10 tips you must read before listing your home!
Hello from Bri Steel, Broker/Realtor® & Owner of Live Love Santa Cruz!
Here are my top 10 tips you must read before listing your home for sale.
1. Sit Down with your Agent First
This is a big decision, usually with significant financial and emotional components. We know we’re great to work with, but you should probably make that decision for yourself.
2. Be the Buyer
When considering how to show or price your home, put yourself in the shoes of your ideal buyer. How does your home look? What would you pay for it?
3. Price Strategically
Review the market with your agent and come up with a strategy that works for you. People are often surprised to learn that selling fast and selling at top-dollar often go hand-in-hand. If you price too aggressively, your home could sit on the market for a long time and you still may end up with a lower sale price than if you had priced a little lower at the beginning.
4. Presentation 101
The first impression is the only impression that counts. Make sure your home looks great. This includes curb appeal and the interior of the home.
5. Presentation 102
Stage it! Well-executed staging can both increase the price and decrease the time your home spends on the market. There are many professional home staging companies. Ask us our favorites! We often hear our sellers lament that they wish it looked that good while they lived there.
6. DO Sweat the Small Stuff
Minor home improvements can go a long way. Does your door trim look shabby? Fix it. Missing a faucet handle? Does the faucet just look shabby? Replace it. Minor updates like light fixtures, door handles, and kitchen hardware can make your home look sharp for your potential buyers. It also tells them this is a well cared-for home.
7. De-clutter
Nothing complicated here, just make sure the home is picked-up and clear of unnecessary items on floors, tabletops, and countertops. If it isn’t necessary, put it in storage!
8. Be Honest
If there is a health or safety issue with your home, be sure to let your agent and potential sellers know. You’re not responsible for things you don’t know about, but if you hide something you could find yourself in trouble. Better yet, talk to your agent about finding a good contractor to fix your problem and add value to your home!
9. Always Be Ready to Show
Requests to view your home may come at any time. Have your house clean and ready to show, and have a plan for how you to be absent within an hour to allow showings. If you make it hard on the buyers, your best buyer may miss out on seeing your home altogether.
10. Look for the Win-Win in Negotiations
An inspection will probably cost hundreds of dollars, and it’s worth every penny. Not only is it a time where you can find health and safety issues, that you can then negotiate with the seller to address, but it is also a time that you can spend with an inspector and learn some of the technical aspects of the home.
At Live Love Santa Cruz we bring a fresh and innovative “boutique” approach to real estate in the Santa Cruz area. In the process, we make dreams come true.
Looking to sell? We will make your home SHINE. Listings like ours that are beautifully presented and professionally inspected sell faster and for more money.
Looking to buy? We help our clients write offers that WIN. We are competitors at heart and negotiators at work. We get results.
Call or email us to set up an appointment with our broker and owner, Bri Steel.
Bri Steel
Broker/Realtor® + Owner
Live Love Santa Cruz
831.200.6338
bri@livelovesantacruz.com
Bri Steel at the Live Love Santa Cruz office with her two mini Aussies Kiwi and Fiji.
