Is one of your Resolutions for the New Year to sell your current home?
The housing market in the Kenosha and Racine county area is sure to heat up even more with spring just a few months away. If you’re really serious about selling your home you need to take action now. Depending on the inventory of homes on the market today, home buyers can often afford to be choosy. Buyers are looking for the best, so a home for sale can easily slip through the cracks if it’s not in pristine condition when a potential buyer walks through. Here’s a quick guide to get you on the right track for Selling in 2018!
Just a few hints to get you on track to selling this year!
- Decluttered? Organized? Is your home ready to show? Perhaps you may need to update a few paint colors or have your home staged. Your REALTOR® will be able to give you the best advice after a walk-through of your home on the best way to showcase your home’s positive attributes.
- Do a mini “renovation.” Little tweaks throughout your home can make a big difference in the overall feel of the rooms. Kitchen a little outdated? Replace the fixtures, faucets and hinges. If your appliances are outdated, and if you can afford to, you may want to update them.
- Keep the flow going throughout your home. The last thing you want is people bumping into furniture as they tour your home; it disrupts their focus and makes your space look cramped and small. Walk through your home as if you are touring it for the first time and tweak anything that interrupts the “flow.” Family room furniture beaten up? Throw some slip covers over it.
- Make the front door and your curb appeal inviting. A fresh coat of paint, especially in a color that contrasts nicely with the home, will make the front door stand out. Replace faded house numbers so buyers can see them from the curb, or update them by spray painting them. Trim back any unruly vegetation blocking the best views of your home and declutter the yard. Most buyers have based a decision on whether they like your home already before they walk into the door just based on the outside appeal.
- Look for the right REALTOR® for you. Research how long the brokerage has been in business, look up their licensing, ask them about homes for sale in your area. Is the REALTOR® familiar with the housing market near you? Do your personalities mesh?
- Are you getting the best commission rate possible? If your home meets specific criteria and location it may not be on the market long. If you negotiate for the best commission rate it may mean more money in your pocket at closing! Not all brokerages will negotiate commissions.
- Ask about the marketing plan the REALTOR® provides for your home. Will they just list it in the MLS and hope other REALTORS® will bring the right buyer to you? Will you be limited on the number of Open houses performed? Will your home be shown on the most visited public Real Estate websites? Will photographs be professional or taken with a professional camera. All pertinent questions to ask!
- Contact me if you have any questions on selling, or even buying a home in Kenosha or Racine, Wisconsin counties. I’m happy to help you with a free market analysis and more tips on getting that house SOLD in 2018!
Char Nikolai is a licensed REALTOR® with Cove Realty specializing in Residential Real Estate Property Listings and Sales in Kenosha and Racine County Wisconsin. Call/Text me at 262-909-8106