Even in a hot housing market like Atlanta, you need to think competitively when trying to sell your home. The idea is to make the home as attractive to buyers as possible, both in price and appearance so that they want to make an offer on your house rather than one of the others for sale in your neighborhood. When getting ready to list, here are five important steps for preparing your home to sell.
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Research Market Values In Your Neighborhood
Setting the price of your home is one of the most important steps you’ll take. You naturally want to get as much as you can for the property without overpricing it for its amenities and location. Setting the price too high will not only discourage prospective buyers but if you do get an offer and it appraises too low, it can put the deal in jeopardy. The way to avoid this is to do some research to find out what homes of comparable value are selling for in your area, and price your home accordingly. A knowledgeable real estate agent will be able to help you with this step.
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Improve Curb Appeal
First impressions mean everything to home buyers, so make sure your home is putting its best foot forward. Clean the clutter, do some strategic landscaping, touch up the paint, decorate the porch—anything that makes your home more attractive from the curb will improve your chances for a quick sale.
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Do A Deep Cleaning
From baseboards to rafters to windows, get rid of dust and grime. Wipe the ceiling fan blades and fireplace mantle, shampoo the carpet, capture the dust bunnies, the whole routine. The cleaner the better. And when you’re cleaning, don’t forget to deodorize. You might be used to the litterbox smell or the lingering aroma of last night’s dinner, but visitors to your home won’t be—and you definitely don’t want that to be the first thing that hits them when they walk through the door.
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Make It Neutral
You’ve spent years making this your home; now it’s time to help prospective buyers envision it as their home. In most cases, this means you should tone it down, make the décor feel more neutral. Busy prints and overly bold colors make it difficult for buyers to envision what it could look like with their personal touch, so when necessary, repaint the walls in neutral colors or put slipcovers over couches with busy patterns.
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Declutter and Lighten The Space
Staging your home to be light and welcoming is one of the best ways to prepare your home to sell. The key is to create a nice flow without a lot of clutter. You might want to put the extra couch into storage, along with some the extra tchotchkes that are currently taking up space on the side tables and mantle. Leave just enough decorations to create an inviting, welcoming feel. Also, the more natural light you bring into the home, the better, so open up those drapes, open the shutters, lift the blinds and let the sunshine in!
Finally, when you’re done preparing your home to sell, you need an experienced agent in your corner, someone with a proven track record in Atlanta home sales. Give Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty a call today at 404.237.5000.