Skip to main content Download Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to view PDF files.

Financial Education


Selling Your Home

Tips for Selling Your Home

Great tips for selling a house quickly

Take advantage of the first 30 days.

This is when you are sure to see the best activity. Schedule open houses and be flexible when prospective buyers are asking to see your home.

Landscape

It is incredibly important that the “curb appeal” rating is high. Many prospective home buyers do ‘drive bys’ prior to attending an open house or a viewing. Experts say that most houses are sold in the first 5 minutes the prospective buyer is looking at it. That is why the first impression is so important. The outside of the house sets the expectation for the quality of the interior. This is a great opportunity to bring people in. Simple things like mowing the lawn, mulching, and shoveling the walkway in the winter can make a big difference.

Make updates

There is nothing worse in the eyes of a prospective buyer than walking into a home and seeing broken or outdated features in the home. On top of moving and decorating, the buyer does not want to have to make updates upon arrival. These updates should be made before the house is put on the market.

Clean

Would you try to sell your car after going off roading? Probably not. You would most likely visit a car wash and have the car detailed. These are the same high standards you should hold your home to, if not higher. Your home should be immaculately clean and organized before prospects begin visiting.

Lighten your load

It may be important for aspects of your home to appear larger than they actually are. You want to put most of your things in storage to make the house appear cleaner and less cluttered. This will help closets appear to have more space and will help make most rooms seem brighter.

Remove evidence of pets

This should be done when cleaning the home. It is important to remove any toys or pet related food dishes. It can be off putting to prospects that do not have pets to know that some of that dander or damage may remain in the home after the sale. Experts also recommend removing an abundance of personal photos as it makes it hard for the buyer to visualize themselves living there when there are too many images of the current owners.

Be visible

It is critical that accurate photos of your home are available on all online resources. Homes with few pictures are less appealing to an online audience and are harder to sell. Photos should provide a virtual tour of all angles of your home. Buyers will likely appreciate the effort and you’re more likely to get serious viewers.

Selling Your Home