SELLERS GUIDE - WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

So you've decided to sell your home

Let's take a look at all the things you can do to increase your chances of success. First of all, You've come to the right place. Your CENTURY 21 Patty Snell sales associate is a dedicated, hard working real estate professional who will do his/her utmost to help sell your property fast and at the right price.

Now, it helps to understand the mindset of the typical home buyer. Most buyers have certain priorities in mind when they shop for a house. By the time they finally make an offer to purchase, they have probably visited several places that meet their basic needs.

Presentation: Sell, Sell, Sell 

The combination of a myriad of small factors adds up to increase your property’s sale ability. It is this sale ability that sees one home sell faster than another.

Criticize your home; look for its faults. Ask your CENTURY 21 agent to give you their honest opinion. They sell houses every day and don’t have the emotional ties you have.

Walk down the road away from your house. Now, turn around and walk towards it; into the front yard, through the house and into the backyard, this time viewing it through the super critical eyes of a potential buyer. Note every negative; straggly hedges, unswept pathways, finger-marked front door, scuff marks in the hallway, flaking paint, dust, cobwebs, faded curtains, moldy tiles, rust-marked sink, moldy shower curtain, unhealthy pot plants.

Any of these things - however minor - will tell a prospective buyer that the house has not been well cared for lately. This in turn has them thinking “MAINTENANCE COSTS’ in capital letters.

It’s ironic that at the time you are leaving your house forever, it has to look the best it ever has. Achieving this takes seriously hard work. Get every member of the household involved in a major spruce-up project.

Spring clean your house
Check interior walls and ceilings for signs of damp and mould and clean it off. Polish woodwork, clean curtains, steam clean carpets (especially if you have pets), wash wallpaper, clean bathroom walls, tiles and grouting, polish brass or silver fixtures, clean inside drawers and cupboards, get rid of scuff marks and clean major appliances. Clean all small appliances, vents, skylights, and insect screens. Give the house a thorough airing to rid it of smells, dust and mustiness.

Wash down the outside of the house, clean out the gutters, remove oil spills and other stains in the garage or on the driveway, hose driveway and pathways clear of debris.

Buyer’s eyes like order and open space
Clean out wardrobes, drawers, bookcases, and linen cupboards. Be ruthless: send anything you haven’t used to a charity. Neaten what remains: books flush to the edge of shelves, clothes on similar types of hangers, facing one way, games stacked, largest at the bottom, anything with a label facing forward. Store excess furniture. Clean out the refrigerator and freezer of excess foods. Dismantle collections (plates, ornaments, brick abreact): while some people will admire them, others will feel claustrophobic or may find them distasteful.

Rearrange your furniture if need be to create a maximum feeling of space. During inspection times allow for people to clearly walk through each room. Clear the street in front of your house of litter, organize tools, coil hoses neatly, trim plants and shrubs, weed out dying plants.

Repair, repaint, replace
Patch cracks, replace broken glass, repair wood rot, and replace missing or loose tiles. Arrange for appliance and plumbing repairs. Replace dull or dated light fixtures, broken or mismatched switch plates or outlet covers. Repaint skirting boards, picture rails, and any areas where scuff marks cannot be removed by cleaning. Repair fences; make sure gates work easily and noiselessly. Re-enamel a chipped bathtub. Repair broken or cracked steps. Check foundations for cracks; and the condition of roof, gutters and down pipes. Reseal deck if necessary, tighten railings for added safety.

Put your house into neutral
Neutral paintwork, carpets, curtains and décor can accommodate most decorating styles. Get rid of loud wallpaper and controversial artwork. Put away personal items. Neutralize any odors that may linger in your house. Cooking odors or musty smells can be alleviated by opening windows or masked with the sweet smell of a vase of flowers, or burning some essential oils.

Add appeal with additional touches
If your garden looks a bit boring, buy some potted plants and cluster them strategically. Fix house numbers, buy a new doormat and improve outdoor lighting. Places vases of fresh flowers throughout the house. Help buyers imagine their lifestyle by putting out your outdoor furniture. And - cliché though it sounds - the smell of brewing coffee or vanilla really boost the appeal of your home. Playing ambient, relaxing music in the background can also help.

Light and small points add appeal
Open the blinds and let as much natural light into the house as you can. Switch on all the lamps throughout the house and lights in kitchen and bathroom.

Before open house
Make all beds before leaving the house. Tidy cupboards, drawers and dressing tables. For best results wipe down shower or bath and sink with a towel.

Put away personal care items. Clean up straight after meals and put utensils away, don’t leave to dry on the kitchen sink. Tidy newspapers, magazines, toys, games, videos and sporting equipment. Empty wastebaskets, hide dirty clothes. Finish each room before moving on to the next. Vacuum or sweep as necessary. Make sure your house is a pleasant temperature. Tidy front and back yards. Sweep front path and rake up fallen leaves.

Finally, take five! Allow yourself a few moments to take a breather and sneak one more look around the house. Positively greet the real estate agent with a smile and leave before advertised open for inspection time.

What makes them choose one home above the others?

