You have finally made the decision to sell your beautiful Texas home, maybe it was because your final child has left or graduated from college, or perhaps you just needed to downsize, no matter the reason you are ready to start listing. Now what? Next question, Where do I start? So, before you decide to join the list of Homes For Sale, here are some things that you must do before listing your home for sale in Texas.
Stay Price Competitive
Although, most sellers feel the price of their home is invaluable and desire to sell it for a high amount, make sure you stay competitive to your neighborhood and market. Knowing your homes Median Listing Price for your area is particularly important. Neighborhoods that have Homes For Sale in Plano TX have a median listing price of $346,500 about $144/square foot they are about 52% above the national median average. However, when they are compared against Homes For Sales in Frisco TX many neighborhoods have a median listing price around $414,600 and about $136/square foot. Stay ahead of your competition know the median and list away.
Side note: Keep abreast of the market by keeping an eye on trends and changes in case you need to adjust your price.
Change Your Color, Change Their Mind
Sometimes, the difference in a potential buyer making an offer on your listing can be as simple as a color or fixture change. If the beautiful yellow kitchen has been the bright spot of your home for years, or the counters and fixtures are outdated, you may consider a “Paint and Fixer Makeover”.
Potential buyers like those who are looking for Homes for Sale in McKinney TX may want to see more modern fixtures, and up to date color schemes throughout the home. Although bright colors, gold ornate fixtures and chandeliers may appeal to many, they may not appeal to all. Consider a change to something neutral, a fresh coat of off-white, vanilla or soft cream, paint for your walls or a brushed silver for fixtures, maybe a ceramic backsplash on the wall behind the stove and counters. Small changes, in color, fixtures and more allow your potential buyers to be able to see the possibilities of your home to become their next home.
Side note: Small minor detail changes can often catch the eye of the potential buyer and can be the changes that bring them to a buying decision.
Sell The Outside So They Get Excited About The Inside
Your potential buyers have been searching all over for Homes For Sale In Allen TX, and they just arrived at your home. What makes your home stand-out from the rest?
It’s the “First Glance” the “Curb Appeal”. What do they see that pops for them as soon as they arrive at your home? Is it the well maintain lawn? The beautiful rose garden that frames the house. Is it the color of the house or perhaps the fact that there are no trees, so there is less yard work to maintain? You want to make sure the first sight of your home leaves and lasting impression that your potential buyer feels like they want to live here and they can’t wait to see the inside.
Pressure washing the house and driveway, cleaning the gutters, the windows, mowing the lawn, trimming the hedges, strategically staging small tables and chairs on a porch or deck, placing flowers, shrubbery and more will invite” first glance curb appeal” to many buyers upon arrival. Just like staging the inside of your home, a professional landscaper or decorator can help you to stage the outside of your home also.
Side note: Do not forget the side of your home and the backyard as these also make great first impressions.
Feel The Lifestyle
Make Them Feel Like They Need To Be Here
You will find many hidden gems in the suburbs like those Homes For Sale In Prosper TX. Potential buyers may tend to be drawn into the lifestyle of the suburbs while still having the feel of the city. So, when listing your home make sure you sell the story of your home by setting the lifestyle that appeals to your potential buyer and will have them saying “I feel like I can live here” from the moment they walk in the door.
One of the ways in which you can do this is by strategically staging your home to create a lifestyle vibe that tells a story is very important. You want to appeal to the potential buyers desired lifestyle. You want them to feel a story in each room as they tour your home. From the moment they walk in the door the story begins, and as they move through your home you want them to experience the story until the moment they leave.
When they enter your home you want to draw attention to the stair case, when they move into the kitchen you want their eyes to be drawn to a decorative bowl on a counter and when they enter the family room you want them to notice the space. It was not by chance that they were drawn to these areas, it was staged so that they could see exactly what you wanted them to see in the room.
Many homeowners who are listing choose professional decorators to help tell the story of the home. Adding small touches, by staging bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms, and living spaces help to open the room, for space and comfort. By minimizing and placing pieces of furniture, objects, flowers, tables, chairs, potted plants and more you will find that the feel and texture of your home will become even more inviting to potential buyers. It will leave them feeling like your lifestyle can be theirs as they start to feel at home.
Get Rid of the Smell
No one wants to know that you had fish this week, that you have a cat, or that someone in the household smokes.
Odors tend to stay and combine themselves to cloth and flat surfaces. High traffic areas can quickly become high traffic dirty floors, carpet, bathrooms, closets, and laundry areas. You may wonder if you can eliminate this odors.
It may be time for a “Deep Cleaning.” Make sure your potential buyer gets the best of your household with a great first impression from the moment you step into the door.
A “Deep Cleaning” is something you will want to continue throughout your selling process until you close on your home. There are many Homes For Sale and these tips will help you to stand out from the rest. Clean your rugs and carpet or remove them, dust all of your surfaces (don’t forget to get those corners and floorboards), declutter closets of clothes, wipe down the washing machine to eliminate odor, wipe down surfaces, scrub and clean the bathrooms, mop the floors and yes a deep scrubbing should be done on the toilets. If in the end you still have not accomplished the final deletion of odors, consider the professionals like a maid service or carpet cleaning service.
Side note: 1 – 1 ½ hours before your showing bake cookies to give your home a warm and inviting smell and you have goodies to share also.
Buy Lightbulbs and Check For Dust Bunnies
Many potential buyers seek Frisco TX Homes For Sale that have lots of light and open spaces. Simply buying lightbulbs and adding a few lamps can change the look of darker areas in your home. Many Homes For Sale In Frisco TX have beautiful hardwood floors that have been covered with carpeting. Consider removing the carpet and getting rid of the dust bunnies that are hiding beneath and throughout the room. This will open a beautiful, brighter and neutral floor space in any room, that combines a feel of comfort and low maintenance.
Side note: You can always place an area rug on the floor with matching pillows on a bed, chair or sofa to tie in your color scheme throughout your room.
Get A Storage Unit – DUMP THE JUNK
Overtime it is so easy to accumulate personal lifetime mementos and more. When considering listing you must stand out among your community like many of the Plano Homes For Sale in your neighborhood.
You want potential buyers to see that your home is ready to move into. This will make you stand out from your competition. Keeping the focus on the home rather than all the family pictures, books and artwork will keep the attention on selling the home features rather than the distracting clutter.
But what should you do? You still want to keep your memories. Don’t throw it all away, get a storage unit and keep your memories. Eliminating the personalization from a home when listing will declutter and organize your space which many potential buyers will find appealing. Decluttering allows your potential buyer to focus on the open spaces, the lighting and the beauty of your home instead of closet overflow, trinkets, junk, personal memorabilia, knick-knacks. Well you get the picture.
Side note: Try to downsize and throwaway as much as possible, as it will be easier when your big move comes.
Privacy Protection
You are excited because you are now ready to list your home. But there is still one more step before listing your home and that is to protect your privacy.
Yours is only one among many like those in McKinney TX Homes For Sale listings. Because you will have a showing or open house tour where many individuals will be traveling in and out of your home, more than likely you will not be in your during these showings, so take precautions.
Consider taking everything that is valuable to you and lock it all up somewhere secure. You may even consider moving these items completely from your home while you are in the touring process. Many of these valuables include cash, jewelry, prescription drugs, weapons, high-value collectable, heirlooms, cell phones, extra house and car keys, personal and important document, etc. (You get the picture.)
Protecting your valuables is key as others roam throughout your home and it keeps your family safe after your potential buyers have departed.
Side note: Purchase a lock box that you could possibly put into your trunk and keep with you.