Selling Your Home More Easily and For More Money During a Buyer's Market

If you must sell your home due to a job transfer or the need to relocate to a new area, there are things you should know to be able to sell your home more easily and for more money in a buyer's market. First impressions and curb appeal will make your home more desirable to buyers.

• Stand on the sidewalk in front of your house and see what potential buyers will see when they first drive up. This is called "curb appeal". Does your home need painting? Just redoing the trim can make a huge difference. Choose colors that are more neutral instead of ones that shout at prospective buyers.
• How is the landscaping? Planting some brightly colored flowers makes the home look well tended. Trim back any overgrown bushes or trees so that your house can be more easily seen.
• Put garbage cans and containers out of plain view. They will detract from your homes overall appearance. Research shows that almost 70% of buyers make a decision about a home before they ever step foot on the property. First impressions count.
• Once the buyers are inside of your home they will be looking it over to see how their furniture and belongings will look. Get rid of excess clutter. Purchase several moving boxes and pack up items that you will not be using during the period of time when you will be moving.
• Start throwing away and giving away items that you will not be taking with you. If you have lived in your home for any period of time you have most likely accumulated things that you do not need or want. Store these items in the garage until you are able to dispose of them.
• Arrange for your pets to be out of the way while the buyers are looking through your home. Not everyone is an animal lover and pets can be distracting. This applies to young children as well. If you have enough notice that people are coming to see your home, have your spouse or other responsible adult take the children out for the time during which the prospective buyers will be there.
• Be aware of odors that could be offensive to others. Things like the smell of fish or a cat litter box can make a buyer subconsciously dislike your home. Use odor reducing sprays throughout the house.
• Stay out of the way of the buyers while they are looking. If they are with their realtor let them walk freely through the house. Be available to answer any questions they may have without being right on their heels the entire time they are there. They may want to make a comment to one another about a feature in your home and not feel comfortable speaking about ir in front of you.

Stay positive and focused on your goal. Do not take it personally if the buyers only stay a few minutes and then leave. They may have a very specific need that your home does not meet and you may never know what that need was.