Experience tell us that, once the basic requirements have been met, choosing a home becomes an emotional decision for many buyers. They may weigh the pros and cons carefully, but in the end they'll often choose the one that "feels" right. So how do you make your house feel like the perfect home? The trick is to communicate subconsciously by appealing to the five senses. Try these special tactics practiced to tip the scales in your favor:

• Greet your visitors with the scent of fresh flowers or the aroma of freshly-baked bread or cookies
• have pleasant music playing softly in the background
• give the impression of spaciousness and airiness - remove bulky furniture, open the curtains, turn on extra lights
• display color photos of outdoor views during different seasons near the front and back doors
• build a homey atmosphere - have family photographs tastefully arranged here and there, but don't overdo it!
• add warmth whenever possible - turn on lamps rather than overhead lights, close curtains at night

These tactics are especially effective if you've decided with your CENTURY 21 Patty Snell sales associate on holding an open house - an occasion when it's in your best interests to pull out all the stops. Ask your CENTURY 21 Patty Snell sales associates for more information and details.

Price It To Sell

Your CENTURY 21 Patty Snell sales associate is a well-trained professional. He/she will help you determine the best possible price you can get for your property. Ask about our Free home evaluation.

Negotiating The Sale

Now that we have an interested buyer, you may wonder what happens next. If you accept the offer, what can go wrong? And what measures should you take to protect yourself legally? How is the sale finalized legally? When do the new owners move in? What expenses are you responsible for? Once everything is paid, how much will you net from the sale? Again, your CENTURY 21 Patty Snell sales associate will help answer all of these questions and more. However, you should understand that there is no "average" length of time that you can expect your home to be on the market before it sells. It depends on many factors - the condition of your home, the number of similar homes available in your neighborhood, the season, local economic conditions, etc. In a buyer's market, for instance, the period of time between listing and closing may be significantly longer than that enjoyed in a seller's market. Be sure to factor this into your timing and plans.

The Offer To Purchase

After several visits, a buyer may make an offer to purchase your home. Usually presented by your CENTURY 21 Patty Snell associate directly to you - this offer sets forth the terms under which the buyer is prepared to purchase. It includes such details as offered price, proposed closing date, deposit amount, conditions such as financing and chattels and fixtures to be included in the purchase. A serious offer should be accompanied by a deposit - often in the 5% to 10% range. If the offer is accepted, the deposit is held until closing day. It is then applied to the purchase price. An offer also generally carries a time limit. If you fail to respond within the specified time frame, the offer expires. Depending on the buyer's strategy, the time limit could be as long as a week or two, or as short as a few hours.

The Counter Offer

As the seller, you must respond within the specified time period in order to keep the offer alive. You have three options. You can:

1. Accept the offer as is
2. Submit a counter-offer
3. Reject the offer entirely

If the buyer has made a serious offer, most vendors usually try to negotiate the terms by submitting a counter-offer. In your counter-offer, you can propose a new price, a different closing date, or the inclusion or exclusion of chattels or fixtures that may or may not have been listed in the original offer. Like the buyer's offer to purchase, you may also stipulate an expiry time and date. Once the counter offer is made, now your buyer has the same options - to accept your counter-offer, to submit his or her own counter-offer, or to reject it entirely and walk away. Both you and your buyer can submit as many counter-offers as you wish until agreement is reached or one party chooses to end the negotiations.

The Conditional Offer

While you might strike a deal in principle with a buyer, loose ends - in the form of "conditions" - may have to be tidied up before the sale can be completed. A conditional offer is one in which the sale of the property is agreed to by both buyer and seller, subject to outstanding conditions being met by the appropriate party. A buyer's ability to successfully obtain mortgage financing, a satisfactory home inspection or the sale of the buyer's current home within a prescribed period of time are all conditions which might affect the final outcome of the sale. If the conditions are satisfied within the allotted time frame, the offer becomes "firm and binding". If not, the deal is off, and the deposit is returned to the buyer. As the seller, don't put yourself in the position of facing a lengthy period of legal limbo. Add an escape clause to your counter-offer - if another acceptable offer is presented while you're waiting for conditions to be met, the first buyer must either waive the condition and close the sale, or forfeit the deal.

What's Included and What's Excluded?

Make a checklist. Complete the one below, for your convenience Use this checklist to itemize what you will include when you sell your house.

You can print a few copies to give prospective buyers once your home is on the market just click on Print Version below

Closing Day

Mutually agreed between buyer and seller and recorded in the offer, closing day is the day when money, title and (usually) keys change hands.

The possession date

Or the day that you are actually required to vacate the premises and hand your keys over to the new owners - may not always coincide with your closing date, and should also be written into the off.

Planning Your Move

Moving can be hectic at the best of times. But with a little bit of planning, you can avoid much of the trauma! Here are some pointers to keep in mind:

• Contact two or three movers for estimates and details of what is included in their service. A mover may have to visit your current home to discuss special problems which may arise in moving your furnishings.
• Be precise in contracting for the various services a mover may offer. Make sure that everything is clearly written into the offer.
• Find out whether the mover's insurance covers your furnishings while in transit. If not, check your own  insurance coverage
• If you live in an apartment building, reserve the elevator for the day and time of your move
• Send change of address notices to your service suppliers, magazines and newspapers, doctor and dentist, friends and relatives
• If you are moving to a different city, collect important records from schools, doctors, dentists, lawyers and your safe deposit box.

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