Louisville Homes Blog

Why It’s Tough to Sell Your Own Home
In a recent National Association of Realtors^® survey, only 13% of all transactions were done without the help of a real estate professional; 39% of those were “closely held” between parties who knew each other in advance. So clearly, it’s a tough proposal. What are the issues to consider?

1. Setting the Asking Price
The Internet is now ubiquitous. Except for a small portion of our population, the vast majority of Americans utilize the Internet for everything from emailing photos to loved ones far away, to checking the show times for a movie just down the street. With that said, there is a great deal of information available to real estate professionals that is not readily available to the public. Realtors have the expertise to analyze this data and take advantage of it.

Setting a strong but fair asking price is one of the most important factors when selling a home. Often homeowners see that a house down the street sold for “X” but perhaps don’t know the particulars of the transaction. For example, it’s not uncommon for a seller to add funds to the sale price in order to pay for the buyers’ closing costs. This makes the true market value of the home lower than the stated sales price. Realtors can conduct research on cases like these to give their clients information that would have been impossible for them to get on their own.

2. Marketing Savvy
No two properties are identical. There’s no such thing as a commodity in real estate. Therefore, promoting a particular property should take into consideration the property’s strengths and weaknesses while keeping an eye on what the market is doing.

Realtors are professionals in the field of real estate and should be on top of all the latest trends in their home area. What was hot last year may not be highly sought after today. Putting together attractive flyers, Web sites and more are now all part of a top agent’s repertoire.

3. Importance of the MLS
Properties that are not listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) suffer a huge disadvantage to properties that are. This is simply a fact of life. The MLS is the first place both homebuyers (on their own) and agents (on behalf of their clients) go to find prospective properties. Discount brokers offer to list properties on the MLS for a fee, which is a great start, but in today’s day and age of increased competition it’s really only the essential first step towards professionally marketing a piece of real estate.

4. Professional Networking
Because Realtors are focused on real estate day-in and day-out, they have built up a network of clients, partners and vendors who expand the marketing reach of each property. Here’s a situation that occurs from time to time: a Realtor allows another agent to show Listing A to her client. The client decides this home just isn’t right for her. When the Realtor follows up after the showing to see what the client thought of the visit, he learns more about her tastes and realizes another one of his listings might be a better fit. When the client gets a chance to see this other listing, she realizes that it’s a perfect fit! There is a great deal of synergy in the world of real estate and FSBO properties are often on the outside looking in.

5. Legal Aid
While they are certainly not lawyers (or even legal clerks, for that matter), Realtors are well versed in much of the legal dealings in real estate transactions. As our society grows ever more litigious it pays to be protected, especially in a purchase or sale that involves hundreds of thousands of dollars. When you add the complexities involved with issues like new government regulations, title search clouds, personal safety tests like radon inspections and a host of other legal matters involved in a real estate transaction, buyers and sellers benefit greatly by having a real estate professional on their side.

6. Expertise in Negotiating
Negotiating the sale of an average property involves a range of $20,000, if not more. While homeowners are emotionally tied to their homes, the real estate agent typically isn’t. Without the emotional tie, the agent is free to focus on the negotiations of the deal. An experienced Realtor can also help in the negotiations of requested repairs, which can easily derail a sale. Having an expert on your team alleviates some of the stress involved in negotiations and can often be the difference between a broken deal and the property closing.

7. Personal Security
There are some benefits of having a Realtor that are often missed by FSBO properties and increased personal security is one of them. When a Realtor has the property listing, they pre-screen potential buyers to make sure they are legitimate house hunters and not just wasting time. Then the Realtor accompanies the prospective buyers through the home to make sure the property is kept safe and secure. FSBO owners must show their own properties, which increases the risk of harm coming to themselves or their property.

8. Personal Time
When a homeowner lists their property with a Realtor it gives them more of their own free time to use however they like. This way the Realtor does what he does best and the homeowners can focus on their own areas of expertise. It’s a win-win!

9. Avoiding Risk/Wasted Time
The last thing homeowners want is to be on the wrong end of a bad deal. How do you know if the deal is actually bad, good or fair to both parties? Knowing what other properties are selling for in a given area is a start, but even similar properties aren’t identical. One survey showed that 83% of all properties that start off as FSBO eventually list and sell with an agent. When a Realtor markets the property through his many channels from the start, that is the optimal way to sell a home quickly at the best price.

10. Best Sale Price
The reason most people choose to go FSBO is to avoid paying a larger commission and hopefully make more money on the sale of their home. (Although the vast majority of FSBO transactions do pay a commission to the buyer’s agent.) But what many do not know is that according to a 2006 poll, the home price for sellers who use an agent is 16% higher than those who don’t.¹ There are several factors at work here. One is that homeowners often don’t price the home appropriately from the start and over time, as they continue to drop the price, it conveys the perception that their house is “unwanted”. Another big factor to consider is that when a prospective buyer negotiates with a FSBO, they often assume they will be able to get a deal on the property because they already know the FSBO isn’t paying a partial commission to a listing party.

