Overcome These Obstacles When Selling Your Home

Overcome These Obstacles When Selling Your Home

When listing your home in the beautiful Minneapolis suburb of Plymouth, the goal is to sell it quickly and for as much money as possible. Some people would think it’s as easy as planting a “For Sale” sign in the front yard and waiting for the offers to roll in.

There’s a lot of work to do even before listing the home for sale, and then a lot of attention to detail as the process unfolds. While it can certainly be an exciting time as you prepare for the next chapter in your life, several obstacles and challenges can pop up that you’ll need to deal with to keep the process on track.

Don’t go it alone



The first item on the long list of things to do for any seller, and one that will ultimately help overcome all obstacles, is to hire a licensed real estate agent who has spent years helping clients when they sell homes for sale in Plymouth, Minnesota. Take your time researching and interviewing a handful of agents who specialize in your neighborhood. As you interview each one, ask them to reveal their strategy for getting your home sold quickly and at a nice profit. Be looking for an agent who is trustworthy and communicates well. This will be a big transaction, and you need to be comfortable with your agent.

Get your home ready



Once you’ve decided to sell your home, you shouldn’t waste any time assessing what will need to be done to get it looking as spiffy as possible for the buyers who will soon be scheduling private showings or attending an open house. Better yet, once you hire a smart agent, they will visit your home and give you a list of suggestions of what needs to be done to get the house up to snuff.

Cosmetic fixes


You should immediately make any necessary minor repairs to homes for sale in Plymouth, Minnesota, such as fixing leaking faucets and toilets, replacing burned-out light bulbs, spackling dings in the walls, and cleaning scuff marks and stains from floors and carpets. Buyers will be eyeballing your home from floor to ceiling, and any small problems could give the impression that there is something larger lurking or that you haven’t properly maintained your home.

Declutter


Get rid of all the extra stuff you don’t need in your home. Your home will look so much better when you clear all your countertops, coffee table, and the tops of your dressers. Remove about half the contents of all your closets. By taking this step, including removing any extraneous furniture, you will allow homebuyers to visualize themselves living there.

Depersonalize


One of the biggest obstacles for sellers is removing themselves emotionally from the home. Yes, a lifetime’s worth of memories has been made here, but once you’ve decided to sell, it’s time to close that chapter of your life and prepare the home for a new owner. To do this, remove all family photos, mementos and souvenirs, and any other reminders of your family. Again, buyers will want to envision how their family will fill those spaces and will only be distracted if they see reminders of your family.

Paint


Nothing freshens homes for sale in Plymouth, Minnesota — and makes them more palatable to buyers, in more ways than one — than a fresh coat of paint. The general rule of thumb is to paint the entire interior in light gray, white or off-white, which will brighten it considerably, make it look bigger, and allow buyers to let their imaginations run wild with how they’ll paint and decorate the home. It’s a small cost out of pocket but can more than return the investment in time and money.

Stage it


Once the home is decluttered, painted, and given a deep cleaning, it’s time to arrange the remaining furniture and decor to make it shine and open up the floor plan. Arrange the living room furniture around a central focal point, such as the picture window or fireplace, and add a neutral wall hanging or mirror. Round out the look with an area rug and contrasting throw pillows on the couches. Give the bedrooms a fancy look with matching nightstands and lamps on either side of the bed, and put all loose items of clothing and other belongings in the closet or dressers.

Price it right



One of the biggest challenges of listing homes for sale in Plymouth, Minnesota, is to set a competitive price that will attract buyers rather than scare them away. Your agent has the local knowledge and tools to do just that. Not only does he understand the current pricing trends, but he will run a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) that puts your house up against similar homes already on the market in your neighborhood and homes that have sold recently. By comparing your home with houses of similar size, layout, and the same features and amenities, you can set a fair market price that isn’t too high, which will lead buyers to look elsewhere, or too low, which can cost you thousands of dollars.

This is one major area where a skilled agent will help you overcome obstacles. If you receive offers that seem low but are backed by solid financing, your agent will work to negotiate the price up to an acceptable number.

Dealing with stress



There will also be a lot of paperwork to deal with when listing homes for sale in Plymouth, Minnesota, and an inspection that could spring a surprise or two that will need to be dealt with. While these issues can cause stress, your experienced agent will offer all the right advice as well as a calming presence that will help get you past these and any other obstacles.

Partner with the best


Every seller’s situation will be different, which means the obstacles will be different, too. When you’re ready to list your home, contact Chad Strand to learn first-hand how he has achieved top-selling status in his 10 years in the market.




Work With Chad

Chad would love the opportunity to sit down and share with you, the special strategies, tools and techniques that he utilizes, to outperform your competition!

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