The Reality of Your Real Estate

If you’re in the market for a new home, you’re in luck; there’s never been a better time to buy. Rates are near historic lows. The only catch––if you already own a home, you’ll need to sell it in a rather soft market. That’s why you’ll need to be sure it’s looking its best for potential buyers.

There are a number of things you can do to help ensure your home is as attractive as possible to home shoppers, so roll up your sleeves and let’s get your home ready for the market:

• De-personalize. Remove personal items, things like pictures and religious items. Why? They’re distractions and make it more difficult for buyers to picture themselves in your home. Have you ever noticed how long you’ll look at a picture(s), even if you know no one in it? You want buyers checking out your home, not your personal effects.
   
• Can the clutter. Clutter can be hard to detect because it grows over time. You may become oblivious to it. Start by clearing items from kitchen and bathroom countertops. Put things in boxes and place them neatly in the garage or a storage unit. It may sound extreme, but some experts recommend packing up 90 percent of your home.
  
  
• Rooms for improvement. Make sure each room in your home shows a distinctive purpose. You don’t want a home office doubling as the baby’s room. In addition, treat rooms to a new coat of paint. It makes things look clean and new. Think neutral colors.
   
• The sniff factor. Nothing turns off a buyer more quickly than a “funky” smell upon entering your home. It’s tough to see past it, no matter how good the rest of your home turns out to be. With that in mind, give your home a good scrubbing from top to bottom. Hire a professional cleaner if it helps. And speaking of smells, go ahead and bake some cookies before a buyer shows up. Mmmm, the smell of fresh-baked cookies––talk about good impressions!
  
  
• Foot traffic. Carpeting is a detail that can quickly update a home and give it a clean, scrubbed look. Look into professional carpet cleaning. Place area rugs over worn areas. Real estate experts recommend against replacing wall-to-wall carpeting because new owners many times want to add their own touch.
  
  
• Curbside. We all know how important first impressions are. Well, when buyers pull up to your home, the outside is what they see first; make sure it makes a good impression. Pick up around the yard. Trim trees/bushes. Add a fresh coat of paint to the front door/shutters. Be sure the lawn is cut and the walk is swept. No matter how nice the inside is, a bad first impression given by the outside can sour a deal.

Remember, as much as you love the pieces of personality around your home, those personal touches that make your home yours, when showing your home for sale, it must be as neutral as possible. Neutral colors, clean and no clutter. You want prospective buyers to be able to visualize themselves in your living room watching the evening news.

Looking to sell or refinance your home?
Remember Mortgage Solutions, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vantage Credit Union. They can help you with every aspect of purchasing that new home. To discuss your specific mortgage needs, make an appointment today by calling 314.264.5325, or browse our mortgage resources.

_{* Mortgage Solutions, LLC, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vantage Credit Union.}