Best Kept Secrets to Sell Your Home: How to Trick Buyers Into Thinking Your House Is Nicer Than It Is

First things first, before we get into the article, you’ve got to price the house right. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get buyers in the door! Figure out what your house is worth, then take ten to fifteen percent off of the asking price. You’ll have buyers beating down the door, even in the worst of market times. Usually, they’ll end up in a bidding war, and you’ll get your real asking price. It’s a bold move, as it can be very risky. But it’s better than going the traditional route of pricing your house too high, and then waiting on a buyer so that you can counter at the real price. Here are some secrets for how to sell your house in no time.

Keep your closets half empty. Not completely empty, not full. But half empty. Spread out the hangers far apart. This makes the closet look larger than it is. Buyers are going to snoop around, so make sure that you have your nicest clothes in there as well, and your nicer shoes neatly displayed. The closet must be clean for this trick to work.

Light up your home. Great lighting is something that buyers flee to. Take down all of the curtains so that you can give all of your windows a deep cleaning. If any lampshades are old or dirty, take them off and replace them. Change the bulbs to LED lights that shine brighter than any other type of bulb. Cut any trees that are blocking views from inside the home. You want the buyers to see the home in a positive light; pun intended!

Hire the right agent. You have to have one that is completely informed about the market; they should be constantly checking the MLS to see what other homes are being put on the market in your area. You’ve got to keep on top of your competition! Make sure your agent is very familiar with internet marketing, and are computer savvy.

Hide your pets. Fluffy is cute, but no one wants to see her! Buyers do not want to see pet food, look at a cat litter box, or trip over old, ripped-up dog toys. It makes buyers think you don’t clean your home; plus, pet accessories are distracting. Take them to doggie and cat daycare for the day. Plus, they’ll have tons of fun! Win-win.

Don’t upgrade your home any more than it needs to be. You won’t see the money back. Never renovate your house right before you sell it. It will just put off the time that it takes to even get your home on the market, and then when you do, you simply aren’t going to get back what you put into it. Don’t invest in a home that you’re trying to move out of. On the other hand, certain updates will help you sell it. For example, maybe re-painting, switching out hardware, making sure doors all work, etc.

Lastly, de-personalize your home! The more accessories in your home that are personal (picture frames of your family, kids’ drawings on the refrigerator, etc.), you are turning away buyers. They need to see themselves in your home. They don’t want to walk in and feel like they are an intruder sneaking into someone’s house when they aren’t there. Definitely consider hiring a professional decorator to help you stage your home.

Readers Comments (2)

  1. Hello my name is Tami Sandoval and I just wanted to drop you a quick message here instead of calling you. I came to your What to Do When Your Home Won’t Sell – We Buy Houses North Austin website and noticed you could have a lot more visitors. I have found that the key to running a successful website is making sure the visitors you are getting are interested in your website topic. There is a company that you can get keyword targeted traffic from and they let you try the service for free for 7 days. I managed to get over 300 targeted visitors to day to my site. http://www.axurl.com/5i

  2. If your house hasn’t sold in a few months, the first thing you need to do is remove ALL of the listings, and re-list. Buyers are going to wonder why your house is still for sale after 8 months, they’ll think something major is wrong with it. Make your listings fresh.

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