Get Ready to Sell Your Home

How important is staging my home to sell?

That depends on a few factors. If your home is vacant, we need to bring in furniture and artwork, not necessarily to decorate but to accentuate the right features. If it’s outdated, we can make it appear less so with the right furniture and artwork. If you’re living in the home, it’s vital to declutter and depersonalize so the buyer can imagine themselves and their belongings in your space.

What are the most important staging factors? 

Paint is the number one return on investment. I can bring in a painter to paint and brighten things up and make the home look less lived in. Next, I’d bring in someone to deep clean ceiling fans, windows, cabinetry — everything — and have carpets professionally cleaned, especially if you have pets. People think they need to burn candles in every room, but you don’t want to overwhelm the buyer with perfumy smells. Clean is the best smell, and a deep cleaning will take care of that.

How do I know what price to list my house?

This is when an experienced Realtor can really help. You need a Realtor who’s familiar with what’s on trend, what’s selling, and for how much. They can do a deep dive into the prices comparable homes have sold for in your neighborhood. Just because your neighbor’s house sold for $750,000 doesn’t mean yours will, too. You may not know what upgrades they’ve made. Also, just because another neighbor listed their home for $895,000 doesn’t mean they sold it for that. Your Realtor can pull the actual sale prices. This is easier if you live in an HOA neighborhood. It takes a bit more work when you’re not in a neighborhood. The market can change monthly, and buyers today are smart. They come in with their buying agents knowing most of this information already. With higher interest rates, we’re no longer getting those wild, sight-unseen offers we saw during the pandemic. To get top dollar, you need a savvy Realtor who’s going to put in the extra work for you.

Do I need a Realtor if I’m building?

You may be building your forever home but life circumstances can change, and it needs to be a home you can sell in the future if you need to. The right Realtor can help you build with common sense, to ensure the home you’re building is re-sellable down the line. They can go with you to the design center and help you make selections that won’t over personalize your home. They can help ensure you’re not overbuilding for your market. That’s why I offer a no-obligation sit-down meet and greet to go over comparables in your neighborhood. I work with families now who are thinking about selling in two or three years. Even if you’re not ready to sell, we can start working on a plan now to have your home ready to sell when you are.