We just sold our home just north of Montgomery in 12 days. Most of it is God's timing, but we felt like we had a responsibility as well. The longest we have ever had a home stay on the market before it sold is 30 days, and that is the one time we did it by owner. This one sold to the first people who saw it.
My best suggestions are:
1) Price it right. You have said you are in a good neighborhood. That is THE most important thing - location. Next, you have to price it correctly. Our realtor told us we should price our house high because people are going to ask us to take less. I calculated the price per square foot of what sold in our neighborhood in the last year. I calculated the price per square foot of what was for sale now. I was shocked by how over priced every home was. To price ours, we took an average of the two figures I mentioned above. We only came off of our price by $900 in this buyer's market. I was kind of concerned that people thought we would take lots less because of the market, but they seemed to respect that we priced it appropriately.
2) As the first responder said, "declutter". You want your home to appear open and spacious. Store, sell, or donate any furniture that makes your rooms appear smaller. Arrange your furniture so that it fits well in the room and creates a good traffic pattern. Depersonalize the space. Take down pictures of your family and put up art pieces. You want the prospective buyer to see this as their home. It is hard for them to that if your family is everywhere.
3) Neutralize. Taste specific decor is hard to overcome. You might love a purple master bedroom (I had one!), but most people won't. Paint a nice ivory tone on your walls. Something that will go with everything. If you have wallpaper, have it removed. Buyers need to be able to move their things right into the house without having to immediately change a thing.
4) Stage your home well. We have a formal dining room, but we use it as a computer room/sitting room. For some reason, most people don't seem to be able to visualize what a room's function is supposed to be. I took out the loveseat and rocker I had in the room and staged it with a dining table and chairs. I left my computer cabinet, but closed the doors. Fresh flowers in rooms help too.
5) Clean is important! People want to see a clean home that smells good. Wash the baseboards, door facings, etc. Scrub the kitchen and bathroom floors. Just eradicate all dirt!! In the past, when we were home and had notice that someone was coming to see the house, I would light Glade brand French Vanilla candles (one in every room) about an hour before they came. I got lots of compliments on the smell, and the candlelight added warmth. When we were away, we plugged Glade Plug-Ins in each room, and we had an automatic air freshener (I think it was Airwick brand) that sprayed in the laundry room where the cat litter was every nine minutes. You really need to live with your house clean all of the time, and you may do that now anyway. At our house, I made everyone an index card with a list of jobs on it. Whenever we left the house, we each did jobs to help leave the house spotless and ready to show. With all of us working together, it took us about 30 minutes.
6) Curb appeal. Maybe this should have been number one. When we have looked for a house in the past, I couldn't even get my husband to go in it if it didn't look good from the street. The yard needs to be cut and edged if you have a concrete driveway and/or walkway. Colorful flowers make a good impression, but be careful not to have too many so that things begin to look cluttered. I personally use potted geraniums at the front and side entrances. I also hang a fern out front on a yard stake. I have a wreath on the front door to add warmth. Cleaning your fascia boards and windows is important. I use the outdoor Windex spray that you attach to your hose. Don't forget to clean from the inside as well. When we put our house on the market this time, I was shocked at how much dirt was on my windows! Be sure if any part of your home is painted on the outside that none of the paint should be peeling. If it needs painting, paint it. You want to give the impression that your home is move in ready, and the buyers won't have to do a thing.
I hope this helps. There are many more things that could be said, I am sure. Hopefully someone will say them!
Just remember, that it might seem difficult to make these changes and live with your house so clean at all times, but if you do the right things you probably won't have to live that way for long!
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selling a home... any suggestions?
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