Allisen Appraisal Consultants

Always make sure that when you are selling your house that you clean up the outside more than the inside.

Curb appeal is the first impression of your house. Keeping the grass cut and the area tidy will help make a great first impression. Paint or wash the exterior of the house including window casings, shutters, and doors. Wash the windows inside and out. Check the gutters and chimney.

Also make sure to touch up the interior of your house before selling, Put a fresh coat of paint in the most used areas of the home. This will clean as well as brighten up the rooms. Wash all floors and bathroom tiles.

Get rid of clutter. Clean out your closets, garage, basement, and attic. Use self-storage if necessary. Replacing air filters will help keep the dust down.

Remember that you do not need to spend money to improve to sell unless the house is in such poor condition that it cannot be sold without improvements. Your investment in extra improvements or upgrading to the property should add to the final selling price and/or make it sell quicker than if it did not have these extra improvements or upgrades.

For example: the house needs a new roof to keep out the rain, or a modern bath with a shower. It is usually a waste of monery to install a new roof if the existing roof has more than 50% of its useful life remaining. The exception is if the style of the roof covering does not suit the style of the house, such as having an existing red inter-locking asphalt shingle roof in an area where all the roofs have been upgraded to modern hi-profile fibreglass shingle roofs.

Improvements might make sense if you can do the work yourself. If you can add or upgrade kitchen cabinets for $500 rather than $1,000, you can still expect the $990 increase in the value of the home.

On the other hand, shoddy work on those kitchen cabinets can reduce the value of your home.

Many home owners have the same question regarding selling their home -  How do I prepare my house to sell?

First and foremost, put it in the best condition possible, especially if you are in a market with few buyers and lots of homes for sale.

That means taking care of any major repairs that could deter a buyer, such as replacing any broken windows or replacing a leaky roof.

Next, work on your home’s curb appeal. Make sure your landscape is pristine. Mow the grass, clean up any debris and weed the garden beds. Plant a few annual flowers near the entrance or in pots to be placed by the door.

Other quick fixes that don’t cost a lot of money but can help you get top dollar for your home include the following.

Eliminate the source of any bad smells, such as the kitty box. Use air freshener or bake a batch of cookies before your open house to ensure that the house smells inviting.

Invest in a couple of vases of fresh flowers to place around the house and next to any information about the house you have prepared for buyers.

Also make sure that when you are selling you home that you offer an adjustable sales plan. Come up with a sales strategy but make sure that it is flexible and can come into terms with almost all kinds of buyers.

Try to determine what will your initial asking price will be and how long will you be insisting on it before making an adjustment.

If you are unsure of what the real estate market is for your house, it might be a wise investment to have a professional appraisal done. It could prevent you from over-pricing or under-pricing your home in today’s market. A well-priced house sells quicker and for more money than an over-priced house. An under-priced house means that you might be losing $1,000’s of dollars that could have been yours, had you priced your house correctly.

You should also plan, before selling your home, what is the lowest price you are able to accept.

Just follow these rules and surely you will be able to succeed in selling your house.

It requires fixing and all those small problems that you have not bothered to look into for many years. You also need to decide if you are going to sell it all by yourself or contact a professional real estate broker. The transaction will take time, depending on the local real estate market.

Some mental and emotional preparation is needed too. Are you looking forward to moving up to a new dream house or facing the uncertainty of a major move across the country? This will make you feel so hard leaving the memories behind or keen to start a new life without the home you have lived in.

The turbulent feelings that you will be facing should be replaced by plenty of practical matters that need more attention.

There are many questions that will be considered in deciding if your home will caught up in the selling market. A for sale home should be visually appealing and in good condition that will attract potential buyers driving down the street.

It should be attractive to an outsider’s eyes. This checklist will help you decide if it passes the standard of an outsider’s eyes.

• Are the lawn and shrubs well maintained?

• Are there cracks in the foundation or walkways?

• Does the driveway need resurfacing?

• Are the gutter, chimney (if the for sale home has it) and walls in good condition?

• Do the window casing, shutters, siding or doors need painting?

• Are garbage and debris stored out of sight?

• Are lawn mowers and hoses properly stored?

It is important to clean the mess inside, this will affect the transaction. Buyers prefer clean and comfortable home. It is better to touch up the interior part of your home. Like put a fresh coat of paint in the most used areas. This will clean as well as brighten up the rooms.

Wash the walls where paints are not appropriate (for example wallpaper, paneling and tiles). Wash all floor and bathrooms tiles. Clean or better yet shampoo dirty carpets. Get rid of clutter. Clean out all closets, basement and attic. Use self-storage if necessary. Replacing air filters and put some fresh plants that will help keep the dust down.

It is common that sellers want to get top dollar for their home, but consider that it will scare off potential buyers. This may also cause the property to languish on the market for many months. And reducing price later may lead buyers to wonder if there is something wrong with the home. Here are some factors to consider in putting in the right price for your home:

• The location

• Economic conditions

• Supply and demand in the local housing market

• Seasonal influences

• Local schools

• Average home prices in the neighborhood

• Home’s extras (like pool, fireplace, central air etc)

In determining the value of the home, you probably will want the advice of an estate agent or appraiser. Agents can prepare a market analysis for you, showing the recent selling prices of three neighborhood properties comparable to your own. They can also help you adjust for the unique features of the home you’re selling.

If the seller has less of information around home selling market, it’s better to contact a realtor. In finding realtor, find someone that you feel comfortable with.

First ask your friends and acquaintances for any recommendations, still the final decision and choice should be based on your needs. Realtor should show you research to support any recommendations, this includes information about recent sales, current listings and recent expired listing in your neighborhood.

The realtor should be more knowledgeable in the area that the home located. And will get better co- operation from other agents. You should ask references from the realtor, he or she should be willing to give you names of previous clients. Look for a realtor who can tells you what he or she knows from experience in the market, and not what they think you want to hear.

These home selling tips can help seller stop headaches about selling his or her home. All these can be a source of problem and sellers should be serious about it. Do not make yourself regret everything for not doing the right thing.