More Home Selling Tips

The step that squeaks, the light switch that doesn’t work, the crack in the drywall —they might be minor irritations to you, but they can also be deal-killers. The problem here is that you never know what will turn a buyer off. And even something minor that’s gone unattended can suggest that perhaps there are bigger, less visible problems present as well.

If you have ever toured someone else’s home, you may have felt uncomfortable. You probably felt that way because you saw, heard or otherwise sensed something that made you feel like you were intruding into someone’s life. The last thing you want others to feel in visiting your home is that same sense of discomfort. You can avoid this by making your home as neutral as possible. Anything that interferes with a potential buyer’s ability to see themselves living in your home must be eliminated. A few carefully chosen knickknacks and family portraits may add warmth and character to the home, but too many are a distraction. Avoid unique or trendy colour schemes — paint and carpet in neutral shades of white or beige.

While personal items can detract, other small touches can help make your house a home to buyers. A well-placed vase of flowers, accent pieces of sculpture, potpourri in the bathroom — all can enhance the attractiveness of your home in a subtle, soft-spoken way. You may get more helpful tips in home magazines.

All traces of food, pet and smoking odours must be eliminated. Even when you’re not there, don’t encourage prospective buyers to imagine things. If they know you’re a smoker or that you have a dog, they’ll start smelling odours and seeing stains that may not even exist. Be safe — don’t leave any clues.

Smart sellers proactively go above and beyond the laws to disclose all known defects to their buyers —in writing. If the buyer knows about a problem, he or she can’t come back with a lawsuit later on.

Marketing strategies specifically designed for the client can maximize your home’s marketability, and this will increase your chances of attracting more than one prospective buyer. Why is this better? Because several buyers competing for the same home will not only increase the sale price, but they can effect closing dates and your home may even sell quicker.

The limit of most people’s experience in the art of negotiation begins and ends at their local auto dealership. And we all have unpleasant memories of haggling with car salesmen. It is important that you let go of the emotional side of the negotiations and approach the negotiations in a detached, businesslike manner. Then you will find the process to be a lot less painful. In fact, you might even enjoy it — and you’ll definitely have an advantage over prospective buyers who get caught up in the emotion of the situation.

In the negotiation process, your objective is to control the pace and set the duration. And the better you know your buyer, the more easily you can maintain control. As a rule, buyers want the best property they can afford for the least amount of money. But knowing specifically what motivates your buyer enables you to negotiate more effectively. Maybe your buyer needs to move quickly. Or the maximum amount he can spend is just a little below your asking price. Knowing this information puts you in a better bargaining position.

When a buyer would ‘like’ to close is often when they ‘need’ to close. Knowing this gives you his deadline for completing negotiations —again, an advantage in negotiations.