When we put our homes on sale, we want them to move fast. We don’t want them to linger in the listing because it prevents us from moving on with our lives. Instead of us finally settling down in our new homes and new cities, we need to constantly go back to our old house, meet with real estate agents, and ponder the offers being presented. We don’t want that. We want a faster way to sell our homes to its next owner.
You can always sell to home flipping companies. Their signs that say “We buy houses in Clayton, North Carolina” are plastered all over America. It’s no secret that they can take your properties off your hands in less than the average time it takes to sell them to prospective buyers. But if this is not an option that you want to try, you can check out some things you need to do to attract buyers to make an offer:
Take Great Photos
According to a study, 48% of homebuyers in 2018 looked at photos of houses on the Internet before seeing them online. They decided to visit houses based only on photos they saw posted online. That’s why it’s important to post great photos that show off the features of your house. Shoot when there is natural light streaming into the rooms. That will show off the natural beauty of your home. Post at least 30 photos that will give potential buyers different perspectives of your home.
Deep Clean Your House
You can hire a professional house cleaner so that you don’t have to do this alone. Nothing turns off potential buyers than a dirty home. They might have been impressed by the photos you have posted online, but they will be appalled by the dirt when they come to visit the property. Some of the areas they look at are the kitchen countertops, cabinets, floors and bathroom tiles, inside closets, window panels, baseboards, and the basement and garage.
Remove Personalized Items
Remove anything from your home that will make it more about you than the buyer. Remove pictures of your kids or their artwork. Make sure to repair the nail holes where their pictures used to hang. Take away figurines, sports memorabilia, souvenirs, and kids’ toys. Remember that the home must now be a neutral place. The buyers need to see it as fitting for their families, and not yours.
Let the Light In
As mentioned above, buyers love light and brightness. The best way to show off your house is to let the sun in. Open the windows, shades, curtains, drapes, and blinds. If natural light is lacking in a room such as in a garage or basement, place a lampshade strategically. Or replace the bulbs so that there is an ample light source for the room.
Be Available
If you are not going to hire a real estate agent, make sure that you have a flexible schedule while your home is on the market. Prospective buyers don’t want to wait around. If they see a house on the Internet that they’ll like to check, they want it to happen on their terms. If they have to wait a day before they can get to see your home, you’ll most likely lose them.
If all of these sounds tedious to you, the best thing to do is to hire a real estate agent to represent you. An agent will take care of cleaning your house, taking photos, and touring potential homebuyers. You won’t have to worry about anything, but you’ll have to pay them a percentage of the sale.
