Tips from Villas and Fincas on getting your house ready to sell

Introduction - Emotion vs. Reason You need to think of your house as a marketable commodity. Property, Real Estate. Your goal is to get others to see it as their potential home, not yours. If you do not consciously make this decision, you can inadvertently create a situation where it takes longer to sell your property.

The first step in getting your home ready to sell is to "de-personalize" it. The reason you want to "de-personalize" your home is because you want buyers to view it as their potential home. When a potential homebuyer sees your family photos hanging on the wall, it puts your own brand on the home and momentarily shatters their illusions about owning the house so minimize your personal items.

Removing Clutter, Though You May Not Think of it as Clutter This is the hardest thing for most people to do because they are emotionally attached to everything in the house. After years of living in the same home, clutter collects in such a way that may not be evident to the homeowner. Take a step back and pretend you are a buyer. Let a friend help point out areas of clutter, let your agent help you, too. Particular areas to look at are the kitchen and cupboards, be ruthless! Many people have too much furniture in certain rooms – not too much for your own personal living needs – but too much to give the illusion of space that a homebuyer would like to see in your house.
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Plumbing and Fixtures All your sink fixtures should look shiny and new. If this cannot be accomplished by cleaning, buy new ones where needed, this can be accomplished inexpensively and they are fairly easy to install. Make sure all the hot and cold water knobs are easy to turn and that the faucets do not leak. Check to make sure you have good water pressure and that there are no stains on any of the porcelain.

Ceilings, Walls and Painting Check all the ceilings for water stains. Sometimes old leaks leave stains, even after you have repaired the leak. Of course, if you do have a leak, you will have to get it repaired, whether it is a plumbing problem or the roof leaks. You should do the same for walls, looking for not only stains, but also areas where dirt has accumulated and you just may not have noticed. Plus, you may have an outdated color scheme. Painting can be your best investment when selling your home. It is not a very expensive operation and often you can do it yourself but choose neutral colours off-white is normally best and makes rooms look larger.

Carpet and Flooring Unless your carpet appears old and worn, or it is definitely an outdated style or color, you probably should do nothing more than hire a good carpet cleaner. If you do choose to replace it, do so with something inexpensive in a fairly neutral color. Repair or replace broken floor tiles, but do not spend a lot of money on anything. Remember, you are not fixing up the place for yourself. You want to move. Your goal is simply to have as few negative impressions upon those who may want to purchase your property.
Windows and Doors Check all of your windows to make sure they open and close easily. Make sure there are no cracked or broken windowpanes. If there are, replace them before you begin showing your home. Do the same things with the doors – make sure they open and close properly, without creaking. Be sure the doorknobs turn easily, you want to do everything necessary to create a positive impression.

Odor Control For those who smoke, you might want to minimize smoking indoors while trying to sell your home. You could also purchase an ozone spray that helps to remove odors without creating a masking odor. Pets of all kinds create odors that you may have become used to, but are immediately noticeable to those with more finely tuned olfactory senses. For those with cats, be sure to empty kitty litter boxes daily. There are also products that you can sprinkle in a layer below the kitty litter that helps to control odor. For those with dogs, keep the dog outdoors as much as possible. You might also try sprinkling carpet freshener on the carpet on a periodic basis.

Landscaping Is your landscaping at least average? If it is not, buy a few bushes and plant them. Do not put in trees. Mature trees are expensive, and you will not get back your investment. Also, immature trees do not really add much to the appearance value of the home. If you have an area for flowers, buy mature colorful flowers and plant them. They add a splash of vibrancy and color, creating a favorable first impression. Do not buy bulbs or seeds and plant them as they will not mature fast enough to create the desired effect. Always rake up loose leaves and grass cuttings, keep your terraces and pool bright and clean.

House Exterior The big decision is whether to paint or not to paint. When you look at your house from across the street, does it look tired and faded? If so, a paint job may be in order. It is often a very good investment and really spruces up the appearance of a house, adding euros to offers from potential homebuyers. When choosing a color, it should not be something garish and unusual, but a color that fits well in your neighborhood. Of course, the color also depends on the style of your house, too. For some reason, different shades of yellow seem to elicit the best response in homebuyers, whether it is in the trim or the basic color of the house.

When Your Selling Price is too High, Beware! Beware of pricing your house to high and of the agent who endorses the price just to get the listing. He "bought" the listing by suggesting you might be able to get a higher sales price than the other agents recommended and knowing that he will eventually talk you into lowering the price. If you start out with too high a price on your home, you may have just added to your stress level, and selling a home is stressful enough. Contrary to popular opinion, the listing agent does not usually attempt to sell your home to a homebuyer. That isn’t very efficient. Listing agents market and promote your home to the hordes of other local agents who are working with homebuyers, dramatically increasing your personal sales force. If you and your agent have overpriced, fewer agents will promote your home to their buyers. After all, they are Agents and it is their job to know local market conditions and home values. If your house is dramatically above market, why waste time? Their time is better spent promoting houses that are priced realistically. Even if you do successfully sell at an above market price, your buyer will often need a mortgage. The mortgage lender requires an appraisal. If comparable sales for the last six months and current market conditions do not support your sales price, the house won’t appraise. Your deal falls apart and your house could go “back on the market”. Villas and Fincas will give you the right price based on local experience with selling and mortgage banks.

We wish you good luck with this “getting your house ready to sell” operation and please call us for any further advice. We look forward to doing business with you.