I was showing property this weekend to an investor from New York. As we went from house to house, I was stunned at how poorly some of those houses showed! Do agents communicate with their clients anymore? After listing your home, the Realtor you hired should walk you through the entire house and call out issues that hinder buyers from making offers on your home. And Agents wonder why the failure rate of new agents is over 80%.

Here are a few tips for getting TOP DOLLAR for your home when listing:

Clean everything in sight! PAINT  A N Y T H I N G  that needs to be painted! Clean the carpet, wax the floors, wash windows! Clean your closet! Pack any unnecessary items in boxes and store them in another house or storage unit! Thin out your furniture. De-clutter the house so it shows bigger and flows smoothly. CLEAR YOUR KITCHEN AND BATHROOM COUNTER TOPS. Store those things underneath the cabinets so the home shows cleaner and more open. Take EVERYTHING off your refrigerator (talking exterior and top as well). Open blinds and turn on lights when showing.

Also, I recommend getting a home inspection before you list. This will help you avoid surprises after you are locked into a legal Sales Contract that requires you make those repairs with a General Contractor (Florida). By knowing about those defects prior to listing, you can fix them yourself or with your own reputable handyman, saving yourself time and money later on.

Clean the house! Some of the houses I showed this weekend were filthy! A clean looking and SMELLING home is much more appealing to Buyers. If it is hot outside, turn the A/C down so it is refreshing to walk into. Nothing is worse than it being ninety-seven degrees outside and walking into an oven! A nice cool home will make the buyer stay longer and take a better look! Try to make your home show well. It takes EFFORT, but the rewards of selling your home in this market far outweigh the alternatives…… your home not selling! Now get to work!