How to Get Top Price for Your Home By Decorating It to Sell 

The process of showing and selling your home can go much more smoothly if you get everything ready.

Preparing your home for sale is a bit like designing a stage for a play. Everything is in just the right place, perfectly arranged, and comfortably set.

There are television shows like Designed to Sell focused exclusively on, not decorating a home, but getting an otherwise drab, cluttered, boring house ready for a quick and profitable sale. Homes that are properly prepared sell faster and at a higher price than similar, unprepared homes.

Get out the cleaning supplies, boxes, and get ready to sell your home fast! You'll love how easy it is to transform a languishing, slow-moving home into a quick sale with just a bit of elbow grease and an eye for beauty. You may be lucky and just need to do some long-neglected simple home repairs, get rid of clutter and add fresh flowers.  You might have to repaint or recarpet your home to give it a fresh look. If you're handy, you'll be able to do most things yourself. But you may need to hire a plumber to install a new faucet in the kitchen or other professional to replace outdated light fixtures or window treatments.

You need to keep in mind that you're not going to make the changes to live in your home. Your only goal is to show your home at its very best to potential buyers. Without being distracted by clutter and dirt, they'll be able to picture themselves in the home you're trying to sell. They will find it hard to resist making an offer.

If you're skeptical about the benefits of going to all this work or doubt that it will make any difference in selling your home, put yourself in the place of a home buyer.

Have you ever toured through a development of model homes? The paint is fresh, appliances are shiny, there is artwork arranged around the house, and fresh flowers stand on the kitchen counter. Mirrors are sparkling, towels fresh, and there are no toys on the floor. The rooms look spacious and the furniture comfortable.

The kitchens and bathrooms are polished, smelling fresh, and clutter is not to be seen. The closets are empty or organized. The garage floor is clean and neat and looks much larger than you'd need for two cars.

Now leave the development of models and go down the street where the homes are several years old. Children's toys are stacked in the family room. So many boxes are piled in the garage that you couldn't park even one car there. Clothes fill the bedroom closets and boots and mittens fill the hall closet. The house isn't dirty, but there are dishes in the kitchen sink and toothpaste stuck on the bathroom vanity. With all other things being equal, which house would be more appealing to you? Of course, the first one! The homes may be the same size, but because of the clear layout, the first home seemed much larger. The house was prepared to show off all the good points and none of the bad.

If you follow these steps, you will have succeeded in getting your home ready to impress buyers to encourage the best offers and top price for your home.

Steps you can take to make your home sell faster

As buyer activity increases due to today's record affordability, sellers can benefit from making their home stand out from the competition. A properly cared for home not only attracts more interest from potential buyers, but your tender loving care may also increase your home's value.

If your home is for sale or you are considering selling soon to take advantage of the busy spring market, here are a few small steps you can take to make it more marketable:

• First impressions are important, so make sure that your home's exterior looks its best. Clear your yard of fallen branches and other debris that may be left after winter. In addition, regularly mowing the lawn and trimming back bushes and trees provides a well-manicured look and goes a long way in improving your home's curb appeal.

• Going green is hot, and of course everyone wants to save money, making energy-saving updates a no-brainer. Consider installing compact fluorescent lightbulbs, low-flush toilets, insulated windows and even solar panels. Be sure to flaunt any energy-efficient features your home offers.

• Review all parts of your home for areas that require minor repair. Small things such as peeling paint, a dirty lightswitch cover or a leaky faucet are usually easy and inexpensive to fix, yet help make buyers feel your home is well cared for. If you're looking to make major fixes, kitchen and bathroom updates tend to be the most valuable.

SOURCE: Weichert Insights

What are some of the things you need to consider before placing your home on the market to sell?

There are many things to consider when getting ready to sell your home.  The more you do to prepare your home, the easier it will be to sell.

Here are just a few of the basics to consider when preparing your home to sell:

Home Staging

It's amazing at the difference minor improvements can make in how buyers view your home. You may want to spend some time sprucing up your home with paint, carpet, landscaping as well as taking care of any minor repairs you have avoided. This will help you get the best price and may help you get an offer in a shorter period of time.

Pet Care Arrangements

If you have a cat or dog, you may want to close your pets off in a separate room or fenced area outside. Another option would be to ask a friend to keep your pet while your home is on the market.

Placing a Lockbox on your home

A lockbox should be placed at the entrance to your home.  This allows licensed real estate agents accessibility when showing your home to potential clients when you are not home.  By making it more convenient for agents to show your home, it will be viewed by a greater number of buyers.

Contact Barbara Michaluk, Weichert Realtors
for a private consultation to discuss
how much your home is worth
in today's real estate market.

Phone 240-506-2434

Is Your Home Wired to Sell?

The type of wiring in residential homes generally depends on when the home was built, where it was built and if it has been updated. In older homes, knob and tube type wiring was the norm, replaced later by romex wiring.

Often, newer electrical panels and romex wiring are good indications that a home has been maintained to code. It is always a good idea to have any electrical work completed by a licensed professional. The investment will not only make your home a safer place to live, but will also pay dividends for you when it is time to sell.

Lastly, when staging your home for buyers, avoid using extension cords or outlet splitters. Reducing this type of electrical clutter will keep buyers focused on your home, and not its outlets!

Lead Paint Disclosures

All sellers with homes built prior to 1978 are required to fill out a lead based paint disclosure form and provide you the buyer with a lead based paint educational booklet in any sale.

Lead paint seems to be an issue in older homes that haven't been well take care of or well painted, you can sometimes see the paint curling on the outside of window sills. If ingested (kids have been known to chew on lead paint strips due to the sweet flavor) it can cause serious issues such as reduced intelligence quotient, and other deformities and it is not to be taken lightly.

On the other hand, there are millions of homes with lead paint, and many of them have been repainted and covered up several times. Homes with lead paint can fetch top dollar when they are well maintained.

Use Your Windows To Set The Tone!

Buyers and sellers can have different ways of looking at windows. For the buyer, certain windows might be more desirable: double pane, thermal, low-e, and others are a lot more energy efficient than the older single pane variety. These energy efficient windows enhance a home's salability. However, windows do a lot more than reduce heating costs - Sellers can sell their windows in so many other ways!

1. Open curtains and blinds. Let in natural light and make your home feel bigger and brighter.

2. Decorate appropriately. Accenting your windows with neutral drapes, shades, and blinds can create an inviting atmosphere.

3. Put the view center stage. If you have a view, reposition furniture around this important feature. Your view is an asset, use it!

Before putting your home on the market, take a little time to consider how to maximize its full potential.