Need to sell a property? I can help! Have your property priced right Fernando’s thorough approach to Home Evaluations involves three steps, to ensure that he is presenting a suitable asking price for your home. On his first contact with you, he obtains as much information as possible about the home, its condition and history. Before viewing the property, Fernando uses his knowledge of the market in the given neighbourhood, and then thoroughly researches similar properties, previous sales, and current listings. The data that he obtains allows him to make preliminary calculations that will contribute to his recommendation. Finally, Fernando's views the property with a critical eye, evaluating the state of the home, and using his extensive knowledge both of the overall real estate market, and the market specific to each neighbourhood. At this point, Fernando is able to provide a very accurate recommended asking price. I will make sure your property is marketed effectively. You found my website, and the buyers for your property will find us too! Tell me about the property that you are interested in selling and we will be in touch soon! | Tell Me About The Property You Wish To Sell |
58 Ways To Sell Your House Faster! Why does one house sell within days and another linger for months on the market? In today's real estate market, far too many sellers watch prospective buyers troop through their homes without making an offer. To avoid this kind of frustration, you must learn the secrets of making your house more saleable. The longer a house is on the market, the less likely that Seller’s are to make higher offers. It's human nature to suspect the quality of merchandise that has been “on the shelf” for a long time. A slow-selling house makes prospective buyers nervous. They never fail to ask why this house has not sold? They are concerned with the reasons why everyone else has passed it up. They wonder what they are missing. Selling your home can be a painless and profitable experience – if you follow these guidelines. Don't neglect to involve your family in this project. It is a cooperative venture with one shared goal a timely and profitable sale of your home.
The Big Picture
Put yourself in the buyers' shoes. Remember, they arrive at your front door waiting to fall in love with your home. If you've done your homework and set the stage, every room in your home will greet the customer with a pleasant surprise. First, settle down in your favorite easy chair, close your eyes, and try to remember your feeling the very first time YOU walked into your home. Now, start listing your home’s most positive features. Remember, the more personal the better. Ask your spouse and your children to add their own special positive reactions. Your teenage daughter may remember how she fell in love with your home years ago because of a swing that hung from the old oak tree in the backyard. Don't make the mistake of ignoring children's special impressions. They often see important things that adults miss. Tour every room, the attic, basement, the garage and especially the laundry room. Go outside and do the same thing. Note at least one positive feature in each space. Include the items that attracted you and those desirable features you have added. 1. Accentuate the positive. The real estate agent cannot do the whole job of selling your home. Each room should send out its unique message to the customer. It is very effective to let buyers discover the special features in your home. Draw attention to your home’s best assets by using a little creativity. Set the stage. Use flowers, lighting and sparkling clean windows. You are about to stimulate the buyers’ imaginations and help them imagine themselves living in your home. 2. Eliminate the negative. No home is perfect, so above all, be honest. Tell the buyers up front about anything you know of that is wrong with your home. You are legally responsible to disclose any defects. Buyers are more likely to discount problems if you bring them up first. Problems usually arise when sellers try to hide those things they do not want the buyers to discover. 3. Make minor repairs. All those tiny flaws in your otherwise beautifully maintained home will add up to one thing to the observant buyers, owner neglect. You want to eliminate those signs before buyers enter your home. 4. Regardless of the season, tackle spring-cleaning. The hours spent thoroughly cleaning your home will reward sellers with early and profitable sales. Clean windows are very important! Pay particular attention to your kitchen and bathrooms – they involve personal health and hygiene and are areas buyers scrutinize closely. 5. Create the illusion of spaciousness. Make your living space APPEAR larger by eliminating bulky, unnecessary furniture – rearrange to give the illusion of spaciousness. 6. Give your rooms a light, bright look. Buyers want large, bright, cheerful rooms. 7. Use color and lighting to draw attention to your home’s best selling features. Highlight the graceful bay window with a colorful arrangement of flowers. Color has the power to attract. Lighting should be used for emphasis. 8. Eliminate unpleasant odors. Remember that some people are more sensitive to odors than others. Smokers rarely notice the odor of tobacco that fills their homes. Pet owners may be oblivious to objectionable dog or cat odors. Have carpets professionally cleaned. Don't let wet towels or laundry accumulate in hampers and closets that could create a musty smell. 