As the market starts to shift, I think the perfect topic is how to prepare your home for sale. The crazy seller's market has caused a lot of sellers and agents to be a little bit lazy. But the times of putting a home for sale, just sticking the for sale sign in the yard and putting on MLS, you're going to get multiple offers are over, I'm starting to see a lot of sellers that have already bought a home that is frustrated, their homes aren't getting the same traction and are taking offers much below with the last home sold for.

So if you're thinking of selling your home in the near future, this blog is for you, make sure you read it to the end.

7 Steps On How To Get Top Dollar For Your Home (regardless of the market)

1.       All your small maintenance or deferred maintenance issues. These are going to be the things that you might pass by everyday without even seeing they could be holes on your drywall, they could be caulking in the bathroom, it could be clogged gutters, a lot of these things that you don't even notice, but buyers will for sure notice, take a walk through the house and try to see it in the buyers eyes. All these minor issues that you might not see anymore are going to stand out to the buyer, they're always going to overestimate the cost of those repairs. So even if it's going to cost you a couple 100 bucks for contract or fix is going to be worth that investment in the long run.

2.       Take the time to organize your stuff. What is it that you want to keep? What is it that you want to sell? What is it that you're going to throw out? And what is it that you're going to donate? When walking through homes of buyers, we're going to notice a significant difference. If a home is full of stuff versus when it's been decluttered. A decluttered home is going to show much more spacious and it's going to feel a lot bigger. The home buying process is a very emotional experience. And it's all about how it feels. So whether the home is bigger or not, it's going to seem that way when everything has been decluttered. People are always amazed with the amount of stuff that they accumulate over the years. But as much as that stuff that you can get into the garage, attic or storage spot is going to help your chances of selling significant.

3.       It's all about how things feel. And significant impact when you walk into a house and the windows are open and the sun is shining. And everything's light and bright. So if you have dark drapes or curtains, dark wall paint, you might want to think about changing that into some lighter colors.

4.       Keep the lights on as much as possible and open all the windows. People's main focuses are the kitchens and bathrooms, so they haven't been updated in over 20 years, it's probably a good investment to put some money there. Other things that can make the house seem outdated, are the flooring, the light fixtures, the door handles, or even the electrical outlets changing some of these items can be the difference between your house seeming outdated to having that modern feel.

5.       Curb appeal. It's going to be the first thing that people see online when looking at your home. And it's going to be the first thing that people see when walking up to the house. What confirmation bias means is that we're more likely to confirm our original opinion than to change your mind. So when you walk up to a beautiful home, and your first impression is that it's amazing, you're more likely to overlook some of that negative smaller issues when walking through the home. So the exact opposite is also true. If you walk up to a house and the windows look like the rotting and the grass has been uncut and the front door needs to be painted, you're more likely to see you know little nicks in the drywall and smudges in the paint once you enter the home. So if you're welcome that is 20 years old, it might be time to get a new one, you want to make sure the grass is always cut, and you see dirt on the side of the house. A good pressure washer can go a long way.

6.       The buyer needs to be able to envision themselves and their family in that home. If your personal items and family photos everywhere, it can make that a little bit difficult and even awkward. Like we're invading your personal space. I like to tell my clients to imagine their home as an Airbnb where someone can walk in and for the first minute feel at home for the day.

7.       Make sure you hire the right realtor. You want to definitely interview at least 2-3 Realtors before making that choice. I see too many people hire the first realtor they speak to and there's going to be a vast difference between what realtors can do and what they can offer you. It's a sad statistic that only 31% of homeowners go back to the realtor they used in the last home transaction. That means 69% of homeowners do not list their home with the agent they used to buy the home with.

Things that you want to know are what do they do for marketing? What is their track record? And what type of thing can they guarantee you? Are they just saying something to get your listing or are they going to be able to come through for you in the end.

But this is a topic that I actually want to go more in depth through in the future and make a blog about questions you should ask before you hire a realtor. And any other questions you guys have, please give me a call.