In order to take advantage of the comprehensive marketing that the CENTURY 21® brand offers, it is important that we get to know your home as well as you do. Let’s use the following points of discussion to explore the features of your home that might be most attractive to a potential buyer:
- What caused you to buy this home?
- Which features of the home have you enjoyed?
- What features, that a typical buyer might miss when walking through your home, should I know about?
- What other features or benefits should be highlighted?
When preparing to put your home on the market, here are some helpful tips and steps to get started. Head over to the Home Valuation page to find out the market value of your Outer Banks home.
Determine Value
A Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) is essential to determine the value of residential property in the Outer Banks. Location and characteristics of the property are the key elements in determining value. Therefore, the basis for valuation is similar properties in your area.
THE FOLLOWING ARE A FEW THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND ABOUT PRICING:
- Realistic pricing will achieve maximum price in a reasonable time
- The market determines the price
- The cost of improvements may be more than the added value
- A house that is priced right from the beginning typically achieves the highest proceeds
Stage
Eight seconds. That’s all it takes for most buyers to form a first opinion of your house.
It’s not long, so you need to make it count. Ideally, your home should impress and motivate a buyer to swiftly make an offer before it’s gone from the market.
When it comes time to prepare your home for showing you might want to consider hiring a professional to help. In doing this, you can be ahead of most of the sellers already on the market in the way your home shows.
INSIDE
- Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house
- Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen countertops
- In the bathroom, remove items from the countertops, tubs, shower stalls and commode tops
- Be sure that the bathroom tubs, tile, sinks, shower floor and ceiling and toilet bowls are free of mildew and look clean
- Rearrange or remove some of the furniture if necessary
- Review the house inside room by room, and:
- Paint any room needing paint
- Clean carpets and vacuum drapes that need it
- Clean windows and cobwebs from ceilings and chandeliers
- Make sure the closets and garage are not “too full”
- Replace burned out light bulbs and repair any faulty switches
- Make certain all rooms are odor-free
OUTSIDE
- Go around the perimeter of the house and remove all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc, into the garage or trash
- Weed and then mulch all planting areas
- Organize patios and decks of all small items, such as small planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbecues, toys, etc
- Check paint condition on the front door and trim
- Review if shutters, shingles, stone or bricks need replacing
- Check exterior stairs and handrails; walkways, screens, screen doors
IN GENERAL
- Try to look at your house “through a buyer’s eyes” as though you have never seen it before
What to have ready to list your property
- Survey and elevation certificate if you have one on file
- 3 copies of the key to the front or main entrance door
- List of repairs or improvements to the property
- A list of inclusions and exclusions in the sale
- Utility bills, actual monthly costs or monthly budget
- Information on special assessments (if applicable)
- Homeowners/Condominium association information (if applicable)
- Amount
- Company
- Address
- Contact name
- Phone number
Attracting Buyers
Did you know…
- 95% of home buyers use the Internet to search for a new home.
- Among buyers who used the Internet to search for homes, 51% first found the home purchased through the Internet.
- 74% of home buyers used a mobile or tablet website or application to search for a home.
- 68% of buyers who used their mobile device to search found their home through a mobile application.
Unique Value of your home
In order to take advantage of the comprehensive marketing that the CENTURY 21® brand offers, it is important that we get to know your home as well as you do. Let’s use the following points of discussion to explore the features of your home that might be most attractive to a potential buyer:
- What caused you to buy this home?
- Which features of the home have you enjoyed?
- What features, that a typical buyer might miss when walking through your home, should I know about?
- What other features or benefits should be highlighted?
Highlighting the unique features and benefits of your home is essential in ensuring that it receives the value it deserves.
Remember, these are just suggestions of ways to help you prepare. I will help guide you through every step of the process.
