10 Helpful Hints for Buyers and Sellers

By Lori Jantzi

Whether you’re buying or selling a home, here are 10 hints to help make the process smoother and more successful.

1. Plug-in air fresheners and candles are actually a turn-off to a lot of people. Buyers think you are trying to hide something. If you want your home to smell good, bake cookies or do a load of laundry right before a showing.

2. If you get a call saying that a buyer wants to see your home in 15 minutes, allow it! Even if it’s a bit messy, those last minute types typically make impulsive decisions and just might decide to buy a home that day.

3. When hiring a listing agent, be clear about who you are working with. If you hire an agent who is hugely successful, you may not get the full benefit of their experience—a well-known agent/team may pass you off to a junior agent after you sign the contract. Ask who will be handling your phone calls, marketing your home, and taking you to view homes, before you sign to ensure you get exactly what you are paying for. You deserve the agent’s time.

4. Make sure you read the listing paperwork or buyer’s contract carefully before signing it. There may be an “administrative fee” on top of the standard commission. Ask the agent to disclose any and all fees associated with hiring their firm.

5. Beware of listing agents who overestimate your home’s selling price. They’re hoping you’ll choose them over other agents who will price it more realistically. That is called “buying your listing” aka “blowing smoke up your skirt.” This guarantees your home will sit on the market for a very long time.

6. One of the most important selling tips for your home, clear off counter tops in bathrooms and kitchens. Buyers love wide open counter spaces. No one wants to see your personal hygiene products! Have a basket with all of your toiletries inside. Pull out the basket when needed, then easily put it all away again in case you have a last minute showing.

7. Staging can help sell your home! Getting rid of clutter and scaling back on furnishings can make a world of difference in how your home is viewed by buyers. Having a professional stager come to your home to give helpful advice, or furnish some or all of your home can make a huge difference. However, music, champagne glasses next to the bed, fake food in the kitchen, and a million decorative pillows on your bed or sofa can turn some buyers off. Remember, not everyone loves a porcelain doll collection!

8. It might make more sense for you to rent if you are a perspective buyer, especially if you don’t have a home picked out and yours is under contract. That’s right, I said it. It often costs less, gives you flexibility to move at a moments notice, saves you from having to put money into fixing up a home you rushed into purchasing to avoid living in a cardboard box.

9. If your house is for sale and the lawn next door is starting to look overgrown, cut the grass for your neighbors! Make sure you get permission, we don’t always know what our neighbors are going through. It’s a small thing that can make a HUGE difference.

10. When buying a home, don’t skip the final walkthrough. It’s your last chance to make sure all repairs have been completed to your satisfaction, that all debris from the seller has been removed, and any personal items agreed upon in the contract have remained with the home. You don’t want the beautiful chandelier in the dining room to be replaced by one that doesn’t suit your taste.

Lori Jantzi is a Real Estate Broker with Nest Realty Asheville. Having lived in Iowa, Kansas, Arizona, Oregon, and now North Carolina, Lori knows the importance of finding the perfect place to call home. Lori has assisted many home buyers in finding that fit and never loses touch once the transaction has closed. 

Photos courtesy of Creative Commons: Nicolas Huk, Isaac Wedin,  Caitlin Childs, Ann Gordon, Sean Hobson
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