Home Sellers - Smart Fix Ups to Sell For Top Dollar

Your home is not in great shape, 30 years old and it looks every day of it. There are some things you must do just to get rid of it, why not do a little more and make some money on the deal. 7 fix ups to help you sell fast and get top dollar.

1)Curb Appeal - Dress up the landscape add mulch at all planting areas shape into curved borders, use to cover around all trees spread wide and cover bare areas. The mulch will help define the landscape, add flowers and shrubs, cut and edge lawn. Keep trim and turn mulch for fresh appearance.

2)Exterior Problems - Roof is way past its life span (the buyers home inspector or Bank appraiser will require it to be replaced, so why not do it before at a cost you can negotiate) replace roof use Architectural grade shingles costs more in material but the labor is the same. Replace any damaged or rotted wood including decks and porches. Repaint exterior siding, trim, windows and shutters.

3)Doors and Windows - Make sure every one is operating properly it is well worth the cost to have a contractor come in and make everything work. New window balances, locks, replace broken and fogged glass, adjust all doors, thresholds, and locksets. Patio sliders always are misaligned replace rollers for better operation, install new screen.

4)Appliances and Mechanical Systems - If your appliances are more than 10 years old replace them they don't work efficiently and are way out of style. No need to buy high end but they must be high style. Match all kitchen appliances pick a contemporary look. No doubt the mechanical systems are big ticket items a 30 year old a/c unit must go, air handler unit compare cost of refurbish versus replacement. Water heater should have been replaced 10 years earlier if not replace.

5)Kitchens and Baths - Your counter tops are beat up replace or refinish. Wood cabinets can be repainted or refinished, change out hardware new door handles and drawer pulls. Replace faucets with new contemporary look. Check light fixtures there are great low cost designer fixtures at the big box stores.

6)Flooring - Ceramic tile if in good condition consider cleaning and staining the grout for a new fresh look. Replace carpet and padding use good quality not high end. Vinyl flooring if not newer replace. Hardwood floors scratched dull no shine refinish.

7)Walls and Ceilings - Repaint every room paint walls and trim in complementary neutral 2-color. Paint ceilings white. Paint all doors both sides same as trim. Make house as fresh and new as possible.

Every item on this list will affect your listing agent their market analysis and suggested list price of your home. They each will affect the buyer and the buyer's agent in what the offer price will be. Even if they over look some items when the home inspector comes in they will nail every one of these repairs with an estimated cost of two to three times the actual cost you can negotiate. This home in 30 year old condition will sell at 20% below the market with these fix ups as a top condition home with warranties you can get 10% to 15% above the market. A 35% difference and a great part of that stays in your pocket.
About the Author

Bill Carey offers insights to the buying and selling process of residential real estate for F*R*E*E information and reports see http://www.BillCareyRealtor.com. "Insider Real Estate Secrets Revealed" ...a must-read for Home-Owners and Renters! It's a FREE 12-lesson e-course covering more than 20 topics exposing the realities behind buying and selling a home.

Selling Your Home - Dealing With Unpleasant Negotiators

Selling Your Home - Dealing With Unpleasant Negotiators
by: Raynor James

Selling your house yourself can be intimidating if you?re doing it the first time. Here?s how to deal with unpleasant negotiators.

Unpleasant Negotiators

Sometimes you encounter someone who is not going to be happy unless he maneuvers you into accepting less than your home is worth or doing things for his benefit that are unreasonable. Then what? Well, first let?s discuss the most common forms these nasty types take and then we?ll talk about what to do with them.

One frequent form the unpleasant negotiator takes is the person who tries to intimidate you and disparage your property. Red flags should go up if someone works hard at trying to get you on the defensive. I?m not talking about an occasional negative remark. What I?m talking about is a whole string of them and the attitude that goes with it. Even if it?s cloaked in the appearance of classic good manners and charm, you?re dealing with a rascal.

The second typical form an unpleasant negotiator takes is the ?nibbler.? You think negotiations are over and that the two of you have come to a mutually acceptable agreement. Then at various points as you progress toward completion of the sales process, the other person ?nibbles.? They usually pretend they had no idea that the carpet needed to be stretched, the roof needed to be replaced, the crystal chandelier in the dining room did not convey, or fill-in-the-blank, and use that as an excuse to change things. This process can and does continue right up to the point of settlement or the point the deal falls apart, whichever comes first!

