perfect place.
Thanks Lucy! Good luck on your house hunt!
This is some really good information about selling a home quickly. It is good to know that it would be smart to clean up your house as much as possible. I like that you pointed out that buyers most of the time don’t want to fix anything before moving into a new home. Personally, I wouldn’t even want to have to paint the walls.
Actually I enjoyed painting before we moved into our new home. After years of rentals, it was fun to make something just the way I wanted it! Thanks for your comment!
Thanks for explaining that a way to sell a house quickly is by hiring a who can be working to sell the home all the time. That does seem like a good thing for you to keep in mind when you are deciding if you want to hire a real estate agent. It seems like it might be smart to check if the real estate agent has a good reputation.
I agree completely!
Great tips. I live in Canada and here the buyer doesn’t pay for the realtor, the seller always pays. So if you are buying, get a realtor……they’re free to buyers.
I would say that, beyond maintaining the yard, you should SPRUCE UP YOUR CURB APPEAL according to your budget. No one will come IN if they don’t like the OUT – side, that is!
> Front shrubbery should not be allowed to grow up over the front porch railing or windows! (I don’t care if you liked the privacy. I looks unkempt and creepy!).
> Plant a few flowers, even if you can only afford two potfuls flanking the front steps or door.
> Paint the front door a new color that comes from or compliments the colors in your siding, shutters, or brick. A quart of semi-gloss is all you need. Read that first sentence again. I didn’t say to pick some crazy color not found in nature paint your front door like a circus tent!
> Throw down a new and cheerful doormat. It needn’t be expensive.
> If you have anything that hides the view of your home from the street, trim it. Folks want to see your home, not that Cousin It of a tree in the front yard. Just take out the bulkiness until you can see the house.
> If your house is siding, power wash it. You can rent a power washer, and you will be ah-mazed at the result! Just rinse throroughly!
I’m sorry, but some of these are just personal preferences and some are just naive first-time buyer wishes. Wallpaper, depending on the style of the home and wallpaper, can be a selling point. Manuals are nice to have, but most houses I sell don’t have the manuals. Finally, buyers can be incredibly unrealistic. As long as the water source to a leak is shut off and no ongoing damage is occurring, it is perfectly acceptable to disclose it and not fix it as long as the price is adjusted for such. Often times, it has nothing to do with how well a person has taken care of their house over the years and much more to do with how quickly they need to pack and sell a house while also often starting new jobs and buying another house. It’s an incredibly hectic time for people. What might usually get fixed immediately sometimes simply has to be disclosed to a buyer out of necessity.
Unfortunately, too many first time buyers want a house to be perfect but they don’t have the funds for the perfect house. It’s essential for people to understand that NO house is perfect. Even new construction can have issues (especially when the housing market is hot like it is now. Builders get rushed and don’t do a good job). The most important thing for buyers is to prioritize what is really important to them and to look past imperfections. It costs less than $100 to replace an interior door. Taking wallpaper down is a weekend of elbow grease and a can of paint. Those have zero effect on the structural integrity of the home. Buyers who can realize this and look past minor imperfections will get the home of their dreams for less.
Thanks for sharing these great tips, it is very helpful for us.
Hiring a realtor can do the work done for you. Some potential buyers are looking for a legit house on sale. Thank you for the advice. Those tips should be applied soon. I’m deciding to sell my apartment. But, I’m hesitant if I sell it right away. That’s why I’m looking for ideas on your blog which I can be used.
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I like your suggestion to legitimize that the home is legally owned. We will need a realtor soon since we are selling our home and moving to a new one. It is nice since we plan to look for real estate properties for sale to help us have a clue on what budget we prefer.
Thanks for sharing such amazing content, it is quite helpful
How quickly can you sell it?
I liked what you said about how updating a home can add more value and a small bit of paint can make a lot of change so that the home looks better. My aunt has been thinking about selling her home so that she can get more for her money and move into a different area. She really wants to live closer to her kids so that she can have more connections with her grandkids and help her kids out.
I like that you pointed out that buyers most of the time don’t want to fix anything before moving into a new home. Personally, I wouldn’t even want to have to paint the walls.
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