Best Foot Forward to Sell Your Tucson Home

I am starting this week's blog with a quote from one of the most profound minds of all time, Winston Churchill. There are two quotes from Mr. Churchill that I would like to share with you. The first one is, "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." The second one is, "Never, never, never give up." The reason I am starting with these quotes is two fold. First, I felt I needed inspiration to temporarily take my mind off the naysayers in the current real estate debacle. And secondly, it flows with my topic of this week's blog, making the best impression possible to sell your Tucson home in a crowded marketplace.

I was out with a buyer last weekend. We looked at a total of five homes. It was amazing the differences between homes that are putting their 'best foot forward,' and homes that are busy doing nothing but collecting dust in this over-crowded marketplace. The first house we looked at really had that 'wow factor' that is so crucial to successfully selling your home in today's competitive market. What was it about this house that made it stand out from the others? Driving up to the curb, the landscaping was nicely maintained. There was a pot with fresh flowers out in front of the house. A new Welcome mat welcomed my clients. Just the act of opening the front door, I could sense my client holding their breath to see the entry way. Right away I noticed that this house had a lot of natural light. It was clean. It was well presented. The owner was not home, and the smell of Saturday morning pancakes wafted towards us, beckoning us to the kitchen. "Wow," I told myself, "This is a homeowner who really gets it!" After all, it's not everyday that a Realtor will get excited about a house. But I did about this one. I found myself peeking around corners, and looking all around- like a kid on Christmas morning anxiously checking to see if Santa is still lurking! Even the backyard was perfectly manicured. Gracefully juxtaposed among perfectly presented hedges and shrubs were windchimes, potted plants, and "yard art." Suffice it to say, I was ready to get out my checkbook!

So, if "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference," as Mr. Churchill so simply stated, how did this homeowner pull off presenting their house in a very favorable light, and how can I help other homeowners do the same? I believe that if you go into something with a willful intent for success, you will get the outcome that you seek. There is a great book and film which I am sure you have heard of called, "The Secret." The basic premise is called the law of attraction, or simply stated, "Like attracts like." Yes, we know we are in a crowded real estate market with a surplus inventory. Yes, we know that the odds of selling a house right now are dramatically diminshed from two years ago. Yes, we know that buyers are being very picky and are passing over a lot of homes simply because they have the luxury of having a great many choices. But, let's remember one simple fact of home buying psychology. Buying a home (assuming the buyer is planning to live in the home) is largely an emotional decision. It is a decision that is not based entirely on logic, reason, or market statisticts, but is based on how the house makes the buyer feel. So, how can a home seller make his or her home the one that buyers get emotional about, thus wanting to buy? That is the purpose of this week's blog- to articulate to you some relatively easy ways to create enthusiasm for your home once you have made the decision to sell it.

First and foremost, the home must have an inviting exterior. Many buyers drive through neighborhoods to determine which homes they like before they even take a look at a home's interior. If your home doesn't pass the curb-appeal test, you may lose a great many prospective buyers before they ever have the chance to walk through your front door. Your landscaping needs to be well manicured. If you cannot do it yourself, hire someone. Dead trees and shrubs must be removed. Make the drive into the driveway inviting, and most importantly, try to see the exterior of your house from the eyes of a buyer. Driveways must be swept (or raked). Get a new welcome mat. Put potted flowers out front. Get rid of cobwebs. All windows must be cleaned. It is best to hire a professional to clean your windows, as they will also clean the screens. The front door should be freshly painted, and make it a neutral color. Maybe you like a red door, but what percentage of buyers will? The front of your house will provide the first impression prospective buyers will have of your home. If you can't see it with 'buyer eyes,' get an agent who can. Also, get an agent who will be honest with you, and not just tell you that everything looks nice to get your listing. (In case you haven't guessed, I do not believe in sugar coating to get a listing). The goal is to sell. If you want to achieve the goal, it is critcal that you pay attention to what is important to a buyer, and take the necessary steps to make sure your house stands out from everything else they have to choose from in their price range and desired location.

