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Sell Your Home For More Money | |||
 | Kristof Tabor Broker Salesperson 973-773-4000 ext. 32 Contact Me by E-mail |
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Sell Your Home For More Money When you prepare your home for sale, it's important to create an environment that's as neutral as possible. Prospective buyers will appreciate neutral colors, a neutral décor, neutral carpet and knowing that their furniture will fit easily into this new space. Strong elements, regardless of how attractive they might be, will stop buyers in their tracks. They will remember that element, and not the house itself.
Consider putting away large pieces of artwork. Most artwork draws not only the attention of the buyer, but creates an emotional response that the buyer will forever associate with the house. Your beloved pets can get a strong and possibly negative response from buyers. Research shows that more than half of potential buyers are allergic to, dislike, or are afraid of pets. Pets drag all sorts of dirt into the house, and even though you may not notice it, pets create a distinct odor in a home. You won't necessarily notice it because it's part of your everyday life, but pet smells can chase buyers away. If they are allergic they may not wish to continue on the tour of your home. And if they are afraid, they may not enter your place.
Since our sense of smell has such an impact on our experience, you'll want to neutralize any odors in your home. Ask a friend to stop by and give you the honest opinion on how your house smells. The smell of pets, tobacco, mildew, musty basements, cooking with spices, fish and cabbage can be offensive to some people. Run a dehumidifier in the basement to deter the dampness that causes mildew. Consider smoking outside. Avoid cooking foods with a strong odors until your house is sold. Use lemon-scented cleaning products and keep windows open to circulate a fresh, clean aroma throughout the house. Painting is the most dramatic action you can take to neutralize. A fresh coat of light, neutral paint will make the rooms seem larger and create a feeling that can adapt itself to any imagination. Neutralizing doesn't have to be boring. You can use soft gray-green or gray-blue, and any of the creams. Most paint manufacturers have an extensive list of 'whites' that includes many subtle neutral shades of 'white.' My personal favorites are antique white and buttermilk. You can combine any of these with pure white woodwork to create a handsome room that's warm and inviting while remaining very neutral. To this end, the seller may want to reconsider strong colors, posters, pictures and even accessories that might distract or even offend a buyer. You may love that certain color or pattern, but it might be the simple reason that a buyer decides to look elsewhere. Neutralizing your home increases the numbers of potential buyers by appealing to as many lifestyles as possible. You'll also want to remove personal items that will not be sold with the house, but might have the appearance of being part of the sale. For example, if you don't intend to leave the dining room chandelier, take it down and replace with something appropriate and neutral. If the wall sconces aren't staying, remove them. Be sure to replace these things with suitable items before your home is shown. You don't want buyers to be overwhelmed with a mental list of additional expenses they'll have after they move in. Don't forget to 'neutralize' outside by making sure your lawn is tidy and that exterior paint is in good shape. If it's not, this is definitely the time to take care of it. Painting the trim is a great way to give the house a face-lift. Don't forget about lampposts, fire hydrants, the mail box-spruce them up, too. Call to get permission from your municipality if necessary. Remember, you don't want your buyers to have any difficulty seeing themselves living in your home. Inside and out, it's important to neutralize your home and draw the buyer's attention to see how easily it would be to move into and enjoy your home. Most neutralizing efforts are fairly simple and inexpensive and in the long run, invaluable. Knowing what your home is worth is important information to have if you are thinking about selling or refinancing. Using the information you submit to us in the form below, we will conduct a thorough comparative market analysis by searching the database of all homes listed or sold in your area. With this current market data, we will be able to determine what your home might sell for if you decided to put it on the market. There is no cost or obligation for this valuable service. For a FREE Home Evaluation, please fill in the information requested. | FOR BUYERS FOR SELLERS | ||
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| If your property is currently listed or if you have a signed buyers agreement please disregard this offer. Each RE/MAX office is independently owned and operated. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Links to other sites are provided as a convenience only and Kristof Tabor nor RE/MAX Realty Professionals are responsible for the contents or services on these sites. Home Buyers Scouting Report is provided by Home Buyers Marketing II, Inc. a licensed real estate brokerage service Equal Housing Opportunity. READ: Consumer Information Statement © 2009 Kristof Tabor. All rights reserved. | |||
Unsettling artwork, loud colors, and Fluffy lurking behind the sofa can leap up as negatives in the buyer's mind. And while you paid thousands for that mosaic in the foyer, potential buyers might find it distracting rather than unique or even interesting. Most folks aren't very good at imagining or visualizing different décor or other furniture arrangements. They tend to think that whatever they see is exactly what they're getting. 
During my long career in Real Estate I saw my share of funny and sometimes not so funny responses to a pet in the house. For instance, I will never forget when an older lady literally jumped on my back after she got scared by a little white Pomeranian.