The Walk-Away Secret

Sometimes you get these two nasty types in one negotiator, but don?t despair. You can cope with them. The first thing you need to do is to stay in a calm, evaluating frame of mind. At each step along the way, ask yourself, ?Is this reasonable? Am I willing to do this in order to make a sale?? Proceed as long as the answer is ?yes.?

Be willing to walk away if the answer becomes ?no.? I cannot over emphasize the power of ?being willing to walk away? from negotiations. Don?t read that phrase too quickly. Be ?willing to walk away.? It is one of the strongest negotiating tools on the planet. It?s simple. It does not require being nasty. However, what it does require is that you not consider your home sold (or bought, for that matter) until all negotiations are really over.

Think about it. You put yourself in a ?losing posture? with a nasty negotiator the moment you emotionally consider your house sold. So long as you?re willing to walk away, you have power that is as strong as the buyer?s wish to buy. If such a ?deal? blows up, so be it. You weren?t going to get what you wanted from it anyway.

Now, a word about ?nibbles.? There is a civilized way to cope with this. Don?t hop into doing it until you really feel it is a nibble or you become a nasty negotiator yourself. However, a nibble can be dealt with by inquiring blandly, ?If I do that for you, will you do ?fill-in-the-blank? for me?? Your goal is to convey to the nibbler that each successful nibble will cost him something. Make it something significant relative to the nibble request.

If you don?t think fast on your feet, you can always say, ?I?ll get back to you on that.? Don?t allow yourself to be rushed if you think best when you mull things over.

Stay calm and thoughtful. No one can force you to make a sale or purchase that?s not in your best interest. Keep evaluating the situation, and stay open to the possibility that you may need to walk away until the sale is complete. That way you won?t force yourself to do what?s not in your best interest either. It?s not easy, but it?s very simple. Stay in control of yourself.

About The Author

Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org - providing homes for sale by owner, "FSBO", properties. Are you thinking, "Should I sell my home?" Visit http://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm to list and sell your home for free for one month.

Selling Your Home – Be Sure It Shows Well

Selling Your Home – Be Sure It Shows Well
by: Raynor James

Whether you are selling a house, townhouse, condo or apartment, there are universal tips that will help it sell. Primary among those tips are making sure your home “shows well.”

First impressions of a home go a long way to determining how quickly it will sell. Here are a few suggestions that will make your home show well.

1. Be sure the approach to your home is clean, tidy and well groomed. Any brass should be polished, paint on the door should be in good condition and the door should be washed clean of fingerprints and paw marks.

2. If your home is a single family house, be sure the grass is cut, leaves raked, plant beds mulched and weeded, etc.

3. If your home is in a multi-family building, be sure the approach and hall to your home is clean even if it is not your job!

4. Be sure your home is tidy and uncluttered. This includes closets, cabinets, garages, and other storage areas. When "stuffed," no amount of storage "shows" as adequate. When really messy, no room looks charming.

5. Make any repairs that are noticeably needed. Door handles and locks should fit well and firmly. Exterior doors should shut and lock solidly. Drains and downspouts should be firmly attached and clear of debris so water flows freely. Attached light fixtures should be firmly attached. All switches should turn on whatever they were designed to turn on -- light, fan, disposal, etc.

6. Conventional wisdom dictates your home should be "neutralized." You can’t really go wrong following this advice. You know the drill -- beige or soft gray carpet, beige, gray, or taupe walls, white or off-white woodwork and ceilings. Sometimes a very soft gold or a soft sage green can also "read" as neutral.

7. If you have a sure sense of decorating (you probably do if family and friends frequently ask your advice and you enjoy making decorating decisions), and especially if you plan to leave color coordinated window treatments, you might leave more definite colors in place understanding that a potential buyer with no imagination might be put off by them and not think to request a "redecorating allowance" in a contract offer. Still, beautiful decorating which is not neutral undeniably attracts some buyers.

8. If your carpet is in poor condition, but you cannot afford to replace it, get several neutral samples in a mid-price range from a local carpet store, spread them on the floor, and add a note stating that you will be glad to provide a carpet allowance from the proceeds of settlement.

9. Dark homes show badly. Make sure lamps are on and lampshades are straight with the seams toward a wall. Make sure there is as much natural light as possible; have curtains, shades and blinds open.

Buyers are looking for a home they can see themselves living in. Follow the above tips and you will position your home to sell quickly.

About The Author

Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org - providing online listing services for homebuyers and sellers. For a limited time, sellers can list their homes for free for one month.

