RE: Give me your house selling tips!

[MommaMia]

 
Our house has been on the market for 5 months now, with 5 showings over the winter.  Things have been slow.  I know winter isn t people s favorite time to look at houses so now with the weather getting better (did I just say that?!?!  We had a dusting of snow again last night) we should be having more showings coming up.   We have a showing scheduled for later this afternoon, as a matter of fact.
 
 So help me out with getting this house sold.
 
 What are some tricks that you have used to sell, or as a buyer what really impressed you when you decided to purchase?
 
 Thanks!

[fivegonefishing]

 MommaMia
Other than a fresh coat of paint in the kitchen and bathrooms, bake an apple pie!  The smell makes one " feel at home"
 
 Good luck!
 
 Tammy

[Gamecock Camper]

 MommaMia
Cindy,
 
 We sold our first house ourselves without a Realtor.  Of course we prepared the house (paint where needed, fix leaky faucets, removed the clutter, trimmed the yard etc.....   Then we watched other houses in our neighborhood and in similar neighborhoods to determine a good selling price.  We used a price per square foot basis for pricing our house.  That would need to be adjusted up or down based on how your house compares to others (i.e. - does it have a swimming pool, does it have a bigger garage, is the lot size bigger, does it have upgraded appliances, etc...).  We then took pictures of the house and assembled a flyer that included the number of bedrooms/bathrooms, listed the features, schools, selling price and a phone number.  We put a sign in our front yard (OPEN HOUSE ON SUNDAY) with a phone number and put a white mailbox beside it with INFORMATION on it (the flyers were inside).  Then we put an ad in the Sunday newspaper in the Open House section (had Open House from 2 to 5 every Sunday).  In 3 weeks we had three people competing to make offers with another 4 families that were interested.  We ended up going with the highest bid that did not have contingencies (i.e. - they didn t have to sell their home for the offer to be good).  All in all it was really pretty easy.  Our first home was very nice and looked great, so we felt that we only had to get people IN the house to see it..... We decided to try FSBO for 4 months before hiring a realtor.  
 
 ....hope this gave you some ideas..... good luck in selling your home.

[slowpez]

 MommaMia
Get rid of all clutter - this will make your home appear to be bigger and also has the added benefit of making it easier to keep clean while showing it.  This goes for closets too.  Look at your home with a buyer s eye.  Are there small repairs that need to be made; has the yard been maintained, etc?   If a buyer thinks you don t have a handle on the small stuff, you can bet he is also thinking that you ve let the big stuff go.  
 Good luck and hope this helps.
 Susan

[Trlrboy]

 MommaMia
[ul]
 

• Put out some fresh potpourri, smells nice when you walk inside
• Make a binder that has copies of all your utility bills for the past year
• Clean the windows... especially if you have dogs
[/ul]
 

[AustinBoston]

 MommaMia
Make sure no one is in the house when a realtor & customer arrive.
 
 Rent a storage locker and move un-needed furniture and such (things like end tables, book shelves, extra dressers) into storage.  An empty house looks bigger.
 
 Make sure trash barrels are not out in the open, and put your pop-up in storage somewhere.
 
 Austin

[whippetwrun]

 MommaMia
1. declutter unneccesary furniture and knick knacks.
 2. if possible take down family photos - it gives folks a chance to envision their own family photos.
 3. declutter unneccessary furniture and knick knacks.
 4. Have scents like vanilla, cookies baking, apples and cinnamon in the air.
 5. declutter (you know).
 6. clean windows and curtains/blinds open to let in as much natural light as possible.
 7. lamps on as well for better lighting
 8. Fresh flowers on the table.
 9. Make sure the area inside and outside of your front door is clutter free and doors/stormdoors are clean.  Make sure light fixtures are clean.  Your front door is the first thing they will notice so make it look clean and inviting.
 10.  have a pleasant welcome mat at the front door.
 11. declutter.
 
 
 I know for us light was a big selling point as was fresh paint in a neutral color.  I didn t want to have to go in and paint right away.
 
 Think of how a model home looks - well lit, fresh smelling, inviting yet bare enough to make you imagine your own belongings in it.
 
 Good luck Cindy!
 

[HersheyGirl]

 MommaMia
I agree with all of the above.  When we moved, I had started packing up all of our stuff and packed them in boxes and they were placed in the garage.  All that was left in sight was furniture.  After the sale, the lady who bought the house told me that of all the homes she viewed, mine was the only one that looked like we were moving and wanted to sell.  Might work.  It did for me.  Good luck.[8D][8D][8D]

[Acts 2:38 girl]

 MommaMia

Then we put an ad in the Sunday newspaper in the Open House section (had Open House from 2 to 5 every Sunday).  

