5 Ways to Sell Your Home for Top Dollar

When you plan to put your home on the market, aside from selling it, you probably have a couple of other overarching goals. You likely want to sell it as fast as possible, but perhaps even more importantly, you want to sell it for top dollar. Certain steps can help you achieve all three goals, but especially maximizing how much you can sell your home for.

1. Carefully Consider Home Improvements

Sometimes before people put their home on the market, they’ll go into a frenzy of trying to do every home improvement project under the sun, hoping to boost their home’s marketability and appeal. Making improvements can be a good thing, but you should be strategic in deciding which ones to do.  Some of the improvements that make the most difference can even be free—for example, decluttering and depersonalizing your home can improve how much someone is willing to pay for it.  On the other hand, if you take on large-scale and expensive home renovation projects before you sell it, you may not be able to recoup your investment.  Some simple and relatively inexpensive projects to consider include changing out light fixtures, replacing carpet, and repainting. 

2. Research Before Deciding on a Price

Your idea of top dollar may not be the market’s idea of top dollar. To avoid disappointment, ensure that you learn as much as you can about the market and come from a place of knowledge when you’re pricing your home. At this stage you can easily tap the expertise of a local real estate agent who can run a CMA and provide you with pricing advice. If you don’t price it right based on the market and competition, your house is going to sit there for a long time, and that’s going to turn possible buyers off. Look at the homes in your neighborhood or similar neighborhoods and see what sold over the past few months and what those homes’ selling prices were, to begin. 

3. Stage Your Home

Home staging can mean anything from taking out the clutter in your home and perhaps breathing new life into it, all the way to renting furniture if you’ve already moved out of your home while it’s on the market.  You can stage a home on your own, or you can hire a professional company to do it, but regardless of the specifics, if it’s done well it can improve the perceived value of your home and help you sell it for top dollar.  According to The Mortgage Reports, staged homes sell 73% faster than non-staged homes. 

4. Improve Your Curb Appeal

It seems cliché, but the first impression really can be everything. If your home has an unkempt lawn, chipped exterior paint, or doesn’t seem welcoming, it’s going to turn potential buyers off before they ever step foot inside. Take the time to work on improving the curb appeal by freshening up the landscaping, tidying up and making it feel warm and inviting. 

5. Choose the Right Agent

Finally, above all else, if you want to sell your home quickly and for top dollar, you must work with a qualified agent. Your agent is the person who’s going to help you set the appropriate price, understand market trends and show possible buyers the inherent value of your home. Find a realtor® who understands your local area down to the neighborhood, who uses technology and who is dedicated to getting your house sold.  Along with credentials, you want to consider how well you get along with your Realtor® because it’s important that you feel comfortable communicating openly, and that you feel as if that person is on your team.  If you’d like to connect with a top-selling Realtor, EffectiveAgents.com can help. Photo credit: jonathan-borba-kX4AetSVN2s-unsplash