9. Disguise unsightly views. Disguise that potentially offending view, but let light into your rooms. Sheer white panels can replace heavy curtains. 10. Avoid Eccentricities. Smart sellers play down individualistic touches that may express perfectly their taste and personality, but, at the same time, appeal to a minority of homebuyers. When selling, you must play the odds in terms of personal preference. If your rooms are painted purple and beaded curtains hang in the doorway, don’t rely on your agent to find the perfect buyer whose taste matches yours. The typical buyer will have a hard time seeing beyond the color and eccentric décor. Two coats of white paint may be the best investment you every make. Other areas of possible offenses are those two old bugaboos, politics and religion. Everyone is entitled to his own beliefs in these areas, but if you are trying to sell to the widest possible market, it is wise not to make your living room look like campaign headquarters or your dining room resemble a sacred temple. 11. Recognize the fine line between clutter and sterility. Notice the small details that make the rooms particularly attractive and appealing – a vase of flowers, a basket of knitting yarns. Accessories can make or break a room. But, be on the lookout for clutter that is distracting. Edit judiciously. 13. Display photographs that show your home during other seasons. Go through your photo albums and select pictures of your house and yard during all four seasons. If hung at eye level in a well-lighted area, the pictures will speak for themselves and give you another selling edge.
Front Door and Porch Areas No matter how lovely your home may be behind that front door, a buyer will be turned off by crumbling front steps, a doorbell that doesn’t work, creaky hinges, or chipping paint on porch columns. Give special attention to your home’s front entry. Remember, first impressions are likely to color the remainder of the house tour. Sometimes buyers drive up to a home and choose not get out of the car. Don't loose them before they get inside the door! 14. Create a welcome spot of color. There should be something special that greets buyers at your front door; something that sets your home off from the other houses on the block. Add a wreath, a tub of geraniums, a pot of sturdy petunias, or a jolly pumpkin. Invest in a new doormat that says, “welcome." 15. Open you home to the outside world. Buyers approach a home with their curiosity aroused; they want to have positive feelings. If all the curtains are drawn and the front door is locked and bolted, your home will seem like a forbidding fortress. If the curtains are open, the windows sparkling clean, and the front door swung wide, your home will radiate a welcome spirit and invite the buyer to enter. 16. Capitalize on a spacious front porch or deck. Take advantage of the nostalgia evoked by a porch. Set the stage and stimulate buyers’ imaginations. Give the front door a clean coat of paint. A bright front door provides a great focal point. Don't be afraid of color here. Use high gloss paint to make it shine and polish the hardware. Make sure the latch and keys work easily. Clean the storm door and keep it free of fingerprints.
Your Entry Hall 17. Create a dramatic focal point. Study your entry hall and assess what kind of statement it makes about your home. This area should greet and say, “Welcome, your house hunting days are over.” Silk or dried flower arrangements look great at any time of the year. Think of bittersweet or cattails; stop by the local craft store for a few ideas. 18. Add spaciousness with a mirror. Virtually any entry hall will benefit from a well-placed mirror. It will enlarge the area and remember to polish it. 19. Examine the floors in the entry. The prospective buyers will inspect your entry hall flooring carefully. Give them a positive impression. If you wish them to remove their shoes, leave a sign at the front door. It will tell them that you take good care of your home and hope they will, too. 20. Clean out your coat closet. The entry hall closet is the first one the buyers inspect. Make it appear roomy. Add a few extra empty hangers. Hang a muslin bag filled with cedar or lavender. It will freshen every closet. Pack shoes and boots. Add a basket for gloves. Living room and family room 21. Set the stage. Buyers will try to imagine themselves living in your living room. Your job is to make each room project a positive response. What touches will make your living room truly inviting? Music is one important element. Consider leaving an instrument leaning on a stand or turn on the light at the piano with sheet music open. 22. Highlight your fireplace. Don't expect the buyers to imagine a fire, turn on your gas fireplace or light a fire. Take a fresh look at what is on the mantle or hanging above it. Remember to keep it simple and inviting. 23. Improve traffic flow in your rooms. Increase the visual space in your rooms by arranging furniture carefully. Put excess pieces in storage. Allow for easy traffic flow and be sure that doors open fully. 24. Draw attention to exposed beams or a cathedral ceiling with lighting. If your television set dominates the room, consider moving it to a less prominent location for the duration of your home’s marketing period. Your goal is to market and quickly sell your home at a great price. You may need to adjust your lifestyle for a while to improve market appeal.