For Sale by Owner Tips

Do strangers scare or intimidate you? If you're planning to try to sell your home yourself, you'll have to get used to it. You'll also be opening yourself up to potentially dangerous situations and legal liabilities. That's why even many experienced real estate agents will hire another agent to list their own home.

Even so, the lure of saving the usual six percent sales commission is hard to ignore, because it can add up to a significant portion of your equity. But if you're going to try to sell your home yourself, you'll need to become an expert in a number of areas.

For Sale by Owner Tips

First, you must understand local and national real estate laws and become adept at sales techniques. Visiting open houses in your market area can help you to learn the methods used by successful real estate agents.

Once you feel comfortable with real estate law and the sales process, you can begin working toward earning the sales commission yourself. Don't think of it as saving money, because you'll soon discover that selling a home can be hard work. You might as well pay yourself the commission.

Like any other job, selling a home requires knowledge and skills for success. Besides reading books, newspaper articles, and doing Internet research, seek help from escrow officers and mortgage lenders. You'll find them quite helpful, because they hope you'll use their professional services when you sell your home. Therefore, it pays to make friends with an escrow officer and a loan officer before you sell your home.

Whether you use a real estate agent or not, a loan officer will be happy to provide free financial flyers to potential buyers. Offering zero or low-down financing, and being willing to help with closing costs could be just the incentive necessary to a entice a buyer into choosing your home.

Research your sales price carefully.

* Check realtor.com and your local MLS listings to price your competition.

* Request a property profile of your home from your local title office.

Experiment with your sales price by running a small ad. If you get a sizeable number of calls, you'll know you're in the right ball park. If no one calls, either your ad isn't effective or you've priced your home too high. On the other hand, if your phone never stops ringing, you've probably under priced your home.

Pricing your home too high will cost you time, extra mortgage payments, advertising costs, and credibility. If your home's been on the market a long time, you'll hear comments like this from prospective buyers when you talk to them on the phone: "Oh, you mean it's that house that's been on the market forever? No, thanks, there must be something wrong with it."

Selling a home isn't easy, even for a real estate professional, but you can sell your home yourself, if you're willing do your homework, price your home right, and then earn your commission.

Copyright © 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher - All Rights Reserved Worldwide. (You may republish this article in its entirety with the following author's information with live links only.)
EzineArticles Expert Author Jeanette Joy Fisher

Jeanette Fisher loves to help home sellers create homes for top-dollar sales. She teaches Design Psychology and real estate investing. Jeanette is the author of many books including "Sell Your Home for Top Dollar--Fast! Design Psychology for Redesign and Home Staging" Free "Design Psychology for Selling Houses" report and for sale by owner tips http://www.sellfast.info/

Five Ps of Selling Houses

1. Planning:

Know Your Target Buyers

Think about your neighborhood and the buyers purchasing homes near your property. Are these home buyers purchasing their first home or moving up? This is important to your marketing and design plan, since the psychological needs of first-time home buyers differ from those of moving-up buyers, in that first-time home buyers are seeking to control their own environment by owning instead of renting. These buyers' psychological needs include:

- Safety and security
- Sense of place or connection
- Comfort
- Self-control

Moving-up buyers often enjoy these benefits, as well, but are looking for a larger home with more amenities for their comfort, self-esteem, and feelings of prestige. The needs of empty-nesters and retirees also vary, but they're generally looking for solutions for making their lives easier.

Once you determine who your potential buyers will be, you can make improvements to your home that will attract them.

Selling Season

Calculate approximately how much time will be needed to get your home ready for sale, and then add on a few extra days for unexpected delays. Estimate the length of your selling season -- the time of year you'll be marketing your home. This time period establishes the basis for your decorating choices and helps plan your color scheme.

Use cool colors -- blue, green, gray -- to sell during spring and summer. Use warm colors -- yellow, red, maroon -- to sell during fall and winter.

Think about your selling season and your local climate when choosing colors, patterns, fabrics, textures, and decorating details. The selling season and climatic conditions relate to your overall design plan. Try to envision your final product, whether it’s a cooling desert oasis or a warm, inviting haven.

Consider your target market and your selling season and then make a list of changes to make.

2. Preparation:

The first step of preparation includes removal of non-essentials. Pack everything that clutters the potential buyer’s vision so that they clearly see their future home. Consider selling or storing large pieces of furniture.

