Deciding on selling your home can be a stressful time, and knowing what to improve and the process you should take can be overwhelming.  Thankfully, many of these recommendations come complimentary when choosing Verde Real Estate to list your property for sale.

Here are 5 easy steps you should take to get the most equity out of your home (and a bonus step at the end!)

1. Curb Appeal

The outside of the home reflects the inside, and if painstaking care has been taken for the upkeep of the yard, buyers will expect the same care within.  

In Homelight.com’s 2019 Q2 survey, over 94% of Realtor’s reported that improving a property’s curb appeal increases the perceived value of the home to buyers.  More revealing is that 76% of top agents around the country agree that improving curb appeal is the #1 step a homeowner can take to boost perceived value and marketability.

In the winter time, this is quite easy.  Make sure the walkways are shoveled and salted.  No home buyer will be excited skating up your driveway.

Spring poses the real question: where to spend the investment?  For landscaping, a little investment can create a lot of value.  Pay attention to your mulch, as mulch can add contrast or complementary colors to the yard without too much cost.  If your lawn is already manicured but is lacking plants, place several flowers along the walkway to the front door.  If your yard is looking a bit grizzled, there are treatments available to freshen up your lawn.  During your consultation and complimentary home evaluation, we will recommend the best improvements you can make around your yard that will give you the best Return on Investment.

2. A Fresh Coat of Paint

The last home I purchased was not only decked out with Green Bay Packers memorabilia (which I was able to overlook), but it had a looming barn-red wall in the main living/dining area.  The red wall wasn’t a deal-breaker on its own, but it had the effect of amplifying the negative emotions of other annoyances I had with the property.

You may be asking yourself whether you should paint your house before listing it for sale.  Here are a few questions for you to consider:

• Has anyone smoked in the home?

• Are there any markings on the wall, scuffs, writing, coloring, etc?

• Are there odd colors or extreme accent walls that draw considerable attention?

• Has it been more than 5 years since the home was last painted?

• Do you have a lot of nail holes in the walls from hanging pictures or shelves?

You should consider repainting your home if you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions.  Of course, painting is half of the equation, using the wrong color paint can actually lower the offers you will receive on your home.  In a free consultation with one of our Realtors, we will review the template you have for your home and discuss the colors that will maximize the offers you receive.

3. Professional Cleaning

This one is simple.

First impressions are the most lasting, so make it count.  Here a professional home cleaner...better yet, have us hire one for you.  A second set of eyes will find the areas you routinely miss, and will have the foresight to give additional shine to the areas that will get the most views from buyers.

4. Declutter and Stage Your Home

The buyer of your home needs to visualize themselves moving in your space, along with all of their possessions and furniture.  Tidying and organizing your personal belongings will keep the open areas de-cluttered and permit potential buyers to mentally move into the house.  If the property could be featured on an episode of Hoarders, you will want to de-clutter and restore the home’s ambiance.  Here are a few suggestions:

• Garage/Yard Sale

• Rent a temporary storage unit

• Donate items you no longer want/need to your favorite charity

If you want to increase the chances your home will sell quicker, at a higher price, and with more offers, then hire a professional to stage your home.  Staging your home helps potential buyers imagine the living space and how their personal belongings will move in with them.  According to NAR (National Association of Realtors), 48% of listing agents believed that the selling price was higher in staged versus non-staged homes.  A property's time on market can also be reduced.  As an example, in NAR's study, California homes staged professionally sold 7 times faster than non-staged counterparts; Oregon homes sold 5 times faster.  

Our listing service will come complimentary with a free staging consultation with a professional home staging company.

5. Hire a Professional Photographer

If you have acted on the first 4 steps, congratulations!  You are almost there, and it’s finally time to show off your hard work.  The quintessential step in maximizing your homes equity is to hire a professional photographer.  Studies show that as high as 95% of home buyers use the internet to start their search for a new home, and if your home has poor quality photos, buyers will “swipe-left”.  Professional photographs will not only attract more buyers, but it can increase the perceived value of your home value at $200,000 on up.

6.  Bonus - Price your Property Appropriately!

If you don't price the property at the market, its not going to sell....Some sellers believe that pricing your home higher than the market will leave negotiating room for the buyer.  Seemingly logical, but what it also leaves out are additional buyers.  If you are anything like me, you like getting a good deal, and that's the same mentality buyers will have when reviewing the listing details of your property.

Affordability becomes another issue with an overpriced property.  A buyer may have interest in purchasing your home, but if the appraisal of the home comes up short of the asking price, an interested buyer may be lost due to financing.  

Overpriced properties happen to do one thing well: advertise better deals in the marketplace.

When your property is priced just below market value, flashing red lights go off in Broker offices all across the metro.  You property will receive more buyer interest, more showings, and competing offers.

Investing into the above processes can generate a significant return on the sale of your home.  Listing with Verde Real Estate Group will only improve on your returns as we offer complimentary Professional Photography of your property, Staging Consultation, and a Professional Cleaning voucher to prep your home for the market.  

In addition, we will make sure your home is priced to sell!