St. Louis Home NOT Selling? Here are some ideas...
1) Paint a neutral color on the walls. Paint is inexpensive and gives a fresh new look to walls. Buyers view a fresh neutral home as a blank canvas they can put their mark on.
2) Clean out the clutter. You are going to move anyway, so pack everything not essential. Yes, Everything! While cleaning out the stuff, consider staging the rooms. Yes, remove some of the furniture.
3) Hire a professional cleaning company. Your home needs to be Q-tip clean. No, you do not live this way but a buyer is impressed with a clean house. Remember new construction is spotless. After the initial cleaning, keeping the home looking great is not so difficult.
4) Look at your home the way buyers do. What do buyers see when they pull up to your house? If you cannot see what they do, ask a trusted friend, neighbor or your Realtor. They should be able to tell you what they see. Do not be hurt by what they tell you. The idea is to see the home through another person's eyes. How can you "fix" the issues you find? If the carpet is old, replace it with a neutral color.
5) Consider offering some creative financing terms. Most buyers are interested in the bottom line, what they will pay monthly for your home. So consider buying down the interest rate to make the home more affordable to the buyer. You may be considering a price reduction but a rate buy down for a specific time period may be more beneficial to both you and the buyer.
If you would like help with the above ideas, please give Ann Hayden a call 636-399-7544.
© Ann Hayden, 2008-2009. All rights reserved and may not be reproduced or reprinted without express written permission of Ann Hayden, real estate agent with Prudential Select Properties Chesterfield, Ballwin, Wildwood Office. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
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© Ann Hayden, 2008-2009.
Sometimes you have to take a seller to a competitive listing that is clean and neat to get them to see that their home needs work!!! Good luck Ann!!!
Ann, number one and two are simple but have a huge impact on the appearance of a house.
Lewis,
That is a great idea....
Thanks,
Ann
George,
HUGE impact is right. The two photos here were taken after we implimented most ideas except the carpet. After the carpet was installed, we had three offers....
Ann
Ann this is a great post. If you can get your sellers to follow all of these steps you are halfway to the closing table.
Hi Ann, The clean, clutter free ones that are priced well are the ones to go first. Great reminder. So often these items are overlooked.
Debra,
Yes, I think you are right. Thanks for stopping by,
Ann
Sandy,
Yes, I think the way we live is not the way to sell a house...;-)
Ann
Hi Ann, Every single one of these things makes a HUGE difference. I like your last idea the best, if the buyer gets in the door and sees 1, 2, 3, & 4 -- 5 is the icing on the cake!
Mary,
I think the seller might be surprised at how many more buyers they would get in the door...
Ann