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How I Sold My Home 10 days …and got a full price offer

How I Sold My Home 10 days …and got a full price offer

Last updated on: November 11, 2014 at 12:42 pm by Jennifer Fancher

How I Sold My Home 10 days …and got a full price offer 2014-11-11T12:42:00-05:00 Jennifer Fancher

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My home was on the market for only 10 days and we received a full price offer!
How did we accomplish this? More importantly, how can you accomplish this? It was hard work, but an incredibly easy and affordable task that anyone can do! Today, I’m sharing how we were able to make this happen for us and how you can, too!

1. Know Your Numbers and set Realistic Expectations

There are important tips that Real Estate Expert, Renee Burrows, gave in my Sell Your Home Series to help you price your home properly, what to discuss with your realtor and how to prepare for your market in your area. Knowledge is key in knowing your price point and appropriate expectations.

We started a month before our home was listed. We talked numbers with our agent and had a game plan of what to expect in different price brackets if an offer came in. We knew our top and bottom of what we should expect to receive. Then we researched ways to stage your home and make it most appealing to a buyer. Once the plan was in place, we got to working on the house.
Here’s a sample Net sheet that shows your bottom line that your agent can prepare for you.

2. Curb Appeal

Making your home a showpiece will attract buyers and increase showings, but it starts the moment they step on your property. Make sure your home is beautiful from the outside in. Spruce up the exterior in case potential buyers drive by to see the property before scheduling a showing. We worked hard to make sure our home had Curb Appeal and stood out from the rest. Clean up your beds, wash the windows, even pressure wash your driveway.

Make it sparkle!

Click Below to read how important it is creating a home the buyer can envision themselves in.

3. Declutter and Depersonalize

We rented a storage space for less than $50 for a month and it was well worth the cost when we received our full price offer. We stored any and all personal belongings that might detract the buyer. Family photos, collections, excess toys, out of season clothing, religious items – all are things that might turn a buyer away. Even bulky furniture can make your home seem small. Store it away! The objective is to help the buyer to see themselves in your home. Now is not the time to show a photo of your favorite aunt or display your spoon collection.
Depersonalization is key!

In my son’s room, we took down a lot of his favorite Star Wars collectibles.

4. Neutralize your Decor

The next important step was making the home a neutral environment that anyone could move into without having the work of fixing it up. I’m the one who LOVES to do those repairs and search out the fixer uppers, but most buyers want it move in ready. If you have the loud reds, Polka Dots, or funky wallpaper, take the time and effort to make it neutral – something most buyers don’t want to take the time to do. This also applies to any outlandish decor. Look at Pinterest, or decorating magazines for ideas to help you find an easy fix.
It will add to your bottom line at closing.

Next, it’s time to roll up your sleeves! Click to read the importance of straightening that junk drawer!

5. Organize, Organize, Organize!

It doesn’t hurt to give your hall closet the appearance of tons of storage. Put all those extra towels in storage and keep enough for just your family’s needs. Buyers WILL open your cabinets drawers, hall closets, kitchen and medicine cabinets. Keep them neat and orderly until you have an offer.

An added bonus is that you will have less purging to do when it’s time for the move!

6. Make it Shiny Clean

We cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. It was spotless. We had comments like, “Kids live here?” or “They have a pet?” Think about staying in a hotel. Would you let your family sleep on a filthy mattress or use a bathroom that requires a hazmat suit before entry? Now translate that to your home. Thinking about what impression the buyer might get if you left your sticky mess on the countertop? Following an easy cleaning schedule helps to stay on top of the cleaning after all your hard work.

I made a schedule that I kept handy, like this one.

Now that you’ve completed all your hard work, it’s time to list it! How can you increase the showings? Click to read more!

7. Take Great Photos

How many times have you looked at listings and seen horrible photos? The pet wandering in the room, dishes in the sink, Cousin Ted smoking on the patio? You’ve worked HARD to get your house ready so make sure your photos reflect it. If you are taking your own photos, you can rent a wide angle lens. I was able to rent one for about $40 and it made our listing photos more professional and the rooms appeared gigantic!

Regular Photo:

With Wide Angle Lens:

8. Get Ready to Show Your Home

Most important – set up clear showing instructions with your listing agent. You still live there, which means you need to create a system that works for your family. We work from our home as well as teach our children, so we needed to block out hours from showings to accommodate our lives. We also requested that all showings call at least an hour before arrival.

Setting up realistic boundaries can help make the showings less hectic, and you a much happier seller!

I hope these tips and tricks help you to get the best offer in the quickest time. Be sure to share any other tips or how this helped you! Below are some links to our before and afters to show you how cleaning, organization and neutralizing are essential to Staging your Home.

Curb Appeal Before and After
Front Porch Before and After
Entry and Living Room Before and After
Kitchen Before and After
Pantry Before and After
Family Room Before and After
Laundry, 1/2 bath and office Before and After
Loft Before and After
Master Bedroom and Bath Before and After

Photobucket

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