The next step is purchasing materials such as paint and plants. Make lists of items needed and specify features, remembering your target market and selling season. (To save money, check for returned items in home improvement stores, or find out if there's a Restore, Habitat for Humanity thrift store in your area, because they sell paint and fixtures. You can donate your own unwanted appliances, light fixtures, and doors to them, as well.)

The final step in preparation is the implementation of your changes. You can either do all the work yourself or hire professionals. Think about how much money you'll be making, and then evaluate whether it's better for you to pay to have the work done. If you decide to do the work yourself, home improvement centers offer free flyers with directions for completing most projects, as well as free classes.

3. Presentation:

Presentation, or staging, is the fun part of selling your house. Once you've packed all personal knickknacks, take a look at your house, as if through the eyes of a stranger. If the space feels too empty, add plants to bring nature indoors. Use delicate green ferns, spiky gray foliage, cut flowers, and tree branches from your garden to support the desired emotional atmosphere. Don't forget to support the buyer’s sense of smell, too; natural essential oils, mixed with water and sprayed into the air, work better than chemicals because of potential allergy problems. (Buyers won't buy a home that makes them sneeze.)

4. Previewing:

Previewing, or showing your home to potential buyers or real estate agents is the most important phase. For safety, avoid potential problems by asking someone to help you. Send small children and annoying pets to a friend’s house. When showing your home, always stand behind the buyers so they can see the home without having you block their vision.

5. Purchasing:

Purchasing, or selling is the final phase in selling your home. If you're not an experienced investor, hire a real estate agent or an attorney to handle the sales contract. Many investors write up simple contracts and then have their escrow agent draw up the sales and closing documents.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm

5 Simple Steps to Sell Your House Fast!

The decision to sell your house wasn't made on the spur of the moment. It may have been spurred by the desire to live in a nicer home, the need to move for a new job or the necessity to get a handle on out-of-control costs. But whatever the reason for the decision, you've got a lot of work ahead of you before you're ready to actually sell your house on the market if you want to get the best possible price for your property. Is this your first time to sell a home? No problem! Read our tips below that will show you how to sell a house.

Step 1: Assess The Value Of Your Property

Pricing your home right is the key factor in selling it in a reasonable amount of time. Setting a price too high will make your home undesirable to buyers. Pricing it too low may, in fact, deter buyers who wonder what's wrong with it - or simply not get you a fair price for your property. Now is the time to do your research.

How much should your house sell for? In other words, what's the 'right' price? It's the price at which homes similar to yours in the same neighborhood have sold recently. You can use the free online home valuation service to find out exactly what your home is worth if you plan to sell your house yourself. Alternatively if you plan to sell your house with an agent, a good Realtor can quickly give you a reasonable approximate price based on recent sales in your neighborhood, coupled with the condition and specifics of your house. A Realtor can also make specific suggestions for things you can do to prepare your home to sell for a good price.

Step 2: Figure Out How Much It Will Cost You To Sell

If you've never sold a house before, you may not be aware of all the associated costs. You'll need to know about these costs in order to help you adjust the asking price on your house, as well as to help you estimate the profit that you'll realize on the house. If you're counting on the sale of your house to finance the purchase of another, this is especially important. These out-of-pocket costs may include:


Advertising your home, if you're selling it yourself. This could easily run into hundreds of dollars, depending on the methods you choose.
Realtor commissions - typically 6% of the selling price.
Closing costs, including attorney and other professional fees
Excise taxes on the sale
Property taxes and any homeowner association fees

Step 3: Take Care Of Any Needed Repairs

If you've been putting off getting the driveway fixed, repairing the roof or any other needed repairs, the time to do it is now, before you put your house on the market. Some repairs, left undone, will prevent your home from selling at all and others will bring your asking price down. Replacing broken roofing tiles, loose gutter shoring and other minor but unsightly problems will make your house that much more saleable.

Step 4: Get Your House Looking Its Best

Selling for the price you want depends on how appealing your house is. Take a good, hard look at your house, inside and out. Trim bushes, mow lawns, plant a flower bed. Something as simple as giving your siding and windows a good scrub down can freshen its look immensely.

