If you are selling your home, it only makes sense to do everything you can to get top dollar. There are so many great tips and tricks that you can use to make your home sell for a bit more than you'd expect. Keep reading to see some of the best real estate secrets you can use if you are thinking about selling your home in New Hartford, CT!
Fix the Problems
Some homes have areas that need minor repairs that have just been forgotten over the years. Now is the time to fix those creaky stairs or replace that cracked window. You should set aside some money to tackle any issues or forgotten DIYs that have built up over time.
If you have any major repairs (such as roofing, flooring, or plumbing), you should weigh your options and see if it's worth taking the extra time to repair. Some buyers might prefer to fix it themselves, but this often means they will be offering less to make up for the potential costs. If you have the extra money and time, fixing your home's major issues is a great way to make it more desirable for anyone who wants to move in right away.
TIP: Fixing an existing issue will likely get you more money than adding something to the home. A new deck, pool, or addition might seem like it adds value to your home, but they typically do not, as the new buyers don't see it as an improvement.
Clean, and then Clean again!
One of the first things you want to do to make sure your space is in the best shape it can be is to clean it. This should end up taking you a few days to complete unless you choose to hire a cleaning company that can do a great job of deep cleaning. You need to clean all of the areas that you have likely been neglecting (baseboards, cupboard tops, blinds, etc.), and a fresh set of eyes will be much better for the job.
A cleaning company will also have the tools and supplies you need to make sure the home looks and smells fresh. Any carpets should be cleaned, and you should make sure you are not neglecting the outdoors. Your yard, front porch, and garage should also be tidied up to the best of your ability to ensure the home looks well taken care of. People are much likelier to pay top dollar for a home that feels move-in ready instead of a home that might require extra cleaning before they move in.
TIP: If you are tackling the job yourself, you should ask a friend or family member to do a walk-through when you are finished. A fresh set of eyes is much better at spotting areas that might need a bit of extra work.
A Fresh Coat of Paint
A fresh coat of paint can make a space look brand new, and it's one of the most inexpensive ways to get a bit of extra money on your sale price. Some experts say that a freshly painted interior and exterior can increase your home's final sale price by about 5%. That's an extra $15,000 if your home is selling for 300k!
You can either choose to paint yourself but hiring a professional team is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get the job done. They have plenty of equipment and knowledge when it comes to painting the space quickly, and you know that everything will be done professionally.
If you are choosing to do it yourself, make sure you paint before you decide to do your deep clean so you don't end up making a mess all over your hard work.
TIP: Stick to a neutral palette for your paint choices, as this makes it much easier for new buyers to envision themselves in the home. You should also make sure you are painting over any areas with bold or dark colors (looking at you, eggplant accent wall) to make the area look brighter. If you are using a stager (we'll talk about that in a second), you should hold off on painting in case they choose to go with a different color idea.
Stage It
Staging your home is one of the easiest ways to make sure you are getting the most money for your selling price. A stager will work with you and decide where to use some of your existing furniture or clear out the whole space and choose rented furniture instead. A staged home typically sells for about 5%-15% more than an unstaged home. It will usually sell about 40% faster, so there are many great reasons to consider professionally staging your home.
The cost for this service will vary as many charges a fee based on the size of your space and how long you will need it staged for. The fee is nothing compared to the percentage you will get back on your sale price, so it's one of the best things you can do to ensure your home is selling for a reasonable price. They have knowledge about modern interior design trends that takes years to gain, and they can transform the most boring spaces of your home into desirable nooks that will draw in potential buyers.
TIP: If you don't want to have your space physically staged (and you're choosing not to do an open house), look into digital staging. This involves a professional using photos they have taken of your home and digitally altering them to make the house look more appealing. They can take a photo of an empty room in your home and change the paint color, add furniture and add the faux decor in a few minutes using their incredible editing skills, so you won't need to worry about clearing out your home.
Don’t Forget the Landscaping
We mentioned how your yard should be tidied up before you start taking photos of your home, but you should consider taking it a step further, especially for a yard with plenty of trees. Landscaping your yard is an easy way to make it look incredibly appealing to a wide array of buyers. A landscaper will make your yard stand out from the rest, and they can make some significant improvements that allow your home to look very different.
A landscaping company has the experience to be able to tell you what needs to be moved or changed in your yard to make it look bigger and brighter. They will be able to do all of the basic upkeep you might have been lacking, but they can also adjust the trees in your yard to brighten it up. A well-manicured yard shows buyers that the home will likely be just as well taken care of when it comes to the interior.
TIP: Adding flowers to your home is one of the simplest ways to add additional value. Many experts agree that you will see a 5% increase in your sale price if your yard is landscaped correctly, but you want to make sure you don't get too wild. A yard with too much to maintain can be very unappealing for those who aren't big into gardening.
Get the Word Out
Now that your home is looking its best, it's time to put it out into the world and start getting potential buyers interested. There is plenty of standard real estate website where you can post your home listing, but you should also post it to local buy/sell pages or websites like Craigslist to make sure you are reaching as many people as possible. Advertising your home online is a fantastic way to bring in people from a large area and might even bring in out-of-town buyers.
You need to make sure you are putting out the best image of your home, so it's a good idea to hire a professional to capture some pictures of your home. Your real estate agent might have a photographer they work with, but you can go a step beyond that by hiring a professional videographer to take some great videos of your home. Many people prefer listings with well-done photography and high-resolution videos so they can get a good idea of what the house actually feels like.
TIP: The text for your listing is also very important if you are posting your ad online. You want to make sure you get in plenty of searchable keywords so that your ad shows up at the top of people's google searches.
New Hartford, CT, has some amazing homes that are selling for great prices, but you can always do a bit more to make sure it's selling for top dollar. There are so many small things you can do to improve the overall sale price of your home, and many of them are quick or inexpensive. It's a good idea to take some time and money to make some improvements to these areas before you consider placing the home on the market so you can be sure it's going to sell for the best price possible.
At Sellitmike.com, we understand that buying or selling a home is a huge investment and milestone. That's why we are committed to providing clients with superior service and expertise to make it a memorable experience.