Home Selling Tips:

So you thought about selling your home and you're not quite sure where to start. In this article, we're going to talk about what freaks buyers out. So, home sellers, don't do these things.

The first thing that freaks buyers out is when they see a listing that just hit the market, and they walk into the place and they say, "Based on what you're actually getting, this thing is way overpriced." It is one thing that people come and check your house out because they see this high ticket price, but there's another thing when they walk in there and the price doesn't match what they're seeing. If you haven't done all the things to grant you that top dollar, don't list it for that top dollar price. People come in and they walk through the house, they see what they see, and then after a while, people stop coming through that house because agents are saying, "For the price point, they don't have the kitchen upgrades, the bathroom upgrades. They didn't do all the things." If you haven't done all the things that would grant you that top dollar, so don't price it there. Price it appropriately for the condition of the house and the location.

Another thing that all sellers should make sure that they do before somebody comes in to look at their place is make sure all the electric is on, the water's running, all of those things. Make sure that as people walk in and they flip light switches that the switch works. Make sure that there's light bulbs in there. Make sure people can turn on the sink to check to make sure that the sink doesn't leak. Make sure that toilets flush. Potential home buyers are going to want to know these things, because the thing that pops into their mind when they walk through a house and those things are not functioning, something's wrong, this is going to cost me money from the moment I walk in here.

The one thing as a seller, you want to make sure that you do not do, is don't over upgrade your house. So if everybody's got hardwood floors, and they have granite in the kitchen, and tile flooring in the bathrooms, do those things. But, it doesn't have to be Carrara marble, and it doesn't have to be some Brazilian hardwood. Make sure that it meets the criteria of the neighborhood, but don't go above and beyond because all of the extra money that you spend on doing the over-upgrading, you're not going to be able to recoup all of that money on the backend when you sell it. The reason being, it's no longer a like kind property to the rest of the neighborhood. So make sure when you're doing upgrades, you make sure that you're doing these things appropriate to what the neighborhood has shown, and what the neighborhood calls for. The best way to make sure you're on top of that, call your agent.

The next thing as a home seller that you want to make sure that you do is stage your house. You want to make it look nice, warm, and inviting for somebody else to come in and say, "Ooh, I could see my furniture going here. I can utilize this room for this." You want to make them feel good because a lot of people lack imagination. A lot of people don't know, "What goes in here? What can I possibly put in this room? Is this a living room, or is this a family room, or is this a dining room?" You can play to what they might think they can use the room for and the space for. As you're staging your house, though, you want to take the home out of the house. Don't over personalize it. Don't think about yourself and what you like in your home. A good way to go about this is, talk to your agent. What you could do is utilize an online resource, HGTV, or one of these apps where they're showing you all these pictures of what modern homes are looking like.

If there is a home for sale in your neighborhood, hit your agent up, go through the house, take a look. See what the competition is. Everybody's trying to get their home sold, and take a look at what selling in your neighborhood to get an idea of what the trends in your area are. But you got to take your own personal style and feelings out of it, because then people will feel like they're just walking into your home and not their future home.

If you're a seller and you're looking to sell for that top dollar price point, the first place that you probably want to start when it comes to making upgrades is going to be in your kitchen. If your kitchen doesn't have, whether it's quartz or granite countertops, in most neighborhoods that's what the going trend is. So if that's the trend and you don't have those, spend money on that. Flooring is another thing. If you have just laminate flooring down and everybody else seems to either have hardwood or it's some sort of tile, that's another thing that you might want to consider. Upgrading cabinets. Sometimes you want to upgrade the cabinets, and if not upgrade the cabinets, then at least paint them. If you're looking to get top dollar, then you might want to consider upgrading your kitchen.

Another thing that sellers have to keep in mind is, especially if you're still living in the property, you got to keep it show-ready all the time. I know sometimes with kids or pets, that is a tall task, but you have to be ready to present it at the drop of a dime. You got to wake up every morning. You got to make all the beds. You got to wipe down countertops after you make toast in the morning. You got to clean up after the kids eat breakfast. You got to make sure that the dog hair is all vacuumed up, and all those things to make sure that the house looks presentable and appealing to somebody else that's looking to buy the property.

And the bonus.

First impression is the only impression.

If somebody walks into a house and it looks, smells, and feels like, "Hmm, this is inviting to me," they remember that. If they walk in and it stinks, it's dark, it's dirty, they remember that. You get one chance.

For more tips on what you can do to make your house stand out and sell, make sure you watch these next videos.