This is a GREAT idea.  We aren t able to look at most open houses because on Sunday we go to church and if we really get rolling, we don t get out until 1pm, and by then everybody s STARVING!  []This really doesn t give us a lot of time to go driving around.  Plus, you are starting your when everybody else is finishing up, so they could keep you open!  When I go look at a house ( we are in the market also) I look to see how cleaned up the yard is.  Now would be a great time to rake up the extra leaves and plant some Pansies along your walkway or in a pot by the front door.  They are very hardy against the cold and will tolerate being frosted once or twice.  Nothing says Spring better!  Also, even above clean walls, is the SMELL.  [] That is the first thing I do when I walk through the door.  It tells me if there is a mold /mildew problem somewhere, if " Rover"  or " Fluffy"  use the house as a place to go potty, or if the garbage needs to be taken out.  I expect to smell a musty basement, but others feel it means there is water leaking into the basement.  
 If your house is priced right, it should be selling soon.  Spring is here and people love house-hunting then!!  Good -luck!  []

[birol]

 MommaMia
In our experience, if the house is priced right, or close to right, it will have a lot of showings. lack of showings is not a good indication, almost always means people who would want to live in your house are not ready to pay what you are asking for the house, so they don t come to look at it.
 
 I know it is not what you wanted to hear, but it might be one of the reasons  you might look into. When we sold our first house (And rented the other one), we did not have many showings, once we dropped the price down (lower than we really wanted to), there were so many showings, and we immediately got two offers .....
 
 My 0.02 cents worth of information ......
 
 Birol

[Acts 2:38 girl]

 MommaMia
To add to birols .02, it could also mean your house is priced to low [] This would be good for you!  Sometimes if a person hears 3 bedroom house for 130K  and they are pre-approved for 160K  they won t even consider the house because they think, " It s so low, what s wrong with it?"  Maybe a small lot, or bad neighborhood, or near a power plant, etc.  
 This might not be the case, but we ve heard this more than once.  When we put our house on the market, we will definately check out other houses in the area.  Our town s market is still hot after 10 years!!  People are selling converted cottages on the lake for over 150K  [&:]  And the lots are right on top of eachother - we have more privacy camping in Tennessee!! []
 Just another .02 to add - soon you can get a cup of coffee! []

[MommaMia]

 MommaMia
Good thought Birol~
 
 The really limiting thing about our house is really the SIZE.  It s over 5000 sq feet with an inlaw apartment.  It also is on 5 acres.  The fact that it is probably the largest house in our community and is quite " special"  (size, in-law and acreage, 3 masonry fireplaces, 2x6 construction, etc.) means that there just aren t going to be as many people looking at this set-up.  Having 5 showings for this house over the winter was really quite good, considering the previous owner only had that many showings over the 3 years he had it on the market.
 
 On the flip side, the thing in our favor is also the fact that there aren t any other houses in this area that are as big with this set-up.  Also, the fact that interest rates are so low now, people can afford more house.
 
 I m not too worried about getting people here.  Just trying to find those special " things"  to get someone to really want to live here and give us an offer.
 
 
 
 Gamecock Camper/ Stopher~
 
 Our next plan is an Open house.  Good tip on having it later in the day to catch those late starters.
 
 Most of the other suggestions I have done.  Carpets cleaned, touch up paint, fix hardware, paint front door, declutter, declutter, DECLUTTER.  That last one is no easy feat with 3 kids!  I too started packing and the idea that people might be impressed that I am motivated to move occured to me too (Hersheygirl)!  
 
 I also made a collage using photos taken out in our yard last summer so people can see all the pretty plantings and such.  I am going to head out the the garden shop tomorrow to pick up a flat of pansies!  Great tip, Act 2:38 girl!  House definitely isn t priced too low.  At $375k it is a good price for the sq. footage and amenities.  
 
 Guess it s going to take that special someone looking for just this type of house.  
 
 Keep those suggestion coming so I can really wow them when they get here!

[birol]

 MommaMia
Shot in the dark, but wrong target [].
 
 You know why it is not selling ...... You need that special person to look at the house and fall in love with it, with the means to purchase it.
 
 We were told to minimize our own furniture in the house,and to remove personal pictures, items etc so that people looking could use their imagination on how they can decorate, personalize etc.
 
 Good luck with it, I hope it goes quickly !
 
 Birol

[Camperroo]

 birol
given the size of your home, you could also send some flyers of your property to companies around the area who have relocation departments and can pass the info on to potential new employees.  
 
 As for open houses, they can be good, but attract a lot of people who are just curious...be sure to remove medications from cabinets, leave not a speck of jewelry around anywhere.  Have more than one person in the house to escort people who are coming to view the property.  Don t let people split up during the showing.
 
 

[Gatsmommy]

 MommaMia
As far as removing personal items, I m not sure I agree. I guess I can see family pictures (although personally I like houses that seem like the family is " happy"  odd I know). When we sold our house I left most of the decorative stuff where it was. I also added a tablecloth and flowers in several places. I put picture books out on the coffee table, and left a candy dish out.
 
 The idea I got from another board I was on was that the house should have an inviting lived in feel, but not be overpowering. The person who mentioned it read a book that said to think what a pictrue in a magazine would look like. I think it s more for people like me who have trouble walking into a modle house and feeling it s a home. I need more personal touches to attract me.
 
 Oh and Idea for toys was I kept one rubbermaid container of them that could easily be stuffed under DS s crib or tossed in the trunck of the car when needed. The rest were packed. But that was with only 1 baby LOL. Not sure it would work now.
 
 Good Luck