Never Worry About Selling Your Home Again

Selling a home is often a stressful time filled with pitfalls and headaches. From properly listing your house to closing on a sale, there are so many steps in the process that it may feel overwhelming. Fortunately, following a few simple tricks could help you reduce the length of the process and sell your home faster.

Bernal Heights homes for sale and other houses in the Bay Area could especially benefit from these tips. San Francisco real estate is at an all-time high, with most of the property in the area soaring in value in recent years. Not only will following the tips below drastically speed up the process, but they could also increase the value of your home.

Here are the five things you can do to help sell your home faster and for more money.

One of the most effective methods to increase the value of your home is to utilize paint. In fact, in HomeGain’s 2012 National Home Improvement survey, they found that painting the exterior resulted in a 55% return on investment (ROI) while painting the interior of a house resulted in a 107% ROI. By increasing the value of your home, you will also be increasing the speed at which it sells.

Which paint you choose is incredibly important. Since you want to leave buyers with a warm, friendly impression of your house, you want to stick to warm, neutral colors. Because these types of colors go with just about anything, they make it easier for buyers to imagine themselves living in the house. Warm neutral colors include types of tans, beiges, golds, and grays. You could even utilize a color known as “greige,” which is a blend of gray and beige. Make sure to avoid white, however, as that color is often too stark.

After choosing your paint colors, you’ll want to start prioritizing rooms. You’ll likely want to prioritize the kitchen, entryway, foyer, and bathrooms. You will also want to strategically utilize your paint to make smaller rooms appear bigger. You can do this by painting the trim and walls the same color, preferably a lighter or pastel color. If you need help choosing types of paint, your Noe Valley real estate agent Dan McLean could offer suggestions.

Decluttering your house is an important step in the home-selling process. By effectively removing needless furniture and decor, you can make rooms appear bigger and more spacious. It can also better help potential buyers visualize living in the house.

Start by removing all personal photos, memorabilia, decor, and furniture from each room. Remove anything that could remind buyers another family is already living there. Once that’s done, remove any pieces of furniture or decor that do not serve multiple purposes. If it helps, create three separate piles: keep (store away), donate, and trash. The more you donate or trash, the better. Go through all the closets, cabinets, and storage areas, as well as the garage. Leave no stone unturned.

Decluttering your house is an effective way to increase its value. You will essentially present a home to buyers that has enough room for all their storage needs. Once again, increasing the value of your house will also speed up the home-selling process.

Although the process of cleaning windows may seem easy, many people need to follow the correct steps. Since a clean window allows more light to shine through, it helps create a brighter room, which in turn makes the space appear bigger and more inviting. This will translate to a faster and more profitable sale.

To efficiently clean your windows, you will want to use a simple solution made from one part white vinegar and two parts water mixed in a spray bottle. Start by wiping down the window with a sponge and clean, cool water. Then, spray the window with the vinegar and water solution. Using a lint-free towel, dry the window completely utilizing a Z-shaped motion. If streaks or dirt remain, spray and dry the window again.

According to the National Association of Realtors, 82 percent of buyers’ agents cited that staging a home made it easier for their clients to visualize a property as a future home. This tells us that how you stage a home could make or break a potential sale. Furthermore, properly staging your property could lead to a faster sale overall.

Good staging is a form of visual merchandising that attempts to flatter a property without being too obvious about it. Examine each room to find its focal feature and design around that. For instance, situate furniture around the fireplace in the living room to create an inviting, friendly sense. You can also use staging to your advantage if you research the types of buyers in your particular area. For example, stage a children’s room by adding a bunk bed and toy chest if buyers in your area have young children.

Since you already took the time to declutter your home, you don’t want to re-clutter it through staging. Instead, following the common expression “less is more” is a good rule of thumb when staging your property.

Since the exterior of your home is the first thing buyers will see, you want to make it as attractive as possible. If you leave a bad taste in a buyer’s mouth before they even set foot inside, they are less likely to make an offer.

You can boost your property’s curb appeal in several ways. Some of these ways include applying a fresh coat of paint to the outside walls (stick to a maximum of three colors), trimming the hedges and lawn, and fixing any holes or chips in the walkway. You can also rent a pressure washer to clean any dirt or grime on the exterior walls, siding, and fencing. First impressions are super important in the world of real estate.

If you’re looking to make the process of selling your house easier, then you need to work alongside an experienced real estate agent. Your agent will know all of the available tips and tricks to increase the speed at which your home sells.

Dan Mclean has years of experience listing Bernal Heights homes for sale, as well as other houses in the Bay Area. If you’re ready to start the process of selling your home, contact him today.