Showing Your Tulsa Home
September 16, 2008
You may believe that after you have cleaned up the inside and outside of your Tulsa home, you only have to sit back and let the agent show your home. This is not necessarily true if you are still living in the home. You will have to keep your home ready for the agent to show all the time and in some cases; you may only be given a short notice before potential buyers will be in your home. The worst thing you can do is put off potential buyers if you do can avoid it.
The kitchen is one room that must look clean at all times. Do not even leave a few dirty dishes in the sink. Take the time to place them in the dishwasher. Keep your countertops clean as well. If a potential buyer sees dirty dishes, that is a turn off no matter how clean the kitchen might be.
Before the showing, open up the blinds, curtains, and shades. You want your home to look bright and inviting. If the showing is in the evening, then turn on the lights in each room. Be sure that each room has enough for the buyer to see the entire room. Check the light bulbs in the closets as well. If a buyer cannot see into a room or closet, they will not be able to envision their belongings in that area.
If it is warm outside, be sure to have the air conditioner turned on and at a desirable temperature. The same goes for if it is cold outside. You want the buyer to feel comfortable. If you have a fireplace, you could always light it to give them a cozy feel.
Indoor pets should be placed in cages or taken to a friend’s house during the showing. Sorry, to say, but in some cases, the kids should go next door if you cannot get them to sit quietly.
You may not believe this, but if you can be gone while the agent is showing your home, it would be best. A potential buyer may talk to one another about the possibilities of your home, but if you are in the room, they may be afraid to talk to each other due to hurting your feelings.
If you cannot leave, stay in one room of the house, but not in the major areas such as the kitchen, bedrooms, or bathrooms. Stay in the study, family room, basement, or even outside on your patio or front porch. The potential buyers need to be able to walk around the entire house without worrying about hurting your feelings or feeling they are intruding.
Instead of waiting around for the agent to call for a showing and then jumping up to clean and vacuum, do this every day so you are ready for that buyer to walk through your door.
We will work hard to be YOUR Tulsa Real Estate Agent! We are the Tulsa Homes experts and will work hard to find the home of your dreams. Call Toll Free Direct at 1 (877) 738-8572 today.
Tips for Marketing Your Tulsa Home
September 15, 2008
In today’s market there are many Tulsa homes out there for sale and on average a potential buyer looks at least 19 homes prior to putting in an offer. The competition is tough and you have to know how to market your home in this type of housing market. There are a few tips to follow to help you sell your house no matter how many homes are for sale in your Tulsa neighborhood.
The first thing you must do is learn about curb appeal. Before a potential buyer walks into your home, they will drive up and park out front. The outside of the home must look inviting. Be sure the windows are clean, the yard is nice, the walkway is free of clutter, and any flower or garden areas that can be seen are kept nice. The lawn should be mowed and all bushes should be trimmed. The outside of the house must not need a fresh coat of paint and the gutters should be clean.
Fix any big repairs that you know of such as painting, torn screens, water leaks, and other problems that might have the buyer look at your home as a disaster area instead of a cozy home. The minor repairs can be left to do before closing. Remember, a buyer wants to find a home that looks like it is in good shape and has been taken care of throughout the years.
Clean the house from top to bottom. Clean the windows, carpet, remove all cobwebs, clean out closets and pantries. Potential buyers like to look into closets, basements, attics, and every nook and cranny to see just how much space they have to store all their belongings.
Rid your home of clutter. If you have several items all over the counter tops, tables, or stuffed in the closest it makes the area seem smaller. You want your home to look well organized, clean, and above all spacious.
If you have children and have painted their rooms in bright colors, you should paint the walls again in a neutral color. Remember, potential buyers want to see the home as their home and these bright colors can turn them off and away from purchasing your home.
Check all the lamps and light bulbs in the home. Buyers like light and open homes be sure you have lights turned on and curtains or blinds open.
If you have an indoor pet such as a cat, take the litter box to the garage and ensure the pet smell is gone. You should also clean the carpets, if buyers do not have pets they are sure to smell that one lives in your home. The same goes for non-smokers.
Look around the inside and outside of your home with the eyes of a non-smoker, non-pet owner, and childless buyer. Now, you should be able to see all the items that will put them off and be able to prepare for a marketable home.
We will work hard to be YOUR Tulsa Real Estate Agent! We are the Tulsa Homes experts and will work hard to find the home of your dreams. Call Toll Free Direct at 1 (877) 738-8572 today.
Mistakes Made by Tulsa Home Sellers
September 15, 2008
The best way to sell your Tulsa home is to look at the mistakes of others and learn to do things a bit differently. Below are the most common mistakes made by individuals trying to sell their homes, be sure not to fall in the trap?
- Leaving clutter around the home – All those family photos spread out all over the tables, walls, and fireplace look wonderful to family and friends; however, to the potential buyer it looks like a cluttered mess. Potential buyers want to come into the home and envision the home with their belongings and imagine themselves living in the home. This does not mean you have to put away all the photos, but it should be neat and tidy. The same goes for your kitchen. Remove as much as you can from the counter tops so the potential buyer can actually see how much room they have for their own things to sit on the counter top.
- Dirty or cluttered bathrooms – Ensure that the entire bathroom is clean including the counter tops, bathtub, shower walls, toilet, and floor. If a potential buyer sees that, the bathroom is not clean then they will expect the rest of the home to be dirty. If you have makeup sitting out all over the counter in disarray they will expect that the rest of the home will be just as disorganized and may be in need of repair.
- Leaving out pest control items – Even if you have had a few roaches and you used roach hotels and left them there just in case, you should throw them out. Do not leave out bug spray of any type even if you only have it in your home just in case. Potential buyers will think that you have a pest problem.
- Ignoring odors that may be there – If you have pets or are a smoker, these odors are in your home. You may not notice them, however, for individuals that do not smoke or own pets notice these odors the minute they walk in the door. You need to use something that will neutralize these odors, without being overpowering such as strong smelling sprays. This will only make the odor worse. You can talk with your Tulsa Real Estate Agent form RE/MAX to learn ways to neutralize the odors such as potpourri and open the doors to air out the house.
- Leaving closets stuffed with clutter – Once again, we are talking about clutter. If you just stuff everything you own into closets or in the attic, how will potential buyers see how roomy these areas are for holding their belongings? If you must put items in the attic or garage, be sure they are in boxes and organized. If the area looks filled to the top, they will believe the closets are small and will not hold as much.
- Children running around the house – Of course, you cannot tie the kids up in the basement, however, you can have them quietly sitting watching their favorite movie or enjoy a snack at the table. They should not be running under the feet of the potentials buyers. The same goes with pets. If you have a cat or dog, be sure, they are not jumping all over the guests in your home. No one will be able to look through your home while a dog is nipping at their heels.
- No curb appeal – The last thing on the list may be the most important. You want the outside of the home to look inviting. Hanging baskets with dead plants, un-kept gardens, toys in the driveway, and dirty windows are turn offs. Be sure the exterior is nice and pretty.
For more useful tips about how to sell your home contact one of the professional RE/MAX Agents at RE/MAX Executives today at (877) 738-8572. You will discover why we have earned the reputation as “the” Tulsa Homes experts!