JBGoodwin REALTORS® - Austin & San Antonio Real Estate Blog

Selling a home can be an arduous task and while your real estate agent can do all the background work to market and sell your Austin home, we need a little help every now and then.  That’s where you, the homeowner (soon to be home seller), come in.  Want to know how you can help sell your house faster and for top dollar? Take a read through our top tips for selling your Austin home.

Exterior Touch-ups and Landscaping

You have to start somewhere and it might as well be with the first thing potential homebuyers see first – the front yard and entrance.  The first impressions are often the most important and if you fail to excite potential buyers from the beginning, the interior of your house is going to have to work a lot harder to motivate buyers.  A few simple things like mowing the lawn, weeding, planting bright flowers and getting the kids bikes off the front walk are easy ways to make your home more appealing. It might even be worthwhile to give the front door a fresh coat of bright paint to perk things up; and while you’re at it, touch up the faded trim and the siding.

Update & Clean the Kitchen

While you might think your lime green fridge is pretty retro looking and cool, some homeowners might not share your taste in home décor. Update a few of the older appliances and give everything a fresh scrub down. We want potential home buyers to picture themselves preparing the family meal in your kitchen. If it’s clean, sparkling and modern looking, then it’s more attractive to home buyers. That said, spending thousands of dollars updating and upgrading to make the kitchen glamorous and gourmet is a waste of money. Don’t spend too much on appliances that you’ll never enjoy or appreciate.  Find that happy median and you’ll find that happy home buyer.

Declutter & Take the "Home" Out of the House

Declutter your home.  That’s worth repeating. Declutter your home. All of your knickknacks and stuff that makes your home your home can be pretty off-putting to purchasers if they can’t see the house for the chaos. Remember, the goal here is for you to make a home somewhere else, so pack up all those personal items, remove the picture of Uncle Ernie from the mantle and take anything that isn’t necessary out of the house and put it in storage. Selling your home is a lot easier if people can see what they’re buying and taking away your personal touches lets them see their own vision for the space.

Lighten Things Up a Bit

Brighten up your house as much as you can to make it more inviting to potential buyers. Replace burnt out bulbs with increased wattage and open the curtains and blinds.  Show how bright, sunny and alluring your home is with all that beautiful light. As most home viewings take place after working hours in the dusk and dark, purchasers need to see what your house has to offer. Good lighting, especially natural lighting, is second only to location in what potential buyers look for in a house.

Clean. Then Clean Again (Then Clean Some More)

Did we mention you should clean? Clean the bathrooms, scrub the kitchen, wash the windows and walls. Polish the woodwork and mirrors and remove the clutter from counters, shelves, tables and furniture. If you don’t have the time to do a thorough cleaning, then hire a home cleaning service to do it for you. It can even be good idea to hire a service that comes in once a week to do a refresher and some cleaning touch ups. This will ensure that while you’re selling your Austin home it shows its best at all times.

Stage Your Home & Add Fresh Touches

After you’ve decluttered and cleaned, it can be a smart move to rearrange a few things and make rooms look more inviting and larger. Add a few flowers, some nice new inexpensive props and some fresh, modern art (not Uncle Ernie’s portrait).  If you find the thought of changing things around intimidating, or just aren’t sure what to do, there are professional home stagers that can offer expert advice on the best way to organize and showcase your home for optimal selling potential.

Clean & Repair Flooring

Steam clean your carpets, polish your wooden floors, wax the linoleum and vacuum as if you love it. If carpets are worn, think about replacing them; replace broken tiles and re-grout where necessary. Repair and patch damaged hardwood floors and consider refinishing if they are in rough shape. If any flooring repairs are beyond your skills, do some online research; and if you still don’t feel comfortable, hire someone to clean and repair for you.

Do Some Minor Repairs

All those little weekend jobs that you didn’t get to on the “honey-do” list? Now is the time to tackle them and get them out of the way.  Fix those little cracks in the wall, repair the dripping faucet, tighten up door handles and oil squeaky hinges. Touch up the paint, grouting and caulk and just make things shipshape. Potential buyers of your home don’t really want that “honey-do” list either so you might as well tackle it now… hopefully the seller of your new home is doing the same.

Small Upgrades (Not Mammoth Makeovers)

Bigger isn’t always better and the same holds true with upgrades while preparing to sell your Austin home. In some instances (say like getting rid of your favorite lime green fridge in favor of newer stainless steel model), upgrading is a great way to improve the value of your house when you prepare it for the market. Add some energy efficient touches like replacing the old furnace; replace damaged leaking windows or newer appliances. Deciding on a new addition to the garage or adding a swimming pool doesn’t necessarily make your house more attractive to home buyers; it just takes money out of your pocket and would likely only cater to small portion of potential purchasers. As with the kitchen example above, don’t waste your hard earned money on something you’ll never enjoy.

Listen to the Experts

Finally, listen to the people who make a living selling homes. Your real estate agent has been through, and sold more, houses than you have and we’ve seen it all.  We know what sells, what doesn’t sell and how to get the most money for your home. It’s how we earn our living. Most good real estate agents spend countless hours doing market research and compile lists (like this one) on what steps are needed to sell your Austin home. Let us help you… after all; it’s why you hired us in the first place.

If you need more advice on selling your Austin, TX home, or need someone with the know-how to get you top dollar for your house, contact one of our realty experts today. We’re more than happy to help!