RESOURCES FOR SELLERS
The process of selling a home can be stressful, even if you’re working with a professional real estate agent, like myself.
Chances are, you’ll have to hire various professionals throughout the process, either to prepare your home for sale, or to fix any of the numerous issues that can pop up in a home inspection.
The last thing you want to do is hire an unreliable contractor who delays — or even ruins — your home sale.
Because I want my clients to have the most stress-free and successful real estate experiences possible, I want to recommend reliable professionals in a variety of specialties — from cleaners/organizers, storage facilities, flooring experts, painters, handy men, roofers, staging experts and attorneys.
I personally vet each professional before recommending them to my clients so that you can confidently hire any one of these companies or individuals, knowing you’ll be in great hands.
Below is a brief explanation of how each one can help you have the ultimate home-selling experience.
Clean is Always in Style
While you may think that to sell your home, you need to do major kitchen or bathroom renovations, refinish hardwood floors, etc.
And while those changes aren’t necessarily a bad idea if you want to sell for top dollar, they’re not always worth the return on investment.
But do you know what is? Cleaning and Organizing.
Cleaning and organizing your home before a sale is the easiest way to ensure it sells quickly — and for the most money possible.
So what should you do to get your home in tip-top shape?
- Deep clean every surface — floors, walls, carpets, countertops, cabinets, appliances, toilets, tubs, etc.
- Organize and remove clutter.
- Consider investing in a storage unit to store knick knacks, toys, tools, old furniture, unused small kitchen appliances, and piles of paperwork.
If this sounds like a lot of work, that’s because it can be. You’re much better off leaving these tasks to professionals.
You may not realize it, but there are professionals whose entire job is to declutter and organize spaces. Whether you need someone to organize your closet space or simply help you get rid of items around the house you no longer use.
I can recommend professionals to take the handle the stress of deep cleaning and organizing your home.
When You Need Somewhere to Put Your Stuff
If you need to rent a storage unit after you declutter your home, I can recommend storage facilities in the immediate area where their units are clean, secure, and come in a variety of sizing options. Your items will stay safe while they wait to move to their new home!
Are Your Floors Buyer-Approved?
If you’ve watched any HGTV show in the last several years, you know one of the first things home buyers are likely to notice is the type of flooring running through the house.
If your flooring is dirty, chipped, worn, outdated — or an unappealing color — chances are, buyers will take notice — and move on to the next house.
When buyers see bad floors, they immediately see dollar signs. And no one wants to see extra dollar signs before they even purchase a home.
So what kind of flooring should you get?
Based on data from the National Association of Realtors®, 54% of home buyers were willing to pay more for wood floors.
I have flooring professionals I can recommend to help you with all of your flooring needs, from material selection to quick and professional-quality installation.
The Ultimate First Impression,
Your Front Door:
Your front door is the gateway to your home.
A freshly stained or painted door, with shiny new hardware and clean glass, says “Welcome home!” to buyers who come to see your house.
A front door with peeling paint, rusted hardware and fingerprinted glass might just leave them out in the cold.
First impressions matter, and your front door is the ultimate first impression.
Stand outside your house, and if you’re less than satisfied with how your front door looks, change it up!
Consider a fresh coat of paint or stain — one of the newest trends in real estate is to make your front door pop with a bold, contrasting color — replace old hardware, and clean any glass surfaces on the door.
With something as important as your front door, you may want to put your DIY skills on hold.
A professional painter has access to the most durable, weather-resistant materials and will create a pristine finish.
I always recommend professionals to my clients. You won’t have to worry about patchy work or unsightly drips.
What a Difference a Paint Color Makes
While you’re having your front door painted, walk through your house and consider the impression your paint colors might have. That bright orange you painted your living room in the early 2000s might have seemed like a cool, bold move back then, but it’s likely to turn off buyers who view your home now.
A fresh coat of paint can transform your home from dull and dingy to bright and welcoming. I can recommend a painting service that only uses the highest-quality products to transform your home to its most pristine state.
Nothing like having the right handyman on your side
When you finally accept an offer on your home, you may think the hard work is over.
But unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
Once your buyers order an inspection of your home, chances are, they’re going to come back with a list of demands — or ask for a price reduction based on the list of repairs the inspector says they need.
But rather than dropping your price, you can turn to a great handyman to make any last-minute repairs and salvage your deal.
When it comes to hiring a reliable handyman, you can’t trust just anyone. As a real estate agent, I’ve worked with local contractors, and I can recommend who you should call.
For repair jobs big and small, whether you’re looking at a simple repair like a broken door knob — or a major fix like a broken staircase — I can recommend a repair man you can to get the job done to your highest satisfaction — and please even the most demanding buyers.
The Roof Over Your Head
The old saying goes, “As long as you have a roof over your head, clothes on your back, food on the table, and good friends and family, you have all you need to live a happy life.”
But if your roof is leaky, old, or missing a few shingles, buyers won’t be happy making an offer on your home.
Roof issues can be a major sticking point for buyers — and will 100% turn up in a home inspection. Likewise, many home buyer programs won’t finance homes with old or broken roofs.
If you want to save yourself the hassle of scrambling to make repairs at the last minute, I recommend having your roof checked out by a licensed professional before you put your home up for sale.
Whether your roof needs to be completely redone or you just need to replace a few shingles, I can recommend roofing companies in the area that are the best local professionals to handle your roofing project and you’ll be pleased with their work.
The Secret to Selling for Top Dollar
According to the National Association of Realtors® 2017 Profile of Home Staging, about one-third of buyer’s agents said that staging a home increased the dollar value their clients offered between 1 and 5% compared to other similar homes on the market that were not staged.
So what exactly is staging?
Home staging is the act of preparing a home for sale by arranging furniture and décor that allows potential buyers to picture themselves living in the home.
The goal of staging is to make a home appealing to the highest number of potential buyers, causing it to sell more quickly and at a higher price point.
As a real estate agent, I have a pretty good understanding of staging concepts. But I really prefer to recommend a professional to give my clients the best chance of selling their homes for top dollar in the least time possible.
Ensure Your Closing is Smooth and Easy
Below is a everything a real estate attorney can do to ensure you have a stress-free, smooth, and easy real estate closing:
- Solid Communication. They keep you updated on what’s happening at all times and respond to your inquiries in a timely manner.
- No surprises. They work hard to get everything lined up properly early on in the transaction, so there are no surprises later.
- Convenient closings. They work hard to close on time and when it is convenient to your schedule. If you can’t make it to the closing, they’ll handle it with a convenient “remote closing”.
- Knowledgeable. They understand that real estate is a complicated industry. If you have any questions throughout the process, they’ll answer them for you.
I can recommend reputable real estate attorneys for you to use for your closing.
