Summer in Flagstaff just cannot be beat! We have amazing weather and lots to do here in the summer months. Attractions like the Grand Canyon bring thousands of visitors through our little town. These visitors may turn into BUYERS! So if you are considering selling your home, now is the time to do it! Here are a few tips to get you started.
Pricing Your Home:
The prices are coming up, but the fact is that it is still a tough market. Sellers may think their home is worth a lot of money. Most sellers have an “emotional investment” in their property, but the person whose opinion matters is the buyer who makes an offer. Pricing homes is part art and part science. It involves comparing similar properties, making adjustments for the differences among them, tracking market movements and taking stock of present inventory, all in an attempt to come up with a range of value, an educated opinion. This method is the same way an appraiser evaluates a home. And no two appraisals are ever exactly the same; however, they are generally close to each other. In other words, there is no hard and fast price tag to slap on your home. It is only an educated guess and the market will dictate the price. Hire an experienced agent and ask for a comparative market analysis. This is your first step to getting the house priced properly and getting it sold! Discuss all of the marketing tools that the agent will use to get your property seen. There is so much your agent can do for you with the MLS, network marketing, videos, etc. So make sure that these tools are being utilized for you.
Disassociate yourself with your home: You have now made the decision to sell, so start saying goodbye. Let go of your emotions and focus on the fact that the house will no longer be yours. Don’t look back, just move toward your future!
De-personalize: You want your buyer to walk in that home and think to herself, “I can live here.” You don’t want the buyer to get distracted with your personal photos and heirlooms, so pack them up.
Make your home sparkle: Wash windows inside and out, clean out cobwebs, re-caulk tubs, showers, and sinks, polish fixtures and faucets, steam clean the carpet, dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures, hang up fresh towels, clean and air-out musty smelling areas. Odors are bad.
Spruce up the backyard and outdoor living areas: One of the biggest attractions of living in Flagstaff is our beautiful climate in the summer months! Clean up the yard, pressure wash decks and patios. If you have overgrown trees, trim them. Add a few potted plants to these areas to make it more inviting.
De-clutter: Moving is a great time to purge. If you are not using it, get rid of it. You want your buyer to see what an amazing home they are looking at, not at the amazing amount of stuff you have collected through the years.
Rent a storage unit: Homes generally show better with less furniture in them. Less is more!
Remove/replace favorite items: If you want to take window coverings, fixtures, ceiling fans, etc., with you, remove and replace now. If the buyer never sees it, she won’t want it.
Make minor repairs: Replace cracked floor or counter tiles, patch holes in the walls, fix leaky faucets, replace burned out lightbulbs, fix doors that don’t close properly, and you may want to consider painting the wall a neutral color, especially if you have a lot of “custom paint” in your home.
Check curb appeal: Keep the sidewalks cleared, mow the lawn, touch up paint, trim the bushes, make sure the house number is visible, clean and align gutters, inspect and clean the chimney, repair and replace any loose or damaged roof shingles, repair and repaint loose siding and caulking, apply a fresh coat of paint on the front door, and plant a few nice flowers to make the home look more inviting to a buyer.
How much money should you spend: In preparing your home for the market, spend as little money as possible. There is a big difference between making minor and inexpensive touch-ups and doing extensive and costly renovations. Ask your agent for advice specifically on what improvements need to be made. In today’s market you will want to make it attractive for a buyer without killing your pocketbook.
So, good luck with your sale of your property and please don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions. FBN
John Parris, Broker, and Flagstaff native Lea Lubeck-Parris are owners of Realty City, LLC, serving
Flagstaff, Phoenix and Mexican beach property markets.
Jeannie Middleton also works at Realty City helping Northern Arizona sellers market their properties in Phoenix and locally.
Drop by Realty City at 309 N. Humphreys in downtown Flagstaff. John Parris can be reached at johnalanparris@aol.com or 623-694- 9016.
