On average buyers visit 19 homes before putting in an offer to buy. What does this finding mean for sellers? There is more competition on the market than there was even 5 years ago. If you want to sell your house, you need to make it look its best in order to compete in the housing market (especially in Charleston, South Carolina's market). I have 7 rules that I follow to help sellers give their homes a competitive edge on the real estate market.
1. Give potential buyers curb appeal. A buyer's first impression is extremely important. When a buyer visits your house, the first thing he or she sees is the front of the house. So, make your yard, front door stoop, and walkway inviting. Keep your lawn mowed, plant flowers, spread pine straw on any beds you have, and trim the bushes.
2. Make any needed repairs. Don't worry about minor repairs like a cracked tile. Instead, focus on more obvious problems, like torn screening on a porch or walls in need of a fresh coat of paint. Even though the buyer will make a repair list before closing, it is better to go ahead and fix problems in your house that could put off potential buyers. Buyers want a house that looks like it has been taken care of.
3. Clean your home inside and out! Steam clean carpet stains, clean the inside and outside of windows, and dust even those hard-to-reach areas. Believe me when I say that potential buyers like to inspect the homes they visit!
4. Organize clutter. People love pictures and collectibles, but these things can make a house appear small and cluttered. Having some accessories is good?the right decorations can make a house feel like a home. Just remember, you want to make your house look spacious, clean, and organized.
5. Make colors and styles neutral. Even though some colors are cute, neutral colors are the safest. I have seen so many buyers get turned off by hot pink rooms or excessive decorative themes. Buyers want to picture the houses they visit as their own. When you choose neutral colors and styles, they are more likely to imagine themselves in your house (and more likely to buy your house).
6. Check your lighting. This rule may seem trivial, but buyers do not like dark houses. So, open curtains to let in natural light, and check all the bulbs in your light fixtures.
7. Clean up after pets. Try to keep your pets outside while your house is on the market, especially if you know that there will be a showing on a certain day. If your pets are inside-only, try to keep them out of the way and to keep loose fur to a minimum. Also, if you think your home has even a faint pet smell, get the floors and furniture cleaned before you put your home on the market.
Following these 7 rules can dramatically help sellers make their homes more marketable. Before you put your home on the market, be sure you can check all of these tasks off your list. If your home is already on the market, it is not too late to implement these rules!
Starting, running, and turning a profit out of a home business does not have to be the tall task that most people make it out to be. While it certainly isn't easy, it doesn't have to be overly difficult either. With a little bit of forethought and planning, even the hardest, most complex of things can become relatively simple.
There are three golden rules in running a home business. If followed, these laws will help you create a dynamic home business, one that allows you make a decent living. If ignored, these laws will ensure that your home business does not rise above average operating results.
First, plan all the way to the end. You must have a concrete vision for the business. Where will it be five, ten, twenty years from now? What sort of scale will it have? What will it be doing differently, and what things will remain the same? Try to envision all the obstacles that may come up and prepare plans to meet them. To be sure, you will be unable to foresee all the crises that will occur. But mentally, you must be prepared for them as they come. Circumstances should not catch you completely off-guard; you should have a measure of preparation against ever-changing situations.
Second, work hard - and make your people work hard as well. With your home business, everything will start with you. You must work to become the greatest, most capable individual that you can become. Spare no expense in your education, within reason, as long as such education is helping you prepare for the future. Then, be sure that you work as hard as you can, learning all the ins and outs of the trade of which you are in. A good work ethic is important to success, and you should not neglect it. A corollary to this is that you should hire people who are just as hard-working as you are. Be sure to set targets for both yourself and others, and measure what gets done. Give reward liberally to those who achieve.
Third, utilize the power of personal networks. There is an old adage that says "It is not what you know, but whom you know." While we may rebel against what this truism may imply, the fact remains that worldly success depends on a high degree to the number and quality of people who are kindly disposed towards you. Your personal network, as well as the networks of the people who work for you, should be utilized to their full potential, in terms of advertising and sales efforts. Treat those in your personal network well, provide the necessary services, and they in turn may promote your business to those in their networks.
Both Keadle & Michael Laleye are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Keadle has sinced written about articles on various topics from Real Estate, Home Improvement How to and Real Estate. Lee Keadle is a full-time real estate agent in Charleston, SC. He specializes in Mt. Pleasant (