10 Essential Things to do to Get "Top Dollar" for Your Home

Setting the right price for your home isn't easy.  You should consult with an agent with years of experience and expertise to prepare a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) for you that will show you what the market is currently holding for your home.  Sometimes setting a price over market price is a great thing to do when the market and situation fits.  Having an agent who will explore this possibility with you can get you a price that you may have never thought imaginable. 

I continually see pictures on the MLS that are not professionally done and no videos being used for social media marketing.  This is a HUGE mistake!  Make sure the agent you hire understands the importance of professionally take pictures, videos, and media to get your home maximum exposure and shows your home at its best.  Not doing this could reduce showings, offers, and not get you anywhere close to top dollar.  

Investing in a home inspection prior to listing your home does three things.  First, it rules out any unknown surprises you might encounter during the buyer's inspection period.  Second, it helps mitigate fear and shows value to buyers while the home is being marketed.  Buyers will pay more for homes that they know have been take care of and will not need repairs.  Lastly, this will help with your negotiations during the buyer's due diligence period.  

Curb appeal can set the tone for a successful showing for buyers.  When photos are taken of the home for marketing, this will be everyone's first impression of the home.  A few dollars spent to create color, contrast, and character from the front of your  home is a sound investment and a great ROI.  Make buyers want to walk through the front door with some simple low cost pruning and planting.  

Creating buzz and excitement about your home for buyers can be the biggest tool in getting you  top dollar.  Make sure you hire an agent that is onboard with listing your home as "Coming Soon" in the MLS for a minimum of 5-7 days without showings.  This will allow buyers the opportunity to see the house marketed online, set up a showing the day it goes "Active", and generate multiple offers over list price.  Often, an open house will be done on the day showings will start so there are multiple people in the house at the same time.  This will generate urgency to buyers sending them into a spending frenzy to pay over market value and get you top dollar.  This is one of my best tricks for my clients!

You don't have to spend a fortune to improve the value of your home.  Instead, do things like replacing the garage door, which the return ROI is a shocking 94% according to date from Remodeling Magazine.  Another example would be minor kitchen updates like replacing tiles, new light fixtures, or just a fresh coat of paint.  These small things make a big difference to buyers thus adding value.  This gets you top dollar!

Hiring a home stager is costly and not essential.  Don't throw away thousands or tens of thousands of dollars on overpriced staging.  Consult with an agent who has the experience to show you a common sense approach to using the furniture you have or showing the home vacant if you have already moved.  Instead, spend that money on small improvements with a higher ROI like those mentioned above.  This will put more money in your pocket by the end of the transaction.  

The agent you hire should know your home's worth and always strive to get you top dollar.  Don't hire an agent who doesn't strive to do this.  If a buyer makes an offer that is too low, then your agent should tell them why it's too low and negotiate a much better price.  A desirable home that has been well maintained should not be given away at a price that isn't top dollar.  I've seen poor negotiations by an agent ruin their client's chances of getting top dollar.  Don't make the same mistake.  Also, take emotion out of the equation.  Your home is not your home anymore, it is a product to sell on the open market.  Taking your emotions out will help you in every way during the transaction.  

Most of the time, a buyer will submit a request for repairs during the due diligence period that are small ticket items that cost very little.  I've seen this a plethora of times and a buyer will never walk away from their due diligence fee for small ticket items.  Again, hire an agent who truly wants to get you top dollar for your home and not negotiate away your money on silly repair requests that will cost you time, money, and potentially open you up to liability if not performed properly.  Bigger repairs that are needed will be found during a pre-listing inspection like mentioned above.  

The biggest mistake I see is people not hiring the right agent.  And I don't just mean not hiring me.  I mean not hiring an agent that has chosen residential real estate sales as their full time profession, has taken and continues to take extensive education courses in real estate (not just the minimum required), and has years of experience with hundreds of sales under their belt.  Without these qualifications, you may not get anywhere close to top dollar and run the risk of opening yourself up to liability issues.