Selling Your Home in Today’s Market… Are You Prepared?

For most of us, buying a house is one of the biggest decisions and probably THE biggest financial investment  we will make. We spend countless hours looking for our new house. We spend a lot of time making sure the house has everything we need and still fits within our budget. Then, we move in, make changes, updates, repairs and add our personal touches, and it becomes our HOME. We become personally attached, and we expect everyone else to love it like we do.

So… when we get ready to sell, we don’t understand why other people don’t see it the way we do. It’s every seller’s nightmare.         

But, let’s look at it from a different perspective. As soon as you put your house on the market, it’s not really your home anymore. It’s a house, an investment.  A buyer can’t see your house as THEIR home if it’s still YOURS. It’s that SIMPLE!    Think about it this way… when you get ready to sell a car, what do you do?  You clean it, make it shine and try to make it look like new. You fix things that never even bothered you while you were driving the car. Then, you take your personal things out of the car and you start thinking about the new car you’ve already picked out. You completely detach yourself from the old car. In fact, you start to think about your car as a personal property item that you no longer need. Is selling your home really all that different? It shouldn’t be. 

Once you make the decision to sell, you have to detach and remember that it’s an investment. You can’t be reasonable about what it will take to sell it otherwise.  Yes, it’s your home, but it’s only worth what someone else will agree to pay for it, and what the current market will support. That is not necessarily what you think it’s worth (or what you paid for it). If a buyer thinks there’s too much maintenance needed, or it’s overpriced, he’ll  just move on to the next house. And, you don’t want to miss out on a good buyer because you didn’t measure up to the competition. This may sound harsh. But, we hear these comments all the time from buyers.      

So… how do you detach yourself from the place you call home, and start remembering that it is an investment that you’re trying to sell? You have to start by taking a real hard, honest look at your home from a buyer’s point of view.    There are a lot of things there that make it a home. However, are there things that might not be pleasing to another buyer? Would another buyer be able to imagine themselves there? Remember, the longer you’ve been in your house, the greater the chances that you’ve let a few things go that you just don’t notice. 

You’ve probably seen list after list of things you should do to make your house sell. I’ll bet you’ve watched a plenty of HGTV as well. You’ve heard it all… declutter,  clean, neutralize, depersonalize, make repairs and updates where possible,  work on the curb appeal,  make it sparkle, shine, etc. The list goes on. It’s like a beauty contest out there. Your house needs to be the beauty queen of all the listings to get attention these days. If it won’t even make it to the stage, then you’re in trouble. It needs to shine. Even if you’re priced low enough to accommodate updates or necessary repairs, it still needs to be neat, clean and clutter free.      

One good way to start the process of figuring out what needs to be done is to put yourself in the buyer’s seat. Try this… Turn on all the lights to the house (like you would for a showing), and go out to dinner. When you return, drive into the neighborhood slowly and pay close attention. Are the yards maintained nicely?  Would you choose to live in this area?  

As you drive up your street, stop and park in front of your house. Take a long, honest look at the curb appeal. Is the yard well groomed? Is the outside of your house in good repair? What attracted you to this home in the first place? Does it still appeal to you? Would you buy it now? Make a list of the things that you think need to be changed in order to make it more appealing. 

Get out… walk up the front door and take a look around. Remember, when a buyer comes, they’ll have time to get a good look at your front yard and front entry while their agent is opening the lockbox. If you normally come in through the garage, it may have been months since you’ve seen the front door. What’s your first impression? Is it inviting? Do you see anything that needs repair? If so, fix it.  

Once you’re in the house, take another hard look. Does your house look lived in?  It’s one thing if it looks warm and inviting. However, it’s another story entirely if it looks tired and worn out! Be honest. Does it need a little sparkle? Does the house look updated and fresh, or does it look like you’ve taken a side trip back to the 80’s? That disco ball may add a lot of sparkle, but it will send buyers running out the door! Go room to room and make a list of anything you see that needs some attention. 

Next, walk out back and see how the back yard looks. Would you enjoy spending time out here? Would you be proud to invite friends over? Or, would you have trouble relaxing because it is overgrown and in need of hours of yard work?     

Once you’ve taken a good look around from a buyer’s point of view, you’ll have a much better idea of what needs to be done to be competitive in the market. The time on the market these days is longer than it has been in the past. And, keeping your house clean for showings is not fun. It only takes one good buyer to get it sold. But, in this market, the buyers are few and far between, and it can be an emotional roller coaster. So, be prepared for the ride. The more you can do to make your house ‘crown worthy’ the better your chances of getting it sold in a hurry. And, the more you remind yourself that you are selling an investment, the more willing you will be to turn your home into the house that someone else wants to buy.

Editor's note: Kathy Peters is the owner of the Peters Home Team Realty in Lilburn.