How Do I Sell Homes?
What do I need to do? Should I stage the home? Should I paint? Should I landscape?
I get these questions all the time. In an inflated market, like we saw in '05 and '06, I would say do it all. Now that we are in a somewhat normal market I would tell you to hold off and save the money. There are a handful of techniques you can use to sell homes and get yourself on to your next goal or destination.
First thing you need to do is keep the house clean. I don't mean out of sight-out of mind. I mean keep the house immaculate for the entire time you have it for sale. Take the trash out every night so it does not smell up the house. Empty the dishwasher after every use immediately. Never leave dishes in the sink. Maybe you do all of these things already. Great! If you don't you need to. Wash the windows inside and out every couple of weeks. You really want the home to look very clean and organized.
An organized house gives potential buyers the ability to see themselves in a chaos free environment. You want the house to be as sparse as possible. You absolutely must remove all pictures of family and friends. This will cause people to look at the pictures and not the house. I am guilty of this crime because I'm Tucson native and I'm always looking to see if I know the owners. Keep all the counters as clean as possible. Remove all the appliances from the counter tops. This does include the coffee pot and toaster oven unless you are willing to make them shine after every use. And I mean make them shine like they are brand new and out of the box! Remove the Knife block and the sponges. Put the dish liquid under the sink. I think you get the picture. All of this will give the potential buyers a chance to envision their own items in these places. You will not get the money back when you sell. There is also some security involved with making these decisions.
If you do leave some very clean appliances out, remember to unplug them. Somebody may get curious and push a button without knowing the functions of such appliances. Kids may be in tow with parents. Need I say more? More importantly are keeping all of the fun stuff out of reach. The big five categories are: Firearms, Pharmaceuticals, Jewelry, Art, and Electronics. If you don't want any of your prized possessions leaving the house please put them where you know they will be safe. Maybe you use a safe! Lock up your stuff. Hide them in the dresser drawer. If you own a Picasso you need to pack it for your move any way. Don't let somebody walk away with your stuff.
Now you could easily let somebody have more of your money. What do I mean? In this market you can paint if the paint color is very bold. 99% of the population will repaint the interior of the home before they actually move in. Landscaping should be tight and without weeds. Do not go pouring money into waterfalls and irrigation. Decorative rock or decomposed granite (DG) may help your cause. It's back breaking work but is somewhat cheap and will cut down on dust. Plus it looks better than dirt. If you live in your home make it look like you staged it with your own stuff. If you need an idea about staging go to any of the new construction sites around town and visit their model homes. Take your camera if you want to have better notes. The salespeople will be just fine with that. If the house is vacant you can stage but don't stage the entire house. Just the family area and one bedroom and one bath, preferably the master. Just know you will not recoup your money if you go crazy with over the top landscaping, building a pool, or using fancy Ralph Lauren paint.
Not only will this process help sell your house but it will get you moving. You will find yourself actually packing some items. This will make moving day much easier and will eliminate the liability and heartache that can be associated with unorganized moving. Get organized, stay clean, and then price the house to sell. Save your money for your next home. These things will get you on to the next home you've been dreaming of.