Sell My Own Home
Joe and Mary Stage Their House
On the last page about sell my own home, Joe and Mary had decided to take a look around their house and property, so they could decide what they should work on and what they could leave as is.
They have just arrived in the master bedroom to start their "tour".
M: Honey, these walls in here are looking pretty rough.
The paint is faded in places and there are several dings and gouges.
Do you think we should spruce it up and apply a new coat of paint before we sell?
J: If I'm going to sell my own home, I don't see any reason to paint first.
The buyers might not like the color we pick out and they will just have to do it all over anyway.
M: (sighing) I suppose you are right. We can just leave the walls like they are and let the new owners decide what's best for them.
Sell My Own Home Staging Tip #1
One of the best investments you can make when it comes to sell my own home, is paint. If the walls are marked, faded, or the colors are wrong for the room, never brush it off as "We can let the new owners decide."
Why? Because people make buying choices based on "feelings" in most cases. That is why people say, "I love this home!".
If your goal is, to sell my own home, you then want to keep rooms uncluttered and match the decor. Make people feel like they are at home.
How does the photo on the right make you feel about this bedroom?
They don't usually say, "I know I'll love this home, once I redo everything".
If you want to look more deeply into preparing a home to sell, or "home staging", go From Sell My Own Home to House Staging
Please make an effort to patch any holes and gouges in the ceiling, walls and floor and then put on a fresh coat(s) of paint if needed.
When choosing colors here are a couple of thoughts.
- Choose "neutral" colors that will accent most decors.
- Try to stay away from "dark". Light colors are easier to match furniture, make the room appear larger and are less likely to turn buyers away.
Our couple are now standing in the main bathroom watching the slow "drip" "drip" from the sink.
J: I suppose I should do something about that dripping Sugar.
M: Oh Hon! You are such a worry wart! You can hardly notice that little drip. It was like that when we bought the house. Why should we fix it for someone else?
J: (a bit relieved) I suppose your right. No one will probably notice anyway.
Sell My Own Home Tip #2
Guess what? Buyers notice all kinds of things when they get serious about buying a home.
Not only is that little "drip" going to bother the potential buyer, but they will immediately start thinking, "I wonder what else needs fixing around here?"
My suggestion? Fix the drip before you try to sell. In many cases, a faucet drip is repaired by replacing a simple washer(s). Just make sure you shut off the water supply to the faucet first! :)
Sell My Own Home Tip #3
Watch for "little" things inside the home. When you are doing a walk about, check for things to fix.
Sell my own home little things such as:
- Squeaky door hinges. (A real turn-off especially, if it's the main door the buyer enters through)
- Items that aren't attached securely, such as a hand railing on a staircase.
- Rust stains on concrete floors in basement near the hot water tank or furnace.
- Stains in a toilet bowl or a sink.
- Mold of any sort, anywhere.
- Insects such as ants.
- Strong unpleasant odors.
- Chips, gouges, flakes and peeling on surfaces.
I could go on much longer, but you get my drift. Keep your eyes and your mind open. If it's easy and inexpensive to correct the problem, don't even hesitate, do it!
Some "elbow grease", WD-40, screws, nails and a few select products will go a long way in helping you "sell my own home".
Oh, don't forget the paint. $200.00 in the can, $2,000.00 on the wall. That was an old saying we used to have when I was in real estate.
In other words, the paint you paid $200.00 for, will help you sell for $2000.00 more on the market.
Our for sale by owners have finished their walk-through inside the house and are looking up at the roof shingles.
J: (with a puzzled look) Honey, that's weird. The front shingles on the house look fine, but a lot of the shingles here on the back of the house are curled up on the edges.
M: Well, the front of our home faces north, so maybe it has something to do with the sun being hotter here on the south side.
J: I bet you're right. I never thought of that before. What do you think we should do?
M: Can we just replace the south side shingles?
J: I don't know. I suppose it's possible. Why don't we just get a couple of estimates on replacing the shingles and then we will give an allowance to the buyers at closing of that amount so they can make the repairs themselves.
M: Sounds like a plan to me!
Sell My Own Home Tip #4
If you really want to save money, you actually could just replace the shingles on one side of a gabled roof. I don't recommend that approach, but you can do it.
Why? Even if the shingles don't look exactly the same because of the difference in age, you never see both sides of a gabled roof at the same time, unless you are above it.
What about an allowance for the buyers?
The only time I recommend that solution when you sell my own home, is if you absolutely can't find the money to do the repair.
If you can afford it, always replace and/or repair a roof problem before you try to sell the home.
Why? All the buyer will see, is water pouring into their new house through the roof.
At the very least, they will be rubbing their hands in glee, while they think about you accepting $10,000.00 less on their offer for the $5,000.00 you would have spent replacing the shingles ahead of time.
Our couple finish their outside walk about with Joe promising to put his tools away neatly in the garage and Mary saying she is going to weed the flower garden first thing in the morning.
Sell My Own Home Bonus Tip
Always remember that buyers for the most part, make many choices with their emotions. Why do you think people love to buy a "new" vehicle rather than a low mileage used vehicle?
If they bought on a analytical level, they would choose the slightly used vehicle. Lets look at that shall we? Just to hammer home a point.
Two identical vehicles:
Car #1 is brand new and has an MRSP of $40,000.00
Car #2 was a rental vehicle same year with 21,000 kms (13,041 miles) on it. Asking price $23,000.00
Which car would be the better deal?
My money is on car #2.
Why then do many people choose car #1? Because, It smells great. It looks great. It feels great. It is great!
Well, guess what, in a short period of time, it will be just like car #2 and worth about $20,000.00. hmmm! So will car #2, but you would lose far more with car #1.
Houses are no different. If given the choice, many people would choose a new house. New homes are for the most part, much more expensive than cars. Therefore, people buy pre-owned, houses for location and price.
So, what is the lesson? Make your house, look as new as possible with as few dents and scratches as possible. make it even smell like a new car...errr house. :)
Our hero's are now back in the kitchen sharing a nice cup of tea.
J: Well sweets, I think we are almost ready to sell. We'll do anything that needs to be done on the week-end and then start advertising.
M: I'm getting excited. I hope that house in Happy Hollow doesn't sell before ours does. Do you want me to write up an ad for the Daily Newspaper?
J: Sure. You have a way with words. Me, not so much.
As they drift off to sleep that night, they are both thinking about that new home in Happy Hollow.
Maybe our house will sell to the first people that view it, Mary is thinking.
Joe smiles to himself as he dreams about his awesome new home theater he has planned.
If you are following this story in sequence, please proceed to #4 below.
For More Information about the Joe and Mary Story
#1 The Joe and Mary Story Main Page
#2 Joe and Mary Select a Sign
#4 Our by Owner Couple Place a Newspaper Ad
#5 Joe and Mary Go Online
#6 Our Hero's Answer Ad Calls
#7 Joe and Mary Find a Hot Buyer!
#8 Joe and Mary Decide to get an Appraisal
#9 Joe and Mary Prepare for Open House
#10 Our for Sale by Owner's do their First Open House
#11 Joe and Mary get a 2nd House Showing
#12 Joe and Mary get an Offer
#13 Joe and Mary Close the Deal!
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