Sell Your Home; Keep Your Head

Of course, improvements add up and sellers have to carefully choose the projects they take on. What if you can only afford to do one thing? “I would recommend paint,” says Teri B. Clark, professional home stager and author of 301 Simple Things You Can Do to Sell Your Home Now. “A fresh coat of paint on the walls does amazing things to a home.”

Finally, think about the front yard. “Potential buyers see the outside first and will decide in 10 seconds or less if they are even going in,” says Clark. Basic landscaping—removing weeds and trimming shrubs—is requisite. Clark suggests sellers also clean their home’s exterior, remove lawn art and update the worn welcome mat.

Home Selling Made Simple(r)

Some sellers take on too many tasks when readying a home for sale. April Goettle, a musician and entrepreneur, started renovating her Seattle home as soon as she moved in. She demolished all of the walls, revamped the kitchen, added a bathroom, changed the floor plan, bought period fixtures and even moved a staircase. Unfortunately, she was forced to move before she could bring the home to market.

Luckily, April’s realtor had a plan to sell quickly. In addition to setting a smart list price, the realtor went above and beyond, handling all of the home’s marketing and even contributing to cleanup and yard work while April was out of state. She put April in touch with a professional staging company. The home sold in two weeks for $575,000.

April says she couldn’t have done it without her realtor. “She brought a lot to the table. I would not have wanted to go through a sale without her.”