What your agent won’t tell you.
– 5 Secrets to successfully selling your home.
Are you serious about selling your home but unsure where to start?
How valuable would it be to get the inside tips before hitting the market?
Here are the 5 secrets that most real estate agents most likely won’t tell you directly.
Clear the fridge and the personal stuff.
All the cute photos of the kids growing up and the photos of you bungee jumping could be a distraction for the buyer. Therefore, your agent hopes that they can be the first thing packed away.
Your agent is probably not really going to be too forceful about you reducing private items on display. However, if you are selling you may as well start packing these items first.
It is not because your agent doesn’t like your personal things. Buying a home is an emotional purchase and how you live is not what is for sale. So please clear the fridge from all the personal notes, drawings, sports fixtures as well as the 50 photos of the children scattered around the house.
Are you objective?
You have lived in your home for a long time. You know your home inside and out but are you really objective about your home’s bad points?
For instance those hairline cracks in the living room that have been there for 20 years may not concern you, but the buyer is going to think that there is something wrong and it could cost a lot of money to get fixed and therefore the buyer is going to walk out of the door and never come back.
Listen to what the agent has to say so you can get a better understanding of the market.
Your land is worth more than your home.
Having lived in a house for many years makes you attached to the home, however, sometimes the value is simply in the land and it is really a knock-down job.
Don’t despair if your agent proposes to sell your home as a knock down and as a development opportunity.
Keep an open mind as the soil below your home could be worth more than the family home.
The value of your home
Often property owners are a little optimistic about their price value, although on occasions owners are way too low with their estimate. The agent has the responsibility of knowing the market value and the agent should be able to back up their estimate with recent sales evidence.
The agent is unlikely to outright disagree with you about the market price for your property. However, if the agent continues to address the price point it is important to listen. After all, a good agent knows how to read the market and the market feedback.
The details that can cause a lot of stress
Sometimes the smaller details are the ones causing the most stress and they are completely irrelevant. The importance of styling and presentation cannot be overstated. However, there is no need to wash the floors to perfection or spend half the night baking to get perfect aroma. Similarly, if it happens to rain on inspection day then so be it. The serious and keen buyers will still turn up. Your agent will tell you what needs to be done and what details not to worry about. Therefore, don’t sweat the small stuff.
