Over the years that I have been providing real estate services, I have adopted a rather firm policy about working with homeowners who are ready to sell:
My sign doesn’t go in the ground until we have worked together to make the house its most marketable.
The term “most marketable” is often a matter of opinion between sellers and their agent (even between agents!) but there are some updates, apart from cleaning and decluttering, on which I highly recommend:
Remove wallpaper
Paint dark or overly-vibrant walls with neutrals
Update an old kitchen by replacing/painting cabinets & counters
Replace rundown carpeting with a light, neutral one
Last year I worked with a family who were extremely reluctant to put any money into their home before listing it with me. I really encouraged them to make the investment, providing them with great resources to get the projects done, and not only did the house sell for more than what they had expected, but sold in a few weeks. It makes a big difference!
Posted on 03/24/2014 at 11:30 AM
