HOW TO SELL A HOUSE FOR TOP DOLLAR

Looking to sell a house for top dollar? This year we sold our home for $20,000 more than we thought it would sell– and it sold in only 10 days of being on the market! Some people thought we were totally crazy for buying a house when we were already trying to pay off $650,000 of debt. We did a few simple things to help our house sell for the most value that will help you too.

Begin with the end in mind. 

First, begin with the end in mind. What I mean is, the time to start thinking about selling your home is actually when you are buying your home. When we started looking for houses, we only considered homes that were in a good location– a part of town that had been popular for years and that looked like it was going to continue to be popular since our city put in a HUGE $350 million dollar park nearby. The house was close to popular restaurants, stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, and a walking/biking trail. Look for things like that that would be appealing to buyers (like yourself). If you don’t want to live in a part of town where the nearest grocery store is 20 minutes away, future buyers probably aren’t going to want to either.

Price your home at the top of a price range to sell a house for top dollar.

When buyers go house shopping, they aren’t looking at a specific number. No one goes in thinking, “My house is going to cost exactly $200,000.” Rather, buyers go in with a range, like $200,000 – $250,000. So you want to price your house at the top of these kinds of popular ranges.

Declutter everything. 

Probably the trickiest part about selling our home for top dollar was decluttering everything before we listed it. And by everything I really mean everything. We packed away about half of our clothes, shoes, kitchenware, dishes, toys, decor, stuff in storage closets, everything. If you want to sell a house for top dollar, it needs to be in ship shape, and one of the best (and cheapest) ways to make a space look nice is to declutter.

Remove anything personal. 

Buyers need to be able to envision themselves in your space, so having tons of family photos everywhere isn’t going to help you sell a house for top dollar. Remove any decor that looks personal.

Hire the right realtor. 

Of course any realtor will want to get the most value out of a home as possible– that directly impacts their commission. But, like any profession, just because someone is a realtor doesn’t mean they are a great realtor. Read reviews and ask around for recommendations. Then, make your intentions with your realtor clear– you want to sell your home at the highest value possible. A good realtor will run comparable homes for you and give you good insight on what price you should ultimately list your house at.

Light it up. 

Having a well-lit home will help you sell for top dollar. Before we had a showing, we would always open up curtains and blinds and turn on all the lights in our house.

Upgrade (a little). 

If you want to sell your house for top dollar, you’ll need to make sure that you have upgrades in all of the right places. Focus on the kitchen and master bed and bath– both of those areas should look up to date since those are the two areas that notoriously sell houses. That being said, don’t over do it. If you aren’t selling a million dollar house, don’t put in a million dollar tile in the master bathroom. Do smaller, inexpensive updates that make the space look fresh so that you can recoup your costs. It doesn’t make any sense to try and sell a house for top dollar if you aren’t going to recoup your costs and earn money on the sale.

Curb appeal. 

In addition to making the right upgrades on the interior, you’ll need to focus on the exterior i f you want to sell a house for top dollar. Mulch, plant flowers, get a new door mat, and mow. Having excellent curb appeal makes a good first impression– that’s highly important to sell a house for top dollar.

Be a clean freak. 

Being a clean freak is sure to help you sell a house for top dollar. Buyers want a space that is fresh and clean. If you make your buyer feel valued by keeping your home extraordinarily tidy for showings, they’ll likewise value your space more and be more willing to pay more.

Stage well. 

Unsurprisingly, how your home looks matters if you want to sell a house for top dollar. Dirty old furniture and spaces that aren’t well designed are not going to do you any favors to sell your home for more.

Of course luck and a good market don’t hurt, but if you follow these steps outlined above, you’ll be sure to sell a house for top dollar. If you are interested in selling your house fast, be sure to check out our post here.

How was your June? Drop a comment, I’d love to hear from you! 

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