First impressions are lasting
– how to sell your home –
by Elizabeth Morse Read
Right up there on the stress scale, along with divorce, childbirth, getting laid off or losing a spouse – is selling your home.
Sure, finding a great realtor will help you maximize your profits, but you’re facing a major life transition (i.e., emotional) that demands that you suddenly learn to think differently (i.e., logical) to your best benefit.
Three years ago, I had to part with the home my children grew up in (12 rooms, garage with apartment, 20x40 in-ground pool) and down-size to a “retirement” cottage under 600 sq. ft. I learned a lot in the process and, hopefully, those lessons will help you, too.
Economists are predicting that the housing-price market will bottom out this year, and that home values will start creeping upward in 2013. So, if you’ve been hoping to sell your home, start now to plan ahead, and sell next spring or summer.
Before even choosing a realtor, do a brutally honest assessment of your property both inside and out – what pops out that would make your listing more attractive? What needs to get fixed ASAP? Remember that prospective home buyers will form an impression within a few seconds, based more on emotional reactions (this is a big step for them, too!) than on what’s spelled out on the MLS listing sheet.
read the entire article in the June issue of South Coast Insider
