Data released by the National Association of Realtors® shows that existing home sales rose for the first time in 2014 in April. Completed sales, including town houses, single-family homes, condos and co-ops increased to an annual rate of 4.65 million in April 2014, as compared to 4.59 in March, reflecting a 1.3% rise. The sales price for homes in 2014 has been illustrated in the figure below.
Source: Infographic: March 2014 Existing-Home Sales; National Association of Realtors®
If you too are thinking of selling your home and wondering how you can get the best price, here are some things that you can do to get your home market-ready. This is also a good time to hire the services of a real estate firm or property manager in Sunnyvale, CA. These experienced professionals can help you decide on how to best showcase your home for sale.
How to Get Your Home Ready for Sale
Regardless of whether you own a home in Sunnyvale, Fremont or Hayward, if you are planning on putting it on the market for sale, there are some things that can help raise the value of your home, such as:
You only get one chance at a first impression: What this means is that when a potential buyer comes to look at your home for sale, it should not only look appealing from the outside but also the inside. So, spruce up your home, give it a fresh coat of paint, if needed, trim the bushes and mow the lawn. In short, do what you can to improve the curb appeal of the house. People should feel welcome, warm and safe when they walk in the door too. Therefore, some fresh flowers and a platter of cookies might help too. This will be an investment that will give back manifold.
Depersonalize the home: What this essentially means is that you are staging the space so that a potential buyer can see themselves living in the home. So, consider moving personal keepsakes, photographs and memorabilia into storage for a short while. In fact, it is best to de-clutter the home to make it look more spacious. Arrange the furniture so that it shows the floor plan effectively. Take half the things out of your closets and cabinets, and put them in storage, if necessary. Buyers would want to check whether there is ample space for storage. A cluttered closet might give them the wrong impression.
A warm hearth warms the heart: Yes, the kitchen is possibly the most important room in your house. Did you know that remodeling your kitchen can actually help you raise the asking price for the home? So, consider doing up the counter-tops and upgrade the hardware, where needed. Redo the cabinetry, if needed, as well. A coat of neutral paint in the kitchen can help the buyer visualize doing up the space in their own style.
There are some other things that can help you get the best selling price for your home, including maximizing the light inside the house, getting rid of any pests, cleaning up the yard and ensuring that the bathrooms are sparkling clean. This is one place where people are bound to judge a book by its cover. Of course, if you have the help of experienced property managers in Sunnyvale, CA, all the hard work will be taken care of for you.
