Help Needed!! Tips for Selling Your House - (What is YOUR tip?)

[Brandon Turner]

Hey everyone,

I'm working on a blog post, called (tentatively)

"100 Tips for Selling Your House Faster, Easier, and For More Money."

I think I have like 6 ideas... so I have a ways to go. Can anyone offer their tips, suggestions, ideas, etc? I'd love to get a ton of ideas and suggestions!

Thanks!

[Dawn Anastasi]

Originally posted by Alex Baev:
I'd love to see a study on smell in a house and the whole air-freshner thing vs. quantifiable appeal, but being very smell-sensitive, I strongly prefer no smell at all. "Fresh" could be very subjective

I don't go with flowers or those "fresh scent" things. I prefer to go with something that seems to appeal to both men and women -- apple cinnamon. I've never gotten a negative comment on that.

[Mack Schicktanz]

Nice topic. I always mow the lawn on the diagonal and alternate between the two directions to give it a unique look. This is the most commented on trick that I use.

[Brandon Turner]

That's an awesome suggestion, @Mack Schicktanz ! Thanks!

[Stephanie Dupuis]

Spray down the driveway, sidewalks and garden beds before taking the photos - it brings out the colors.

[Michaela G.]

I always have a kettle with water and cinnamon cooking on the stove. Sometimes I bake chocolate brownies.

I take inside pictures and put them into a water proof folder outside, so that people who just drive by see more and want to come in.

I've once driven around the neighborhood and got 10 'for sale by owner' houses together. We pooled our money and had a big 'for sale by owner' tour, with prizes and big ads in the paper. Because the approach was so unique there were some blogs written about it ahead of time. We got a lot of people and sold a number of houses that weekend. Agents heard about it and had open houses that day as well. So, people that had interest in the neighborhood felt that this was the weekend to go.

[David Krulac]

Besides pressure washing driveway and decks, we do sidewalks,and even the house siding if needed. Brick also response well to PW.

Professional window washing, the windows are so clean they almost disappear and the rooms are brighter.

Professional house cleaning

New toilet fill valve, a running toilet during a showing gives the wrong impression.

Potted flowers at front entrance

Freshly mowed grass with clippings bagged

Sidewalks and driveways edged

Professional staging all rooms

Trim shrubs, remove old overgrown shrubs and plant new small ones. Old shrubs make a house look old, new shrubs make a house look new.

Tree low hanging tree branches

Run a dehumidifier in basement

Remove cars from driveway, garage, and front street

Make sure sump pumps are in working order

Have drains professionally cleaned preventively

Take down and put away all personal pictures, and any political, religious, or sports references.

Professionally clean carpets.

Make sure there are no odors, whether from pets, smoking, or cooking etc.

Paint the entire interior with neutral colors, doesn't have to be white (snow blind white not recommended), but subdued earth tones work.

Have heat or air conditioning on but set at moderate level, should not be too hot or too cold.

Keep electric turned on, water too but caution for freeze damage and leaks in vacant houses.