TIPS ON SELLING YOUR HOME IN A DOWN MARKET

HERE ARE SOME KEY ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN PROVEN TO SELL HOMES FASTER, AND/OR, FOR MORE MONEY.

* ORGANIZE: Organizing personal belongings makes homes more appealing because buyers are able to see better the functionality of the spaces within it. A messy and cluttered closet sends a message of not enough space. Too often storage spaces are full of stuff homeowners too often do not even use or need.

* DECLUTTER: Decluttering spaces, especially counter tops, which were not meat to store stuff, sends a message of a functional space. Buyers can see that there will be enough space for their things, and are better able to "see" themselves living in the space.

* DEPERSONALIZE: Depersonalizing plays a huge role in helping buyers imagine the home as their own. A cluttered and messy bedroom painted a dark green for example may make a buyer want to just walk out. Where as the same bedroom in a soothing neutral decor, with no clutter is much more welcoming to most people.

* CLEAN: Cleaning seems like a no-brainer, right? But too often homes are shown dirty, inside and out! A dirty house makes you not want to touch anything there, much less move in and cook and live in it. Burning candles is a great way to also make a house smell lovely and feel even cleaner.

* MIND THE SMALL DETAILS: Not addressing the small things can cost big. A home with too many broken items like light switches, light fixtures, holes in walls, torn screens, broken molding, broken or missing door knobs, closet doors, send a message a worn-down property. I've had sellers say "oh, that's easy to fix", yet it's still broken. These types of items when in good repair are not going to be noticed, but they will for sure when broken.

* PUBLISH BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS: Would you be more inclined to spend time to see a house that has appealing photos online or one with no photos, all other things being similar? They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and in real estate it may be worth thousands $$ more! When your agent takes pictures make sure every space shows its best so buyers will want to come see the house right away.

* GET BUYERS INSIDE: Ever driven to see a house from the outside without your agent just to see IF you want to go inside? You have to show a house in order to sell it, but if the outside scares buyers away, your next move will be a price reduction.

* PRICING RIGHT IS KEY: Buyers can't and don't care how much a seller paid or owes on a property. They care about not over paying. Their agent will pull comparable homes to show them how much a property is worth, so be sure to price your home right. Overpricing keeps buyers away, but pricing right or under pricing a little will be perceived as a good buy and you may have even more buyer and/or offers!

* MAKE YOUR HOME EASY TO SHOW: Sellers who insist on showing by appointmnt only, take a huge risk of having their home on the market longer, as agents and buyers will always show homes which are easier to show. If your competition is shown first, buyers may like it and forgot you all together. Buyers are always accompanied by their agents, and agents have a key to the lockbox which shows all the agent's information when they accessed the property.

CALL ME TO SELL YOUR HOME TODAY!