Here are some other things that increase the chances of your house selling quickly:


A fresh coat of paint, or just touching up the trim
Freshly painted interior walls
New carpet or flooring in common rooms like the kitchen or bathroom

Step 5: Have A Garage Sale

Get rid of all the accumulated clutter and pocket a little profit at the same time. That collection of kids' bikes in the garage may be a storehouse of memories to you, but to a prospective buyer they're just clutter - and they will make your garage look smaller. Clear away as much clutter as you possibly can. When you're ready to show your house, it should be as close to move-in condition as possible. The more easily a buyer can picture their own family in the house, the more likely they will be to buy.

Andrew is the web owner of Home Buying and Home Selling Tips: How to buy a house and sell house fast!, a website that provides informational guide on home buying, selling house, home mortgage loan, foreclosure home, real estate investment, and more. You can visit his website at:http://www.buy-and-sell-house-fast.com/

Free Tips That Will Dramatically Increase the Selling Value Of Your House (Part 1)

Did you know that it’s a proven fact that a properly maintained home sells substantially higher then a home that is dirty, depressed looking and clearly not maintained very well? When it comes to selling your house the statement “first impressions are the selling impression” couldn’t be any more accurate. This article will highlight some quick tips that will increase the amount of money you can ask for you home when you’re ready to sell it.

These tips won’t consist of insisting that you perform a major renovation or complete overhaul of your home. Instead they will focus on what you can do outside around your house in order to increase your property value. These quick fixes can include things such as cleaning, painting, refinishing, and other such efforts. These are the projects that don’t require all that much capital, and yet they make an immeasurable improvement to the overall look of your home.

Remembering what we said earlier about first impression prompts my first and number 1 tip. Always take the necessary time to tidy up around the outside of your home. This would include all debris, refuse or garbage waste as well as tools, children’s toys and yard care tools such as lawnmowers and weed eaters.

Always keep any bushes or shrubbery around the outside of your home neat, trimmed and well shaped. It creates the illusion of a well maintained home and subconsciously makes the buyer fell better about the house before actually stepping inside.

Planting inexpensive flowers around your home in order to brighten up the outside can have a positive effect on promoting your house. Many of my favorites include petunias, marigolds and zinnias. Flowers are especially attractive under windows, on porches and of course in flower beds.

Another sure winner when it comes to creating a positive buzz about your house is a properly manicured lawn. Make no mistake about landscaping plays a huge role in determining the value of your home. In fact, studies have shown that when the landscaping of a home is in excellent condition, it can sell for about 4 to 5 percent higher, while homes with landscaping in very poor condition can sell for 8 to 10 percent less. That’s a huge difference in the overall selling price of your home.

If you have a porch or any types of railing on the outside of your home then take the necessary steps to make sure that all of the wood used is in good shape. Make sure all wood screws are properly tightened and that nothing is molding or broken. Additionally make sure the railing is secure and not loose so as to pose a safety hazard.

If you have any shutters on your home make sure they are kept clean and serviceable. The reason for this is quite simple. When they’re well maintained and in good shape, they can add a warm, comforting touch to brick, stone, or just about any other finish. However, if they’re not well maintained, and are in bad shape, they are one of the fastest ways to make your home appear to be neglected; especially to prospective buyers.

Make sure to identify any areas around the outside of your home that require touch up paint. The small investment in time and the necessary paint supplies you purchase will significantly increase the appeal of your home and allow you to ask a higher selling price.

Finally perform one more look at the overall condition and cleanliness of your home prior to any prospective buyers coming by with a real estate agent. Inspect to make sure the gutters, windows and siding are all clean. Remember, your goal for the best possible curb appeal is a neat, clean, well maintained atmosphere. All of these items can be easily performed in a few hours, and they’ll make an enormous difference for selling your home.

Timothy Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Best-Free-Insurance-Quotes.com. He provides free insurance information and offers discount home, auto and life insurance that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

How To Feng Shui Your Home To Make It Sell Quicker.

How To Feng Shui Your Home To Make It Sell Quicker
In a competitive real estate market, home sellers are looking for the edge to make their home sell fast. Feng Shui, or the ancient Chinese art of placement, is one answer. Jaan Ferree, a Feng Shui consultant based in Asheville, North Carolina, explains. that Feng Shui is “having the intention to pay attention” to your environment.

I recently asked Jaan for a few Feng Shui pointers to help the home seller find a buyer faster. Here are some of her Feng Shui ideas for the home seller.

House Number
Jaan Ferree suggests taking a closer look at the house number and position on the block. As a buyer approaches the home is it easy to tell he or she is at the right place? Is the number of the home visible?

