The 6 P’s of Selling Your Home

Planning is the first of the 6 P’s of selling your home.   Make this a project broken into bits.  Create a spread sheet so you know where you are in your timeline!   Start earlier than you thought you should so that you are not pushed for time and stressed.  You have lots of time if you start now!

The second of 6 P’s of selling your home is to pack it up!  Think about the stuff that you don’t want or need anymore as well as the stuff you plan to move to your new home. Buy some boxes, pack them up (one at a time so it’s not so overwhelming) and either bring them to Goodwill or set them aside for a garage sale at some point. Less is more when selling your home – trust me on that one!  Remember that you pay either by size of the boxes or the weight when you move.  Either way, it is expensive to move those things that you don’t even want!

Even if you are planning on selling your home in “as is” condition, you still want to have it cleared enough for the buyers to see it and admire it!  Decluttering and packing it up are always important steps in selling your home, regardless of the other constraints you put on the sale.

The best way to improve a home for sale and the least expensive as well is to paint it with neutral colors.  The home will look bright and fresh and appeal to more buyers with a fresh coat of paint throughout the home. Again you can either decide to paint yourself (if you’re good at painting and like to paint) or you can get a referral from your agent for a good painter or two. Start the painting process early and you won’t be stressing out trying to get it all done before you go on the market.  Make sure that it is a neutral color.  My dining room is barn red and I love it.  However, I know that that barn red dining room will be changed when I get ready to sell my home.  In 2021, the color of choice seems to be a soft grey color or a crisp white.

When you choose your paint, be sure to use a zero-VOC paint. There are so many now, they range in price from very inexpensive lines like Valspar Pristine to high-end brands like many Benjamin Moore lines.  This is something that can now be easily found in hardware and paint stores locally.  On the trim you should avoid oil-based paints to minimize off  gassing whenever possible.  In this way, you will be able to go on the market quickly once the painting is finished.  Many buyers have a significant allergic reaction to that “new paint” smell that we all grew up with and they will not react positively to your freshly painted home.

First impressions will either sell your home or make buyers walk away. Make sure  a home buyer’s first impression is excitement from the moment they drive up and take a look at the yard and front door area on through the entire tour. Continue that excitement level behind the front door. I am happy to help you stage your home before going on the market.  It will make a huge difference in the reaction of your buyeres.

Most real estate buyers (over 95%) go online FIRST to look at homes.  This is the first showing of your home – not when they actually come to see it.  You only have a few seconds to get their attention on line. If the photos don’t grab them, they’ll move on to another home that has better or more photos. It is extremely important that you have excellent photos and lots of them. Agents who understand how to market online will give you an upper hand in the market. Be sure to ask questions regarding how they intend to market your home on the internet.

It is very very important to get the “pricing” component correct from the start. There is a lot that goes into analyzing data including, condition of home, location of home, amenities, neighborhoods, days on market, current market statistics, closed as well as active and withdrawn listings and much more.

Yes, you can start high and work your way down to the correct market or you can price it correctly, get multiple offers and sell it for more than your list price.  The choice is yours and it is helped by hiring the right Realtor from the beginning.

Call the Lise Howe Group to receive a confidential market evaluation of your home’s current value. Prices have been steadily appreciating over the last few years and you will probably be pleasantly surprised by the likely sale price of your home. The Lise Howe Group specializes in homes in Chevy Chase, Bethesda and Washington DC.  We pride ourselves on our attention to every detail of the transaction so that you will have a stress free sale. We can be reached at 240-401-5577 or email us at lise@lisehowe.com. As one of the top teams in the DC metro area we help many sellers just like you!