At the end of the day, owners looking to sell their property want the best sale price possible, with the least amount of stress, in the fastest time. In order to reach those goals, statistics show that using a Realtor beats going it alone.

¹ http://www.realtor.org/

Tre Pryor, a lifelong resident of Louisville, is a Realtor® with Rick Shaw Realtors. A graduate of the University of Louisville with a degree in Marketing, he has 15 years of professional experience, that includes consulting Fortune 200 companies. He uses his Internet expertise to help his real estate clients realize superior results. Mr. Pryor lives with his wife and three sons in the Springhurst area of Louisville.

In some ways, this article is similar to Top 10 Ways to Prepare Your Property For Sale. But it’s important to learn that preparing your property is just one aspect of getting your house sold.

Here at Louisville Homes Blog, we’re constantly on the lookout for ways to help our homeowners in Louisville make the most of their real estate investment. With that in mind, we present the Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your Home.

10. Bad Timing
Sometimes you don’t have a choice. Your boss says, “You’re moving to Cleveland” while your company refuses to help with the relocation. This is unavoidable. But if you can choose when to sell your home, here are a couple of points to remember. First, if you’ve only lived in the home a short time (a couple of years or less) perhaps consider staying a year or two longer. After only two years, you’ve barely built up enough equity in your home to cover closing costs or other fees. Second, avoid listing your home during the holidays. Most buyers are focused on family during this time rather than shopping for a new house. In real estate circles, it’s called “the dead period.”

9. Misrepresenting Your Home
While it may be tempting to describe your family room as “a dream come true with more space than you could possibly imagine” in order to entice prospective buyers, you’ve got to remember that once a buyer arrives and discovers the room is “fine” but nothing special, they’ll wonder what else you might be exaggerating about. Don’t stretch the truth about square footage either, as buyers represented by Realtors are likely to notice the deception. As in life, honesty is the best policy.

8. Lopsided Listing Contracts
When sitting down with an agent make sure you are comfortable with the length of the listing contract. This figure is completely negotiable and both parties should come to an agreement before signing. The length of the contract should be at least as long as the average Days on Market (DoM) for your area. Here in Louisville, that number is currently about 80 days, while 6 month terms are fairly common as well. It’s also a very good idea to ask about any remedies you would have if he or she doesn’t live up to their end of the bargain.

7. For Sale by Owner
The data shows that homes listed with an agent sell for 16% higher than homes sold directly by the owner. But that doesn’t mean you should always use an agent to sell your home. If your home is in one of those ultra hot neighborhoods and you’ve got a good understanding of the home selling process and you know how to price your home appropriately, then you might do quite well. Typically, those are rare situations. You should also keep in mind that there are a number of variables that might arise that would make having a professional on your team a wonderful thing. Never say “never” but you could find yourself months into the process with very few showings and even fewer offers. There’s a reason why the number of FiSBOs have dropped nationally over the past 4 years.

6. Obstructing Negotiations
When you pick up that phone and hear those wonderful words coming from the other end, “We’ve got an offer!”, you may think everything is golden. Just hold on a second. If you don’t negotiate the deal properly, things could go very wrong . I’ve found that sellers often refuse to give any ground in negotiations because they believe the buyer is already getting “a great deal.” It’s tough for sellers to be objective about their own home because they’ve built an emotional attachment to it. Having an experienced Realtor handle this aspect of the selling process may be the difference between selling your home at a great price or pushing away prospective buyers, leaving you with nothing to show for it. As you will see shortly, pricing your property correctly from the beginning is also extremely important.

5. Wrong Realtor
I can’t tell you how many times I hear someone tell me they’re using their Aunt or their sister’s cousin’s neighbor as their agent. Just because someone is related to you, doesn’t necessarily make them a good Realtor. Studies have shown that more than anything else, people want their agents to be trustworthy and professional. So when it comes time for you to sell, interview multiple agents and learn about their work ethic and their strategy for marketing your property. Some of the more successful agents feel like they’ve already paid their dues and don’t need to do the little things. It’s those “little things” that separate the good agent from the great agent.

4. Lacking a Sales Strategy
Selling your home requires more than simply getting it listed in the MLS. There are literally hundreds of ways to promote a property from the well-known: Open Houses, newspaper classifieds and post card mailings; to new techniques like qualified email leads and electronic newsletters. Not every marketing method is equally appropriate for each property. It takes experience and creativity to chart the best course.

3. Big Red Flags
There are certain problems that will scare off prospective buyers in a New York second. If your property has any of the following problems, you should quickly correct them before putting your home on the market: foul odors, visible mold or mildew, siding or gutters that are separated from house, broken doors or windows, problems with the heating/cooling systems or “soft” floors or steps. Assuredly, some problems are bigger than others but problems like these will overshadow the positive qualities of your house.