Front Door and Approach
Make sure the entrance to your home is easily discernable. If the entrance is not the front door, is it obvious to the visitor where they enter? Is the walk from the car to the door safe, well defined, well lit, and attractive? Ferree says the front porch, door, and threshold should be welcoming and have a "greeter". Use a pot of geraniums, other flowers or plants, a statue, or an attractive welcome mat. She also suggests a beautiful color on the door, wind chime, basket hung on the wall beside the door, plaque beside the door or other plants or objects which will "lift the chi" (energy) of the person approaching the entrance to the home. Finally, a clear bell or doorknocker, to let someone know you are there, is always helpful.

Trim the Bushes
Make certain shrubbery and landscaping is not overgrown. If it is, the energy may have the effect of "pushing the person away" who is approaching the entrance to the home. The best plants to line the edge of the walkway have soft round corners. Avoid sharp pointed plants or objects.

Interior Entranceway
Once you enter the home the space inside the door should be clear of clutter and obstructions. If there is a wall directly across from the entrance Ferree says that placing a mirror or art on the wall will lift the chi tremendously. This Feng Shui treatment makes sense because it prevents your visitor from walking into a blank wall. It also makes something visible that will immediately lift the spirits of your guest.

Ferree suggests paying close attention to the “subtle environmental clues” in the interior of the home to make sure that you are not pushing someone away with the objects in the space, or making them have to "get smaller" to walk through the space.

Safety First
In addition to aiding in lifting the energy of a space, Feng Shui can also reflect simple common sense. Safety, both real and perceived, is extremely important. Ferree recommends, “Pick up any items strewn about the yard and make sure all walkways and stepping stones and steps are level. Good lighting is essential, too. It must b e easy to walk through the interior and exterior of the house without obstruction.”

Avoid Clutter
According to Ferree, “clutter will keep a house from selling for many different reasons, one of which says the person does not attend to the upkeep of the home.” Clutter collects stagnant energy and brings the feeling of the space down. The two kinds of clutter are passive and active. Examples of active clutter are scattered children's toys in a living room, or brushes, paints and accessories in an artist’s studio. Passive clutter is piles of things which have not been put away, thrown away or recycled.

Positive Energy Keeps Guests Happy
Ferree has some ideas on how to invite positive "chi" (energy) into your home. Spread smells, such as vanilla, cinnamon, or citrus throughout the home. Consider the lighting, colors and color arrangements and clarity of a space. Work on design enhancements that welcome visitors to your space and invite them to stay a while.

Ferree has one piece of final advice that applies to many situations. “Your home tells a story about you” she says, “People read the story every time they visit your space. Be aware of that and put your best self forward.”



Elaine VonCannon (www.vonmor1@cox.net) is a REALTOR with RE/Max Capital in Williamsburg, Virginia, and she manages investment property as part of her business. Elaine is also an Accredited Buyer's Representative as well as a Senior Real Estate Specialist. She has helped numerous clients invest in and make money on property in Southeastern Virginia.

10 Reasons A Home Buyer Will Never Buy Your House by Andrew Lo

If you're getting your house ready to put it on the market, keep in mind that buyers are looking for their dream home. Your job is to make them believe that your home is their dream. In order to sell them the dream, though, you'll need to avoid the ten things that will completely kill the illusion and guarantee that no home buyer will ever by your house.

1. Odors

Dream homes don't smell. If you have pets, if you smoke or if your basement gets damp and mildewed, your house will tattle on you. A house that smells doesn't' sell - it's that simple. You may not even notice the odors yourself - but someone who doesn't live in it and isn't used to them will. Ask a friend for their honest opinion - and if they tell you that your house has unpleasant odors, don't try to cover them up. Tackle the root causes by cleaning down to the shine - and then avoid building odors back up. Move the cat's litter box outside, and if you must smoke, do it in the yard. Don't overlook more transient odors either. Avoid cooking pungent, garlicky or highly spiced food within a few hours of a home showing. And while baking chocolate chip cookies or apple pie won't sell your house, it certainly can't hurt.

2. Evidence of pest control

People living in dream homes don't need to put out mouse traps or roach bait. Make sure that any pest control items are well out of sight when you're showing a house to avoid any hint that there's a pest problem in your house.

3. Clutter and personal items

When prospective buyers are looking around your home, they want to see themselves in it - not your family. Buyers don't want to buy a 'lived in home'. They want their own, special dream home. Put away pictures, albums and mementoes, clear off countertops and get rid of clutter.

