Seller Essentials

A negotiation does not start after a homebuyer presents a seller with an offer. Rather, negotiation for buyers begins from the moment they start thinking about purchasing a home. It starts when they begin rolling the idea around in their minds.

Which means it begins even before they scroll through pictures on their laptops or phones. They have a narrative before they ever drive by a house – already, they have started thinking about the dividing lines between everything they want – in an ideal world – and the things that they need.

In short, they have established some “essentials” whether they have ever said as much out loud or not.

The first one is curb appeal. By making the effort to come to see your home, the buyer already has passed your house from the preliminary round while other houses were eliminated because their pictures hurt them more than helped them.

So, the buyer drives up to your home. And it’s a big moment. Here’s the way the staff at realtytimes.com put it: “The buyer should be so impressed, so charmed, so delighted, that they want to leap out of the car and run inside.”

Yeah, that is the reaction you are aiming to achieve. How do you get there? And is it really a concern in what is a strong seller’s market?

First, expect more houses to come onto the market. It’s that’s time of year. The balance may start to even out a bit. So, potentially, your competition sits all around you. So your home has to have the prettier face, and a clean and well-kept appearance. Make the yard and greenery immaculate. If the house needs a coat of paint or a power-washing, give it one. And make sure the front door is inviting – repaint or replace if need be.

Once inside, buyers will begin calculating (negotiating with themselves) about the space. Is there enough overall? Is it set up right? Each room will get a hard look, with the main living space, kitchen and master bath getting the closest inspections.

And guess what can make a spacious room look smaller? Clutter. Even stray cups and glasses. Magazines and other paperwork. All of it must go.

You want buyers to be surprised by the fact the house and the individual rooms have so much open space. Because more space means more possibilities. If this seems too tall of an order, consider having your REALTOR® help you with staging or recommend a stager.

Finally, most people want a home to feel contemporary in its furnishings even if the structure is older. This is especially important with the kitchen. At minimum, you need updated appliances and counter tops.

You can freshen up a bathroom very inexpensively just by going with a new bathmat and shower curtain and some new towels. Make sure to use liquid soaps, too; it’s a small thing, but they look better and cleaner.

So make sure you have covered these essentials. If you do, you just might have a fast sale and at a nice price.