1. Clean up your daily / personal clutter in the kitchen, closets, storage spaces and some furniture qualifies as clutter. Don’t take ‘cleaning up’ your home personally, as it’s all about enabling the buyer to become attached to your home as you detach from it.
2. Fix up the interior by painting rooms that need it and fixing things buyers might encounter. Things to consider are the surface quality of the ceilings and walls, as well as the carpets and floors. If in poor shape, these can reduce the perceived value of your home. Also eliminate odors, fix any plumbing problems, and clean up the windows and doors.
3. Fix up the exterior so that it looks good, including yard work. And touch up the entrances so they look charming and appealing. When painting – go with neutral colors – this is not for you, this is for them.
4. Listing Agent works for you. They may also represent buyers, but ultimately they are working for the seller.
5. Beware brokers who ‘buy’ a listing by promising a higher sales price. Study the price analyses given by the brokers to see which makes most sense.
6. The listing contract specifies the obligations of the broker in terms of expected price range, seller’s commitment to sell the home and what’s included or not included in the sale, and the process for resolving disputes.
7. Marketing your home is done through other brokers, for sale signs, flyers, print and online ads and open houses. This advertising rarely results in a direct sale, as most sales are made by clients realtors have already been working with who likely responded to an advertisement on a home already sold. These pools of buyers become the real buyers of the next available properties.
8. Showing your home should be done by the broker and you shouldn’t be there because it generally makes home buyers feel like intruders. Turn on the lights as much as makes sense to brighten the home. Do not use fragrances, as it will cause buyers to suspect you’re masking something odorous. And empty the trash hours before the buyers come to see the home. Keep the home tidy, as nobody wants to tour an unkempt home.