Next, consider what your prospective buyer will see upon first entering your home. Your home's interior makes an immediate statement about the home to the prospective buyer. Is it dark? If so, find a way to make it light and bright. Leave lights on for showings. Open the blinds. Clean the blinds! What about the floor coverings? If you have pets and/or children, are the carpets presentable? If they are not, either clean them- or change them out for new carpets. Your agent should have at his or her disposal, a preferred list of handymen and tradesmen who can help you get your home into tip top showing condition prior to putting it on the market. It cannot be overstated the impact of a clean home to a buyer. Clean says, "I care about this home." Dirty says, "It isn't important to me." The buyer who sees a dirty home will automatically believe that if the home is dirty, it has not been properly maintained. It is also imperative that you develop a system for showing your home. The best way to do this is to have a daily checklist that you go through before leaving your house for the day. Remember, your home doesn't have to look exactly like a model home, but the closer you get to a model home look, the better. Some items to include in your checklist include making sure the dishes are out of the sink. The beds must be made. The pets must be somewhere else for the showings. If you need help with this daily system, or devising the checklist- it ought to be one of the services your agent provides assistance with. The goal is to make your home the next one on the block that sells, not the one that sells six months from now. What I like to do with my seller clients is to get them excited about staging the home, and presenting it in its best possible light. To get them interested in presenting the home to its best advantage, I take my seller clients to see other homes that are for sale in the neighborhood so that they realize this is a competiton among other home sellers. They realize what it's like to be in the buyer's shoes, and then they are able to see their own homes in a different light. One of the best things to me about being a Realtor is that I enjoy helping people. I liken my role in guiding sellers to being their real estate 'coach.' It is very rewarding to me than when a seller thanks me for helping to sell their home in a short amount of time, for more money than they were originally expecting. If you do these things to prepare your home for the market, your chances of success are enormously improved. (I am assuming of course that you have priced your home competitively, as even the nicest looking homes are still a commodity to most buyers- and that means they have multiple choices, especially in a buyer's market).

Since home buying is largely psychological, consider the impact of smells. There is nothing worse (as a professional agent) than showing a house that looks great, but smells terrible. Buyers will question, "What is that smell?" They may even think there is something wrong with the house if the smell isn't right. As far as getting the right smell is concerned, don't overuse airfreshers. But do utilize the power of food! Bake bread or cookies. Pick up Pillsbury (or the store brand) of biscuits or cookies. Bake them every morning if you need to infuse a good smell in your home. If you don't want to eat biscuits every day, you can give them to your neighbors or send them to school with your child. What costs you $1.50 per day, could help you reap big benefits when you get a good offer from a buyer. If you are a smoker, you will need to disucss with your agent ways to try and get rid of the smell of cigarette smoke in your house (this has killed many a deal). Your agent can recommend strategies for helping to rid your home of the smell of smoke. Certainly, you will need to refrain from smoking in your home while it is on the market. Overall, when preparing your home to put on the market, try to think of it as presenting a product. The home should look good (reduce the clutter). It should smell good (home baked goods are the best). It should present itself as a package with no loose ends. You should also consider doing some maintenance, or even having a pre-inspection performed to alert you to any potential issues with the mechanicals of your home. If you do a pre-inspection, you will be able to repair any mechanical issues prior to having the buyer's inspector inspect the home. The high point for a buyer (in a real estate transaction) is when they get an accepted offer on the home they want to purchase. The low point is usually right after the home inspection. If you take care of these issues up front, you may avoid many possible pitfalls (which may include the buyer cancelling their contract after the home inspection).

Going back to the second Winston Churchill quote, "Never, never, never give up." This is why you want to hire a tenacious agent who will act as your coach throughout the entire process of selling your home. You want an agent who is going to make sure that you are keeping up with the showing system that you worked so hard to develop, because over time, you will find that your motivation to stay on top of your home's presentation will diminsh. Remember, it could be several months that you will have to continue to show your home and live in a 'model home.' As soon as you give up (and start leaving the dishes in the sink or the beds unmade), that is the day that an otherwise serious buyer may pass your house over because of a few simple things that you could have done to make a favorable impression. And you know the old adage, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Check out this website for staging infomation. It's one of the best I have yet to come across. I also have a link to it on my website. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, or if you are ready to sell your Tucson home!

Written by Sarah Ley
BSBA, ABR, CRS, CNHSA
Tucson Realtor with
Long Realty Company
(520) 404-0544
sley@longrealty.com
http://www.sarahley.longrealty.com/