4. Overstuffed storage space

When you clear away the clutter, move it further than the nearest cabinet. If your closets look like Fibber McGee's, spend a weekend paring them down. Buyers will want to open closet doors and see attic and basement storage space. If those spaces are overcrowded, they won't be able to gauge the amount of space they have. Not only that, overcrowded closets subtly hint at other hidden 'secrets' - if you're hiding your clutter, what else might be hidden behind the walls?

5. Stained ceilings and walls

Water stains on your ceilings and the tops of walls are evidence of leaks - either in the roof or in the plumbing, and that's trouble no one wants to buy. If there IS a leak, get it repaired. Once it's fixed, prime and paint the damaged walls and ceilings.

6. Dirty bathroom

It doesn't matter how clean the rest of your house is if your bathroom is dirty. Scrub the tiles, get rid of every sign of mildew and make sure that the fixtures shine. Not only does a dirty bathroom smell bad, it hints at a basic lack of cleanliness about the entire house.

7. Dated and worn-out wall-coverings and flooring

Threadbare carpet, worn and missing floor tiles and outdated wall coverings all suggest a house that hasn't been cared for or kept up to date. Unless they're specifically looking for a 'fixer-upper', few buyers will look twice at a house that they'll have to redecorate before they can live in.

8. Unkempt landscaping

The first impression that buyers get of your house is the most lasting. Make sure that your house has 'curb appeal'. Shaggy lawns, weeds choking the pathways and cracked driveways are all turn-offs to potential buyers. Spruce up the outside of your house - fresh paint if you can, mowed lawn, and an attractive entry to their dream home will go a long way toward making an excellent first impression.

9. A price that's too high

Even if your house is in tip-top shape, if you've priced it too high for the market, it will not sell. If your house is in the $150,000 range, and you're asking $175,000 for it, prospective home buyers will compare it to other houses in the $175,000 range - and likely find it lacking.

10. Pets, children and other interruptions

No matter how much people like pets and children, there are times that they'd rather not have them around. Remember that you want prospective buyers to feel comfortable and at home in your house. They'll find that difficult to do if their exploration of their possible dream home is interrupted by an over-enthusiastic dog or your children.


About the Author
Andrew is the web owner of [URL:www.buy-and-sell-house-fast.com/]Home Selling Tips: How to sell your own house fast, a website that provides informational guide on home buying and selling tips and more. You can visit his website at: http://www.buy-and-sell-house-fast.com/. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

House Selling Tips

There are hundreds of good house selling tips that can help you when the time comes to put that sign in the yard. Some are more important than others though. Here are three of the most important points.

1. Understand Value. Your home is not worth more because you like it, and it may not even be worth more after you spend $10,000 making it the way you like it. It is worth what others will pay. One of the worst parts of a real estate agent's job is trying to explain to a nice couple that their $45,000 in kitchen improvements only added $10,000 to the value of the house.

It is easy to see the problem with pricing too low, but making less money is a problem of pricing too high as well. You have costs that you pay while waiting to sell. Also, people are suspicious of homes that have sat unsold for a year, and less likely to make an offer even if you have finally lowered the price. The perfect buyer who would have paid the most, might have looked at the home when it was over-priced and walked away. To get the most money, price it right to begin with.

2. Understand The Market. Who are your potential buyers? A sign in the yard wont help much if you're selling a summer home in the woods and all the buyers are in the city. Once you identify who the likely buyers are, you or your agent can decide which ways to market the property.

Are you in a quiet neighborhood that is attracting retirees? If so, you would want to advertise the fact that your house has one level. "No stairs!" can be an important selling point to older buyers. If the neighborhood is one that is likely to attract young couples, however, it would be a waste of words. Consider your market before you try to sell.

3. Cost-Effective Preparations. Of course you should clean the house and mow the lawn. The other things you do to get ready for the sale should be cost effective though. As a rule, you should first do those things that will give you a three-to-one return on your money.

It isn't important (or possible) to be precise. The point is to do things that raise the value more than they cost. $1,000 to repave the driveway may increase the value of the house by $3,000, but a $50,000 pool might add only $25,000 in value. Start by replacing that dented mailbox, and work on those things that get "the most bang for the buck."

If you have the time and motivation, you can find endless little house selling tips. That may not be a bad idea, but why not start with the important things first?

Steve Gillman has invested in real estate for years. See a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought for $17,500 on his home page, or go straight to the section on Investing In Real Estate: http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/