Dining Areas
25. Set the scene by setting the table. You can stimulate buyers' imaginations by setting your dining table with nice plates and flatware. Think about what a great feeling it is to walk into a friend’s home for dinner when a beautifully set table greets you. Clean out and polish the china cupboard. If the cupboard dominates the room, consider storing it. If you use the table daily, pull the settings off for your family and keep them in a box during dinner. Instead of clearing the table, reset it! 26. Visually enlarge a smaller dining area. If your dining table has one or two leaves, take one out. Consider placing your table against a wall. Remove any extra chairs. Another great spot for flowers, fresh are always best. Try the grocery store for good value.
Your Kitchen The kitchen continues to be the center and heart of our homes. People gather here and spend a great deal of time in kitchens. The kitchen will be at the top of your buyer’s list of priorities. 27. Use props to set a cheerful scene. Open a cookbook, set a copper pan on the stove or fill a bowl with fresh fruit. Lay out tools or beautiful food to help buyers think about working in your clean kitchen. 28. Make it smell good. Smell is one of the strongest senses we possess. What place to better stamp a good memory of your home on a buyer? Think of aromas that you associate with happiness and a sense of well-being. Gingerbread, vanilla and fresh baked bread or chocolate chip cookies all evoke wonderful feelings. Place a whole nutmeg, a few cinnamon sticks, a tablespoon of allspice and whole cloves into a pan of water. Simmer it on low heat before you home is shown. Summertime smells might include lemons and limes, mint from the garden or sweet peas. 29. Expand your counter space. Clear counters of small appliances, containers of utensils, or clutter at the kitchen sink. Pack extra kitchen equipment and sets of dishes or flatware away now to make your move easier. 30. Create more storage space. Organize every drawer and cabinet; to make them look roomy. You want buyers to see spaciousness. Wipe each shelf and drawer out; organize cans and boxes of food.
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31. Don't forget the refrigerator. If you need to defrost, do so now. Clean shelves and throw out leftovers. Make the inside of the refrigerator clean and open. Now look at the refrigerator door. Pull off artwork, phone lists, photographs and clean the door, handle, top and vacuum and wipe underneath the refrigerator. If it sits in an enclosed space, wipe the walls down where dust collects. 32. Wash the drapes. If you have window coverings or draperies at the kitchen windows, make sure they are clean. Iron them or carefully wipe each slat of the blind. 33. Clean the oven and the vent fan. Use the "self-clean" option on your oven or set a pan of water and ammonia inside a preheated 225-degree oven. Turn off the oven. Leave the door shut for 12 hours before wiping the inside clean. Clean the microwave by boiling water inside for 3 minutes. It will wipe clean, too. "Windex" does a great job on oven windows and handles. Pull out the drawers under the oven and clean underneath the oven. Now look up at the vent fan. Clean the light, light cover and wipe any grease away. Laundry Room A separate laundry room is a great asset to any home. Never under estimate the value of a clean and inviting laundry space and laundry chute. 34. Make the laundry cheerful and appealing. Add a fresh coat of paint and organize the room. Pare down extra soaps and bottles. Keep unwashed laundry in the washing machine. Buyers rarely look inside. Use a nice fresh scented drying sheet when you dry your clothes to keep any odors at bay. And, check to see that your dryer hose is attached.
