Making your home ready to sell F.A.Q.’s and Hints

Q: What’s the most important thing for me to remember?

A:  Answer, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. That goes for people and especially for homes for sale in the competitive Atlanta homes market.

Q: How much work should I put into a home that I am trying to moving out of?

A:  There is a fine line between what you have to do and going overboard when preparing your home to be put on the market.

Also ask your real estate agent they usually know what buyers are looking for and they may notice things that you have not. Here are a few simple steps that you can take to get you on the right path.

            1. Give you home Curb Appeal – This is your first chance to impress your future buyers. Keep your lawn well maintained, try to plant some flowers, keep toys and other          equipment hidden, and take a good look at the paint on your home (you might need to re-paint). At night turn on your porch light or any other exterior lighting you may have.

            2. Get rid of the clutter – Buyers tend to not buy homes that are overly cluttered. If you home has too much furniture, overflowing closets, or is full of nic-nacs and     collectibles it makes your home hard to see by buyers. It’s hard for buyers to picture what your home really looks like, so clear those counter tops and put up those dirty          dishes! Pets are not clutter, but some people are terrified of cats or dogs. Try to take you pet to a neighbor or keep them safely out of the way of the buyers.   

            3. Do you smell that? – Many people are oblivious to the smells of their own home but visitors are not. Bathe your pets, check the litter box, shampoo your carpets, and     clean your drapes just doing these things can make a big difference. Try adding fresh flowers or potpourri around your home. Another little trick is to bake a fresh (or frozen –             for those of us who are baking impaired) pie or other baked goods when you know you will have visitors. Note that if your house happens to be on the market for a long time         that it’s a good idea to share the baked goods with neighbors or co-workers!

            4. Fix it up – Buyers expect that when they buy a new home things will be in working condition. How would you feel if you bought a new car only to realize the air         conditioning didn’t work when you drove it off the lot? Do you have leaky faucets, burned out light bulbs, windows that are painted shut, etc? These things should be fixed            before you put your house on the market – otherwise you may encounter some very picky buyers.

            5. Jazz the place up a bit - This is the perfect excuse to actually put out your good china! Set the dining room table with your best china, break out the good linens, and       guest towels small touches go a long way. Also try playing soft music and opening the drapes on a sunny day your house will be sold before you know it.

            6. Play make-believe – Imagine that you are a home buyer and you are seeing this house for the first time. Would you want to buy this house? 

Q: My home looks great - what else do I need to think about?

  A: The internet is such a valuable tool and you should take full advantage of it. Your real estate agent will most likely list your home online in the into the MLS database if their real estate brokerage is a member. The MLS database will allows real estate agents and potential buyers to look at pictures of all the homes for sale in Atlanta at any time of day or night. For example, AtlantaHomeView.com is a member of both MLS systems. When you search for homes on our website you are seeing all of the homes in the MLS database. With thousands of competing listings in Atlanta (and in your area) the photos your real estate agent takes of your home can have a big effect on how many people look at your home. Try doing a general search on our site notice which homes get your attention – and which ones don’t. Before having digital pictures taken of your home choose a few of your favorite areas of your home and try to get a variety of shots. Try to give the buyer enough information to go on so they will want to take the time to see your home in person. After you have your pictures your real estate agent will upload them into the MLS. There are a few big issues to look out for with your pictures that you will want your real estate agent to fix: 1. Pictures that are stretched or distorted- that happens because the real estate agent is not scaling your picture correctly, a buyer can’t really be sure what they are looking at when your pictures are distorted (and it just looks unprofessional) 2. Pictures that are really pixilated – for example, when a small picture is blown up too big all you will see are dots, most of the time you can’t even tell what you are looking at (and it also looks really unprofessional). The MLS system is one of the most powerful marketing tools in Atlanta real estate make sure your real estate agent uses it. Not to mention you did a lot of work to make your home look great and you want it to show!    

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