Mathew Butka asked:


Selling your home is not an easy task and sometimes the hidden costs are enough to send the meak running away with tears in their eyes. However, there are creative and cheap ideas that can be used to help sell your home quickly. This will cost money but with a little bit of know-how and forethought, it can work to be cheaper in the long run and the investment and time put in can reap higher profits if applied properly.

Here is what you should consider when trying to sell your home quickly without spending a ton of money.

Home Value – maximizing your profit is your goal but the trick is to evaluate all the surrounding homes in the immediate neighborhood that have sold recently and are comparable in appearance and quality to your own. This is what real estate agents refer to as “the comps.” Then do some research what improvements should be done to your home that are in keeping with the neighborhood. The key here is to make your home more attractive than the competition in order to reach your target price. Get your home valued by a real estate agent as it is now and then again after making any improvements; set the price at the highest price given, allowing for the lowest price you will sell for as being the median between the original and new valuation prices. Be your own advertiser – take quality photos of the best features of your home and advertise them on zillow.com and realtor.com; put a for sale sign in your yard with contact details; create and print your own fliers, distributing them yourself from home to home, in store windows, at gyms/grocery stores/restaurants/cafes and bars; and advertise your home in the same ways in a neighborhood that is also one step up from your home as many people are willing to invest in up and coming neighborhoods. Take a real estate agent’s course or study for free online – learn all the tricks and tips needed to know to sell your own home and avoid the cost of hiring an agent, as well as the pitfalls that you should be aware of; consult with agents on a friendly basis for tips and trends; and be prepared to invest time into showing your home yourself, but if this is too much then hire a real estate agent that gives quality for money. Make your home stand out from the neighbors – clean up the yard, paint the inside a neutral tone, fix all damage or faults, fill in holes and clean the grease in the driveway, paint the outside and fences, get rid of internal clutter and replace old furnishings that are eyesores, mow the lawn, trim/prune/weed, and invest in bedding plants and hanging baskets; and most of all keep it spotless. Only improve what needs vital improvements – never invest in major renovations or improvements unless absolutely necessary; state-of-the-art is not necessary, but fixing things that have worn out are vital; paint cupboards instead of replacing good ones; replace carpets yourself or put in slotted wood flooring yourself; and buy a DIY and home improvement book that shows use the basics of plumbing, decorating and other things to avoid hiring contractors. Invest your improvement money in home preservation versus luxury – spend your funds for home improvements on keeping the home in good order, repairing damage and deterioration, and upgrading wiring or things that could threaten the price as well as the safety of the home. Fix the driveway yourself – fill in major and minor cracks by purchasing a spreader and asphalt re-sealer from your local hardware store, but do not hire a contractor. While you are at it, be sure to clean up the stains on the driveway from dripping oil from engines. Keep up the style of the neighborhood – fix your home to be in keeping with the neighborhood and not to become the local palace in a dumpy area; and do not upgrade unless the overall internal styles are impractical or too outdated to make it workable or live-able. Hold your own open house – prepare brochures and specs ahead of time by downloading free templates for your word processing program on your computer and insert good quality photos that you can take yourself with a digital camera, detailing the main features, local amenities and special things about the neighborhood and your home that make it worth investing in; prepare a tour by emphasizing all the best aspects of your home and how it has allowed you and your family to have a happy home to live, but do not give any negative aspects; and as an added bonus, offer free coffee, tea, juice and homemade cookies to make the whole experience more inviting.

Get Advise from a Scottsdale Realtor

Raynor James asked:


When buyers look at homes, the tedious nature of the task can result in all the properties looking the same. Here are some tips you can implement to make your home stand out.

The number one way to make your house stand out is a painting strategy. Happily, it is also one of the cheapest options. In this case, we are talking about the interior paint. By taking some small steps, you can make the interior of your home look strikingly different.

The first issue to consider is molding. If you have beautiful molding, you want to highlight it. The best way to do this is to paint either it or the walls in a contrasting color. This will “frame” the walls with the molding and buyers will definitely notice it.

More and more homes these days have large open space plans. Creating a distinct look for such homes is often done with a unique furniture layout. Of course, you don’t want to go spend $20,000 on furniture for a home you are going to be moving out of. A better approach it to isolate a wall you want to highlight. Now paint it a strong color. This will draw the focus of the room and potential buyers to the wall. Controlling the focus in open space floor plans is the key to making an impression.

Smell. This is the cheapest tip you will ever find, but it really works. When you are expecting someone to view the home or are going to have an open house, bake cookies or something that smells great. People viewing the home will make an emotional connection to both food and see themselves living in the home. Flowers do not work as well.

Our fourth issue to consider is the lighting. For some reason, sellers tend to close blinds or at least do so partially. Do not! There are very few buyers that are looking for a dark, dank home to live in. Open the blinds and even the windows if it isn’t to noise, etc. By opening the home up, you let light in.

Our final tip is to create space in the home. Get rid of your junk! Walk around and ask yourself why each piece of furniture is where it is. If you don’t have a good answer, throw it out or stick it in storage. Try this and you will surprised how many things in your home are there because that is where you put them when you moved in!

The key to selling your home is taking the extra steps your competition does not. With these tips, now you can.

Buying A Home?

Bruce Swedal asked:


So, you have decided to sell your home. It is on today’s market, you have a trusted agent of real estate – now what? You need to sell your home next. Here are several tips to benefit the potential selling and marketability of your house.

Normally, possible buyers will initially see the very front of the house. Therefore, the goal would be to make it highly attractive and very inviting. The first impression is vital. Making positive first impressions is even more vital. The key would be to ensure that everything looks clean and neat. Pull out weeds, cut the grass, plant flowers, trim the bushes, etc.

Ensure that your house is clean. This would include mopping floors, steam-cleaning carpets, dusting areas that are hard to reach and cleaning windows. Possible buyers will be picky and, because of this, they will inspect everything that they can.

Try to maintain neutral styles and colors. The key would be not to try and influence buyers with your personal style. Somebody may come in, see a black wall, and be instantly turned off. You should try and have them visualize their own colors. Keep things neutral to solve this predicament.

Check the lighting. Obviously, nobody wants to see homes that cannot be seen. Sadly, a lot of people overlook this. Check light bulbs and ensure that they work. Concern yourself especially with darker house areas which might need artificial lighting. This would include locations like bathrooms and the basement. It would also be a great idea to keep the curtains open. Basically, natural light is better.

If necessary, make repairs. This would include fresh coats of paint, fixing holes on the walls, etc. Your buyer needs to feel as if your home is taken care of to give you a big fat bonus.

Avoid clutter. It would be bad if buyers end up feeling boxed in. Try to keep clutter down. Get rid of unnecessary items like tons of accessories and pictures. The goal would be to have the house feel like home while keeping it organized and spacious. Buyers need to get a great sense of this space and visualize themselves in it.

Lastly, it would be essential to remember that these tips will not guarantee a sold home, but it will definitely help. Everybody is different, so other variables need to be considered. Your ultimate goal should be making your house feel inviting, so potential buyers can visualize it as theirs.

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