Looking to sell your home?

Looking to sell your home? In this real estate market you have to offer the buyer a reason to see your home, and then to like your home well enough to make that coveted offer. Just being on the market is not going to get the job done. Here is a checklist to see if you are ready to list your home.

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  Curb appeal. It all starts here. When a prospective buyer pulls up to your home, what are they going to see? Discarded items in the bushes, branches all over the yard, large areas of dead grass? I hope not. Set flowers by the entryway, clean up the yard, mow the lawn, paint the front door and garage doors if necessary. If you can't get them past the outside and in the front door, you can't sell them the house.


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  The Entrance. Make sure when a prospective buyer walks through the front door they see clean, they see fresh paint if needed, make sure there are no strange odors emanating from you house!
  
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  De-clutter. You must de-clutter and organize. What you have become accustomed to living with may really turn off a potential buyer. Keep items off the floors and counters. Keep your closets organized, if they can't see the closet for the junk accumulated in it, they will think you don't have enough storage space in the home for their own "stuff".
  
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  De-personalize. That wall that has the 50 portrait pictures of your family will do 2 things. It will highlight to the buyer that there will be 50 holes in the wall to repair, and it will distract them from really looking at the house. They will be too busy looking at the photos, and they will see YOUR family in the home, not theirs.
  
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  Clean. I can't stress this enough, the house MUST be kept clean. Clean floors, clean windows, clean tile and grout, clean towels in the bathrooms, clean all the way around.
  
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  Paint. Does your home need a fresh coat of paint? Probably. This could make all the difference in the world. That orange color that you just had to have in the dining room may just kill the deal.
  
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  Call a professional stager. It really is a monumental task to assess the situation when you are so close to it. If you find that you are overwhelmed, perhaps you need to contact a professional stager to help you reorganize, re think design, get it ready for sale.
  
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  Price it right. This is a BUYERS market. In order to sell your home needs to be priced to reflect a realistic selling price. Adding $50,000 for "negotiating room" will discourage prospective buyers from even looking at your property. Be realistic, reasonable, and listen to what your realtor is telling you!

If you are ready to make that move, contact a real estate professional. They will guide you through the process. If you owe more than it is currently worth, there are options available to you. Make sure you let your Realtor know in the first meeting that this is the case.

If you are in the greater New Milford area and would like to meet with a real estate professional, give me a call or drop me an email. I would be happy to discuss your options.