Stairways Stairways provide a transition from one level of your home to another. Make sure they are open, safe and attractive.
36. Safety counts. If you have removed a handrail, reinstall it. If it is loose, tighten it. Make sure lights are on and bright. Secure any rugs that may be loose. 37. Add interest to the stairwell. A carefully chosen accent might improve the area’s visual appeal. If you have a wide staircase, you might add a few pictures along the wall. If you have a hanging light make sure it is polished. If you have a landing try to accessorize it with a plant or small chair.
Bedrooms When you evaluate the bedrooms in your home, imagine that you own a “Bed and Breakfast.” How would you enhance your home’s bedrooms to appeal to a guest? Clean and organize sheets, pillows and comforters and keep beds freshly made. Create a reading area with an armchair and lamp and again, add flowers. These rooms should invite your prospective buyer to imagine themselves in these rooms.
38. Create a master bedroom haven. Large master bedrooms are popular. Allow the buyers to imagine they are enjoying that space. Make the room light and repaint it if it is dark. Remove bureaus to create more visual space. If you have more than one, get it down to one; removing all of them would be better yet. Store family photos, piles of change and piles of books and magazines. If the television dominates the room, move it to storage. 39. Organize all the closets. Virtually all buyers are looking for a house with plenty of closet space. Try to make yours appear generous and well organized. *Pack all your off-season clothes in storage. *Clear off the floor and store shoes on a rack or in shoe bins. Pack extras. *Fold sweaters and shirts on shelves. Only stack two deep, pack the rest. *Add a cedar or lavender bag to every closet so they smell fresh. *Put in larger bulbs and wipe off the lights. 40. Children's rooms should be inviting to new families. Your children will understand your family goals if you make them a part of this experience. Ask them to create inviting bedrooms and begin the moving process by packing away toys in clearly labeled boxes. Pack away extra teddy bears, posters and pull all the sticky tack down. Remember the drapes and lights.
Hall Bathrooms Wise sellers take special care when preparing their bathrooms for the buyers’ scrutiny. Bathrooms are very personal rooms and will be inspected carefully. Clean to make sure everything is immaculate. Box up medicines, extra supplies of toothpaste and toilet paper and old towels. 41. Creating an inviting master bath. Stop by the discount store and buy some bright clean new towels. Remove pajamas and robes and put out new soaps. Get rid of extra shampoo bottles in the tub and add a new shower curtain. Add bath salts and candles that invite the buyer to imagine a quiet soak in your squeaky clean tub. Polish the faucets and remove lime from the showerhead by soaking it in vinegar overnight. Clean the sink and shower drains by removing the stoppers and pulling out any sludge. Wash the mirrors, lighting fixtures and replace any missing or burned out bulbs. 42. Create a personalized look for your bathrooms. Decorate and personalize. Add healthy plants, and give away or throw out spindly ones. Add an attractive piece of artwork. Buy a new shower curtain and, if the room is small, try a transparent one to open up the space. Replace old tub caulking and tile grout. Mold smells raise big questions these days. Add a new rug that is clean and fresh looking. Wipe the floor frequently so that even the corners remain clean. 43. Consider your home's color scheme. If your home sports a dated color scheme, play it down by adding subdued towels and rugs. If you own a white neutral bath bring in color. Remember, you will be taking your new purchases with you to your new home. 44. Take a hard look at the floors. Buy a strong floor cleaner to remove dirt that lurks around sinks or toilets. Scrub with a toothbrush to get into the corners. Buy a large rug that will cover a large area. 45. Watch out for strong smells. Be sure to vent the room after showers and use air sprays carefully. Many people react strongly to perfumed smells. If you have a window or fan, air the bath out regularly.
