The Value of the Blank Canvas

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If you’re thinking about selling your home, you need to think like a buyer. Taking a few steps will help you create the blank canvas and quickly sell your home.  It’s called staging and it works!

To help you with this step, we plan a staging consultation with a professional stager. We know buyers are knowledgeable about the market, tap into online searches and are extremely particular. They will not settle, so you want to present your home in the best possible light. Teaming together with our staging professional, we’ll give you an edge over the competition.

Less is More  

When it comes to getting your home ready for the market, less is more. De-cluttering is one thing most people need to do. A good rule of thumb is to remove 25 percent of your belongings from the house. To overcome clutter inertia, think of three advantages:  the money you will save on moving expenses because you’ll have less to pack, you’ll only have things you really want in your new home, and the buyer will be able to see your home in the best light possible. De-cluttering is a win-win-win.

As you go through your house, make sure you create an identity for each room. Many people use a room for more than one purpose, such as having a dining area serve as a home office as well. The dining room should be the dining room, the den should be the den, etc.

Neutralize to Depersonalize

Paint is inexpensive and it will increase the value of your home, but you need to choose a neutral palette so the buyer can think of how their personal taste would be implemented in your home. That purple accent wall or black walls in a teen’s room do need to go. No wild colors should grace the walls of your home. The goal is to appeal to the masses because when we do, we get more showings, which leads to more offers and then, ultimately, the highest price possible for your property.  

Don’t Ignore Broken Items  

There’s nothing worse than walking up to the front of the house and opening a squeaky front door that sticks. If it’s broken, fix it. Of course, potential buyers don’t notice those items when they work, but they certainly do notice when they’re broken. To make the selling process as smooth as possible, deal with these types of issues at this stage, not when the home is in Escrow.

If you would like to build a strategy to market your home or find the home of your dreams, please contact me at (239) 595-8500 or fahada@thesaadteam.com. We’d be happy to assist you.

How to Write the Best Offer to get Your Dream Home

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In the real estate business, we answer countless questions from our clients. One of the most common is, “How do we best write an offer so we get the home we truly want?”

Here are three actions we take to help you write an offer that gets you the home of your dreams!

1. Contact the other real estate agent to learn what the seller wants. Everyone, of course, would like to receive their full-price offer for their home, but we know that we will usually have to negotiate. Together, we need to determine the terms that will work so all parties involved benefit.

2. Study the market for the neighborhood. We look at the market statistics for the area in which you want to buy. If homes are selling, for example, within 2-3 percent of the asking price, writing an offer for 30 percent less than that number probably won’t get the deal done. Be realistic and in line with the market when you offer.

3. Leverage your position. It’s important to work with the seller to make the deal goes as smoothly as possible. For example, does the home need an inspection? If it’s a new home that was inspected recently, maybe not. Can you select a closing date that works best for the other party? You need to cooperate on issues like this to make for a happy seller who accepts your offer.

Give us a call or drop us a line, and we’ll be happy to help you with your home buying and selling needs in southwest Florida.