Tips for a Successful Sale

A successful sale requires that you concentrate on six considerations: your sale price, your terms of sale, the condition of your house, its location, its accessibility, and the extent of marketing exposure your house receives. While some of these factors are beyond your control (such as the actual sale price), you can compensate by taking advantage of others (like a new paint job) to make your property as attractive to prospective buyers as possible.

Generally, the first three weeks will be the test period of your initial asking price. If you see showings drop off and very few return visits, you may want to consider repositioning your asking price. Most buyers leave room for negotiation when they make an offer. Thus, a certain degree of flexibility is usually called for on the part of both the buyer and seller.

While it is ultimately your decision to accept or reject an offer or present a counterproposal, we can be of great assistance to you during the negotiating process. In fact, experience in negotiation is one of the valuable skills we can offer you. As negotiations proceed — whether in writing, face-to-face or by phone — we will inform you of your options in responding to each offer from the buyer, so you can make an educated decision as to how you want to proceed.

Never underestimate the power of a first impression! The initial impression your home makes is long lasting and very hard to erase. If there ever was a time to make sure your house looks its best then this is it! One of the first things you should do when getting your home ready ‘For Sale’ is to depersonalise it. Purchasing a property is largely an emotional decision and you want to do your best to make your house evoke feelings of “home” to potential buyers. Here are a few tips to make this easier to achieve:
Attractive smells are very appealing – place fresh flowers in each room if possible. They will smell good and brighten up the room. If possible leave a window open for ventilation. Make sure there are no unpleasant smells in any of the rooms from dogs, bins, tobacco or otherwise. Make sure bins are closed.
Remember you have decorated your home to suit your style and taste. This style may not appeal to everyone so the best thing to do to make your home appeal to the widest range of buyers is to neutralize it. Paint walls in a neutral colour and show off any original features. This will enable buyers to visualize their furniture in your home.

Try not to have a lot of family photos displayed around the house, as well as collectable items, etc. If at all possible, remove most of these items from view. Try not to stuff them into the attic or the garage. Savvy buyers will be eager to view these areas to assess the available storage space in the house. Serious buyers will look at everything in detail.

Make sure your bathrooms and kitchen are gleaming (these are probably the most important rooms in the house). Touch up any scuff’s on the walls with paint. Check your ceilings for water stains and paint them if necessary. Make sure all toilets seats are down. Check all windows and doors to make sure they open and close easily and give your carpets a good clean and polish your floors.

Maintaining the exterior of your home is a very important part of showcasing your home altogether. Always remember that it is the first thing a potential home buyer will see from their car and the deciding factor as to whether or not they wish to see more. Most people make up their minds within the first 30 seconds of seeing a property whether they like it or not.

The front door of the house should be very attractive to visitors. It is the first part of the home that potential buyers will be directly exposed to up close. Polish the door fixtures and repaint the door if necessary. Remember that you are trying to depersonalise your home as much as possible so that potential buyers can visualise themselves living there. Lastly, make sure the lock and key to your front door work smoothly and the door opens and closes easily.

REMEMBER: your goal is to maximize the attractiveness of your home, not entirely redo it. A few cosmetic changes are usually all that’s necessary to make your home more desirable.