Attic Your attic will be inspected, both by the buyers and by their inspector. Remove boxes, old furniture and store all of it. Make sure it is free of clutter and has a bright light bulb. If you have folding stairs that reach the attic, make sure they are sturdy, safe and well oiled.
47. Highlight your attic's expansion potential. Buyers may see your attic as the perfect answer for their growing family. Open space will allow them to imagine the potential and reward you with a higher sales price.
Basement & Crawl Space If your home has a full basement, chances are that the “utilities” are located there. Buyers and inspectors will be looking closely at the furnace, water heater, electrical service and gas main. Spend a Saturday morning cleaning it up. Remove broken tools, old lawn furniture and other stored equipment. It is a great time to visit the local Salvation Army to drop off a loan of goodies. *Wipe the furnace and water heater with a damp rag so they look well cared for and reliable. *Replace the furnace filters. *Sweep along the ceiling joists to pull down any spider webs. *Replace light bulbs and wipe down switch plates. 48. Make it smell inviting. A dark, damp-smelling basement will affect the sale of your home. Buyers will be looking for mildew and mold. Make sure your basement and every basement window sparkles. If your basement is dark, paint the old paneling and add lights. This area offers more room for expansion to a buyer. Invite them to dream not shudder. 49. Highlight a work area. All of us dream about having a workshop for our projects. Clear off the dust and put the boxes of nails and old parts in storage. Lay out a few tools and provide plenty of room for buyers to imagine their own workspaces. 50. Crawl into your own crawl space. If you have not been into the crawl space in your own home, its time for a visit. Your prospective buyers will surely take a peek. If there is no electricity to your crawl space, lay a flashlight by the door so that buyers can see into your space without actually having to go in. Remove everything and check for cobwebs and dead bugs.
Garage Don't let a poorly maintained driveway or garage sour your buyers. Remove the junk from the garage. Sweep and wash off the floors. Look closely to see if there are any small improvements you that would make a difference. Buyers look for flaws that would justify lower their offers to you. 51. First impressions in the driveway. Be sure to keep your children’s bikes and toys out of harms way. You want your home to be safe to approach. Repair any driveway cracks and pull the weeds. Then go back and pull them out. Use your edger to cut a sharp line between cement and grass. Keep the gutters, sidewalks and driveway swept clean. 52. Let your garage shine. A clean, organized garage appears larger, and much more appealing. If it is not brightly lit, buy some large 300 watt shop lights for it. If you own a one-car garage, park your car on the street so that the buyer can look around without shimmying past your car. If you own a larger garage, make sure one car is parked outside to offer more room for inspection. Make sure tools are hung neatly and store extra equipment for your move.
Yard Whether you own 50 acres or a small townhouse lot, much of the value is in your land. A well-landscaped setting will greatly enhance the sale of your home. 53. Keep the yard manicured. Be sure to trim the trees (get a pro in to trim the big ones and watch out for overhead wires). Fertilize, cut and trim the grass on a regular basis. Keep it watered. Freshen up mulch around the beds and work on weeds. 54. Identify property boundaries. If you no longer know where your property boundaries lie, consider hiring a surveyor to reset the pins. Then mark them with brightly colored ribbons. Buyers want to know what they are buying and you don’t want them to go away with doubts lingering about your land. 55. Plant some flowers. If the weather permits, plant annual flowers in large pots to bring color to your yard both in front and out back. During the winter, use evergreen boughs and ribbons to brighten your yard. 56. Draw attention to special landscaping assets. If you own a home with wonderful trees, highlight them. If one offers shade, set a picnic table under it. Make sure flowering shrubs and vines are pruned. 57. Highlight play areas. If your yard has a large flat area, consider setting up a badminton net to draw attention to that feature. 58. Accessorize your outside living areas. Many homes have plenty of extra living area outside. Set up chairs and a dining table outside so that buyers can imagine an outdoor meal or a fine spot to enjoy cool lemonade on a hot summer day. Clean up your barbeque area and scrub the charcoal from the grill. You are creating a second kitchen area that offers buyers additional room to cook and entertain.
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