You’re ready to sell your home. You’ve
chosen an agent to represent you. You
settle back to wait for your agent to
bring a buyer. Your work is done - or is
it?
Actually, you have two responsibilities
when selling your home. The first,
setting the right asking price, requires
little time or effort on your part. You
analyze the market, get an appraisal, use
common sense, and price your home to
sell.
Your second, more labor intensive,
responsibility is to offer your home in
“model home” condition. It makes no
difference how many prospective
buyers your agent brings through your
home, if it doesn’t meet their
expectations.
So . . . what exactly are your
responsibilities? First, make certain all
needed repairs are completed before the
home is placed on the market. Second,
look closely for needed cosmetic
improvements. Examples include dirty
windows, broken caulking in kitchen/bath tile, torn screens, cracked
window panes, etc.
Finally, offer a clean, tidy home. This
means making a daily recon to be sure
beds are made, dishes washed, personal
items in baths put away, toys picked up,
etc. This part requires ongoing family
cooperation for as long as the home is
for sale.
If you expect to receive the best possible
price for your home, you must also meet
or exceed the expectations of buyers. Do
nothing, and you may expect the same.
