SELLERS' CORNER

Making Your Home Irresistible

In a buyer's market, as we have today, it's necessary to take some extra steps in order to sell your home at a reasonable price. Removing clutter, cleaning, and touching up paint may not be enough. It's time for the strategies the housing giants use. I have outlined below a few things to consider that will make your home rise above the competition. I assume that your home already sparkles both inside and out with no obvious buyer objections.

1. If you haven't already done so, read the section, Staging Your Home. If you truly want your home to rise above all competition, you'll have to do some staging. Review each room and make changes as necessary to remove potential objections that might be a buyer turn-off.
2. Unless your lawn looks like the "Yard of the Month," consider using a lawn service. This would include fertilizing, trimming, adding seasonal color, and maintaining planting beds.
3. Hire a maid service for a once-a-week cleaning. While most keep their homes reasonably clean, a maid service will do things we often think are not that important.
4. Offer to include a new washer & dryer/refrigerator/plasma TV/or whatever else you think might appeal to buyers in your area and price range. (I once included a boat with a house I owned on a lake, and amazingly, it sold two weeks after I parked the boat at the dock)
5. Consider offering to pay a portion or all of the buyer's closing costs.
6. Offer to buy down the interest rate for the purchaser. Consult with your Realtor® if you have one, or talk with a lender to get an idea of costs. Of course, you'll have to spell out in the contract exactly what you're willing to pay in total dollars, but you may be able to attract a buyer that might not otherwise have qualified for the loan.
7. Offer an incentive to the selling agent. This can be a cash bonus or can be a gift card for a shopping spree at a well-known boutique.
8. Spend a couple of hours walking your home with a pen and pad. Make a list of everything you would change if money were no object. Be creative and don't hold back. Then, review your list to see if there are really some things you could do without spending too much. While you may not be able to make dramatic changes, sometimes a subtle change is enough to make a big difference.

Serious sellers realize that it sometimes takes hard work to sell a home, especially when the market is flooded with homes. If you are willing to do whatever it takes, you can and will sell your home. Use your imagination. Compare your home to those around you that are in your price range, and make yours stand out. Prospective buyers, familiar with the market, will see the difference.