TheStreet reports that in this “buyers market,” with pre-owned homes in competition against new or newer housing, some savvy basic strategies can make the difference in how fast your home sells. “It’s all about supply and demand,” says Elizabeth Mendenhall, CEO of Columbia, Mo.-based Remax Boone Realty and a National Association of Realtors (NAR) vice president. “There’s more supply on the market these days, so you need to figure out a way to increase demand for your property — and one of the ways to do that is to improve its image.” NAR research shows the typical house-hunter looks at 12 properties before deciding on what to buy. “Anything you can do to make your home look like it’s in ready, move-in condition will make it much, much more desirable,” Mendenhall says. “Older homes are always compared to new construction, where there’s new paint, new finishes, new everything.” Here are five relatively inexpensive things seller should do to maximize a home’s marketability. Tip No. 1: Clean, clean, clean. Cost: $0-$300 or more, cleaning or vacuuming all surfaces, floorboards, baseboards, windows, blinds, crevices, corners, eaves, alcoves, appliances, cabinets and fixtures. Tip No. 2: Declutter Cost: $0 Removing excess papers, books and ‘stuff’ from your home wmake rooms look cleaner and bigger. Tip No. 3: Clean all carpeting Cost: About $100 per room, especially important for houses with smokers and pets. Tip No. 4: Add fresh paint Cost: $20 and up per room. Tip No. 5: Make your home rapidly accessible for home shopper showings. Cost: $0. Make the home ready to show with little or no notice enhances your odds for meeting prospects and selling the home.
(Editor’s note: in working with clients who you are brokering a home for, or in manufactured housing land lease communities or MH retail centers where resales are being sold, this common sense tips can make a difference).
