Robert Farnsworth

Critical Things that allow a Home to Sell quickly and for the Most Money
1. It is important to make certain that the first impression a favorable one. 2. You'll never have more activity on the home than you will in the first three to four weeks of the listing. The reason is simple: there are buyers out there who have seen everything available and for one reason or another, haven't bought. They are just waiting for something new to come on the market. 3. When that new property does hit the market, buyers and agents both will scrambler to look at it. It is common knowledge that the property will usually sell for the highest price during this time. 4. Make your home look and feel like a builder's model home. Everything should look like it belongs even if it means storing some things until the home is sold. You are trying to create a feeling that makes potential buyers want to move in. 5. Don't wait to see if the house will sell first before implementing these making repairs or replacing items. Once you do decide to do something, don't do just the easy ones or just the bare minimum. 6. The property needs to look good from the street, up the sidewalk, on the front porch, throughout the house, in the darkest closets, and even in the attic. You definitely want to give the impression of a well cared for home. 7. You want the prospective buyer to feel that this home is quality all the way through, not just on the surface. 8. You are competing with every other home that is currently for salt: new and pre- owned, your area and other areas, those listed with agents and those trying to sell themselves; even with the foreclosures in the market. 9. Your property must appeal to owner occupants who will pay the highest price for the property because they are going to live there as their home. 10. Typical buyers put all of their savings into the down payment and closing costs and don't have anything left over to improve the home such as replacing old, worn- out things. Those buyers will have to live with that carpet until they can afford to replace it. 11. If buyers have a choice of two comparable properties similar in price, they'll choose the one in the best condition. Just as on the other hand, if two properties are similar in condition, the buyers will choose the one that is less money. 12. Stand at the street and look at the house. If all you can see are trees and shrubs, you have some yard work to do. One of the easiest things to do is trim the shrubs that are overgrown. They should be lowered to a height near the bottom of the windows. If there is ivy growing on the side of the home, remove it. 13. If there are tree branches hanging low in the yard, they need to be pruned. A simple rule of thumb is to have all the limbs high enough so that you can walk under the tree. 14. Invest in a few flats of flowers such as petunias or periwinkles that will last the entire growing season. They will add color and beauty to the front of you home. Consider putting some nice looking flowerpots on the porch with red geraniums or some other blooming plants in them. 15. Look at the front door and that area around it. Give it a fresh coat of paint. If the doorbell is broken, replace it. Wash the mailbox. Keep the porch swept. Get an attractive mat for people to wipe their feet. 16. Air out the home. You are the last person to notice any peculiar odor in your home that may be blatantly obvious to visitors. Go on a search to find the offender. It may be a kitty litter box or a dog bed. It might even be a mildewed shower. 17. Wash all the windows in the house, inside and out. While you're at it, clean the windowsills and that bottom of the window jambs, and wash the blinds. 18. If it has been over a year since you've had the carpets cleaned, now is the time to do it. The bare floors should also be waxed or polished, even if they're supposed to be 'no wax.' 19. Put bright light bulbs in every socket made for a bulb. Buyers like 'bri