Success Story: 1386 Banner Circle
Getting Your House Ready to Sell!
Selling a house is easy, right? Wrong. If you're thinking about selling by owner, or hiring one of those discount brokerage firms, think again.
In July of 2017 I received a call from a neighbor, “Jenni”, who had her house listed for sale with another agent, but it wasn’t selling. It had been on the market for over THREE months! We were in a super HOT seller’s market, so there was no reason why it shouldn’t have sold right away.
Jenni said she wanted to terminate her listing agreement with that agent, and asked if I’d be able to help her get her house listed and sold. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity!
Jenni had previously listed her home with a friend, and that agent told her the house was fine as-is and she only needed to do a little bit of cleaning and decluttering. Unfortunately, that wasn’t great advice.
Problem:
The house needed new paint (inside & out), new appliances, new light fixtures, plus extensive cleaning, decluttering and landscaping clean-up. In addition, the house wasn’t priced correctly, based on its condition. On top of that, Jenni had limited funds to in which to get all of this completed.
Solution:
The solution was a 6 step, hands-on process that involved getting quotes, hiring contractors, choosing paint colors, light fixtures, and getting my hands dirty!
Step 1 – Clean & Declutter
Jenni had already moved most of her belongings to her new place; however, she still had a LOT of furniture, exercise equipment, artwork, dishes, knick-knacks, and clothes that needed to be dealt with.
I helped Jenni pack the rest of the items she wanted to keep, and helped her get them to storage.
Next, I sold a bunch of the larger items, such as furniture, area rugs & exercise equipment via Facebook Marketplace.
I also donated boxes and boxes of dishes, glassware, knick knacks and clothes to a local charity, Sister Carmen.
Finally, I enlisted the help of my husband and a neighbor to toss the rest (old mattresses and an old chair) in the neighborhood dumpster.
Step 2 – New Appliances
Fortunately, Jenni’s son was a contractor and had a Lowe’s credit account. I helped pick out new stainless appliances at Lowes, and her son installed them.
Step 3 - New Paint
The interior and exterior were in desperate need of paint. I got quotes from 3 different painting companies and together, Jenni and I picked paint colors for the exterior and interior. For the interior, we chose nice neutral colors that would enhance the home’s natural light. For the exterior, we chose something that was also fairly neutral (and I got approved by the HOA Architectural Review Committee) and included a fun blue accent color for the shutters and front door.
Step 4 – Curb Appeal
The landscaping had been neglected for a while and there were lots of weeds and trees and shrubs were either dead or overgrown. So I got my hands dirty and trimmed bushes, pulled weeds and planted some ornamental grasses. I purchased some mums from Lowes, and a new doormat from Marshalls. I hired some tree trimmers to cut down the dead aspen trees with the funds from the sale of the furniture.
Step 5 -- Light Fixtures
The house had original brass light fixtures from the late 1990s that made the house feel a lot older than it was. I bought new brushed nickel fixtures from Lowes for the entryway, dining room, kitchen and outside carriage lights.
Step 6 -- Photography
Finally, I hire my trusty photographer, Tim Seibert with Flatirons Pro Media to take photos of my "masterpiece".
Even in this "hot" Seller's Market, I will ALWAYS hire a professional photographer to take photos. Most buyers find homes online first and it's important to make a good first impression. I also make sure Tim gets photos not just of every room, but things like the front entry, hallways, back yard, views from the back yard and loft areas so Buyers have a good feel for the floor plan and the size of the space.
Next Step: Getting it Listed and SOLD!
For information about buying or selling real estate in this crazy Seller's Market, please do not hesitate to contact me!