Seller's Tips

You have decided to sell your home. What are the things that need to be done to help get the most money for your property? We have compiled a list of things sellers should do to get their home ready for sale.

The key for sellers preparing for their home for sale is making it presentable. The best time to sell in our markets of Colorado is typically in the Spring. People typically don’t enjoy moving in the snow where belongings and furniture can get wet and damaged in transit or around the holidays which are already busy enough. Springtime seems to welcome new beginnings along with new seasonal flowers!

1. Prepare the exterior- This is the first thing buyers see when they pull up to your home and the buyer’s first impression. Curb appeal is very important!
   
2. Make sure that sprinkler systems are working if you have them
   
3. Plant flowers
   
4. Lay down new mulch in flower beds.
   
5. Remove excess debris from around the home
   
6. Scrape and paint if needed.
   
7. Keep leaves and weeds out of the yard.
   
8. Wash your windows
   
9. Trim trees back
10. Keep your law manicured and watered through closing.
11. Prepare the interior- The interior of the home should be kept clean and free of clutter as much as possible.
    
12. Remove excess pictures from walls. Unique items and pictures of family distract home buyers from looking at the home.
    
13. Remove clutter from all areas. No need for trinkets to be all over the home. You are getting ready to move, start packing these items away.
    
14. Have your carpets professionally cleaned.
    
15. Touch up any paint blemishes and make repairs
    
16. Remove items from kitchen counters that take up space and make counters look small
    
17. Replace burned out light bulbs immediately – think light and bright for showings!
    
    

Garage spaces are not important to be tidy. People understand that garage spaces may have a lot of personal belongings. This is a good place to keep your packed boxes.

Once your home is ready for sale, we’ll discuss pricing. Looking at other properties in your neighborhood and surrounding areas is the best way to get an idea of value. Comparing features of your property with features of others and assigning a value to those differences. It is crucial to be priced appropriately. We have been valuing properties for over 20 years and are confident in the numbers we give you, however, it is important to understand that pricing is not an exact science. If we need to reevaluate initial pricing, it is essential to make any adjustments within the first 10 days of the listing to keep a captive audience.

We will be visiting with you prior to listing the home to get professional quality photos of your property that will be advertised on MLS as well as various websites and social media outlets. It is important to be prepared for listing photos. We will provide you a checklist to prepare for your photo appointment and here’s some tips to get you started:

1. Interior-
   
2. Vacuum all the carpets
   
3. Wipe down all surfaces
   
4. Remove personal items from sight
   
5. Open all shades and blinds
   
6. Turn on all your lights
   
7. Turn off televisions
   
8. Empty waste baskets
   
9. Put away children’s toys
   
10. Hide pet dishes, toys and beds
    
11. Remove newspapers and mail
    
12. Pull items off the refrigerator
    
13. Hide cleaning items
    
14. Clear dishes
    
15. Place a bowl of fruit on counters
    
16. Make your beds
    
17. Put away clothes
    
18. Hide Children’s toys
    
19. Remove clutter
    
20. Hang Fresh towels
    
21. Clean mirrors
    
22. Make bathrooms sparkle
    
23. Remove things from bathroom counters and showers/tubs
    
24. Open shower curtains
    
25. Set your table for dinner as if you were having guests.

Having these things done will benefit the photographer in addition to placing the home in showable condition for buyers.

Showings will be coordinated through third party called Showingtime. Showingtime will call to confirm showings. The more flexible you can be the better, but we don’t wish for showings to be invasive either. Therefore, we can set metrics for showings; i.e. No showings before 9 a.m. or, no showings after 6 p.m., the amount of notice needed or any other parameters that will work for your family’s privacy needs.

If you are selling your current home in order to purchase another, we’re well versed in that! Things can get a little chaotic when doing both simultaneously, but we assist clientele with such scenarios all the time. We’re very communicative and will keep you apprised of first, second, third and last steps to ensure a fluid and efficient process. Remarks in MLS that any offers submitted would be contingent on you finding a replacement property identifies to potential buyers that we may need additional time from contract to close and having this information upfront allows for all parties to plan accordingly.

In terms of finding that perfect new purchase, we can set up automatic drips for you to see what’s currently available with the specifications you need and want. This gives you an opportunity to drive various neighborhoods to get an idea of where you want to be! Once we have your property under contract, that is a good time to start physically looking at homes on the market. Many sellers don’t find it ideal to take offers contingent on the sale of another house, but rest assured, if we have things in order, negotiations are easier and we’re experts at that!