Fourteen Marketing Suggestions To Our Sellers
(Or how to really help us sell your property)

  1. "Curb Appeal" creates that great first impression necessary to get buyers excited about your house. Keep the lawn and shrubs trimmed and edged. Clean your yard of clutter and refuse. Park your vehicles so they don't obstruct the view of your house from across the street. Touch up the exterior paint and trim as necessary and repair or replace loose or missing roof tiles and shingles.
  2. Your front door becomes the focal point of attention while a REALTOR and prospect waits to enter your house. Be sure it is scrubbed clean or completely repainted if necessary.
  3. Dress up windows in freshly laundered curtains and be sure all windows are cleaned both inside and outside.
  4. The interior of your property should "sparkle". An interior coat of paint might speed the sale and increase value. Carpets should be completely shampooed and sanitized. Pay particular attention to your kitchen and bathrooms and do the necessary touch up to make these very important rooms look outstanding.
  5. Have all light sockets filled with high intensity bulbs. Illumination creates a warm and very welcome sign. The potential buyers will feel that glowing warmth and rooms will appear more spacious and inviting when you turn on ALL the lights for an evening inspection.
  6. Wash dishes, dust the furniture, put away clothes, straighten up newspapers and magazines, and give your house that "neat as a pin" appeal for every showing. Apologizing for your property's appearance will only make things worse.
  7. Always have the beds made prior to a showing and consider an investment in attractive bed spreads to give your bedroom additional buyer appeal.
  8. Empty rooms of cluttered, unnecessary and damaged furniture (store it or sell it). This will make your rooms look more spacious and liveable.
  9. Keep pets out of the way when showing. (One type of prospect is annoyed - the other gets attention diverted.) Pets will distract the buyer's attention away from the house.
  10. To appeal to all of the potential buyer's senses, consider having your radio or stereo tuned to a soft "FM" station and have the fragrance of potpourri permeate each and every room.
  11. The potential buyer will feel more comfortable and will spend more time inspecting your house if he doesn't feel like an intruder. If at all possible give the REALTOR and buyer uninterrupted access to your property and politely excuse yourself to the backyard or for a walk around the block.
  12. Leave showing to the REALTOR. The REALTOR knows the buyer's requirements and can best emphasize the features of your house objectively. A buyer will be more candid about his true feelings with the REALTOR if the owner is not present.
  13. Don't discuss anything concerning the sale with the buyer. Let the REALTOR discuss price, terms, possession, and other factors with the buyer. He is eminently qualified to bring negotiations to a favorable conclusion. And never try to sell items of personal property or furniture to a buyer before the property sale has been agreed upon.
  14. And please do not take your REALTOR'S suggestions personally. You are paying for his expertise to speed the sale and increase the value of your property....use it!

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