2. Neglecting Property Preparation
Before listing your home, perform the following exercise. Drive up to your house and park on the street. Walk up the drive evaluating everything from the mailbox to the lawn and landscaping all the way up to the front door. A wise person once said, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” What did you notice about your home?

If a buyer doesn’t like your home the first time they visit, they surely won’t return. Therefore, it’s critical to have your house “on its best behavior” when the guests arrive. Remove as much clutter as possible. Make sure the grass is nicely trimmed. Turn on all the lights and open the blinds or curtains. Any little thing you can do to show that your home is well-cared for will improve your odds of impressing those buyers. For more tips, see Top 10 Ways to Prepare Your Property For Sale.

1. Poor Pricing
Far and away, the most important aspect to selling your home is price. Simply stated, if the price is not right then buyers won’t even consider your property. This is the point where having a savvy Realtor on your team really pays off. You shouldn’t just consider comparable properties that have sold, but also what’s currently on the market. Which areas are hot? Which are over-stocked? There are a dozen important factors to consider when determining the appropriate price. In the end, a good Realtor will set an appropriate price range for you and then ask you to select the Asking Price. It’s very important that you feel comfortable with the price. Even though you can always lower your price in the future, new listings get the most attention in the first couple of weeks after they come on the market.

If you can avoid these pitfalls, I believe you’ll find yourself ahead of the game and well on your way to selling your property.

Tre Pryor, a lifelong resident of Louisville, is a Realtor® with Rick Shaw Realtors. A graduate of the University of Louisville with a degree in Marketing, he has 15 years of professional experience, that includes consulting Fortune 200 companies. He uses his Internet expertise to help his real estate clients realize superior results. Mr. Pryor lives with his wife and three sons in the Springhurst area of Louisville.

When Is the Best Time to Sell My House?
If you think this is a trick question, you’d be right. There is no single “best” time to sell your home but by understanding six key factors that influence home sales, you’ll be ahead of the game.

1. Seasonal View
   Conventional wisdom says that the best time to sell your home is in the Spring. While it’s true that there are more homebuyers out looking when the weather warms up, that’s only part of the equation. You’ll also want to consider how many homes are currently available to those buyers. If everyone waited until the Spring to list their homes, the market would be flooded with inventory. There is, however, one time of the year when selling your home is very difficult—the Holidays. So unless homes are moving quickly and supply is short, most Realtors^® will advise you to wait until after the New Year to list your home.
2. Supply For That Demand
   As we mentioned above, the supply of homes currently on the market greatly affects how quickly a house generally sells. It’s especially important to look at those properties that are similar to yours in price and location. A licensed Realtor^® with access to your local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) can be a big help in identifying these properties. You’re much more likely to sell your home quickly if it’s one of only 10 similar houses compared to one of 100 matching properties.
3. Traffic Patterns
   There are a few times where some competition is a good thing. For example, if your home is in the same subdivision as several other properties that are for sale, but your home is priced more affordably or your house has some hard to find, yet desirable features, those other properties can actually drive traffic to your home.
4. Low Interest Rates
   When interest rates are low, buyers are able to get more for their money as most homebuyers finance a large portion of the cost of a new home. When more buyers are out looking, they first need to sell their current home so the number of real estate transactions rises. Our current rates for a 30-year fixed mortgage are between 5.5%-6%, which are very low historically. As recently as 1990 interest rates were in the double-digits. So as long as rates stay this low, both buyers and sellers win!
5. Days on Market
   One thing all home sellers would like is a quick sale. Not only is it inconvenient for the seller to spend time cleaning the house for every showing, it’s very frustrating as time marches on and your home hasn’t sold yet. Potential buyers who learn that a property hasn’t sold for a long time period often thinks there is something “wrong” with it, which also makes it more difficult to sell. There are times when it makes good sense to take a house off the market, make some updates and possibly lower the price. Check with your Realtor^® for professional advice.
6. Prime Condition
   You only have one chance to make a good first impression. We’ve all heard that before, right? The same is true of houses. Don’t put your home on the market if there are fix-it projects or upgrades still to be done. Take care of those first, get the marketing prepared and then launch the listing! Even though the average time to sell a property in Louisville is approximately 6 weeks, all houses receive the bulk of their showings during the first few weeks after the property has been listed.
7. Length of Stay
   Each time you buy or sell a home, closing costs factor into the transaction. If you’ve just moved into your current property, another transaction will include another set of closing costs that contribute nothing towards the equity of your property. The longer you live at any address, the more those closing costs are spread out over a number of years.
8. Trendy Trends
   There are times in a particular real estate market when certain kinds of properties are hot or “trendy.” Currently, in Louisville maintenance-free, single-story properties are in greater demand as retiring baby boomers are seeking a home that fits them. You’ll be able to get more money than is typically expected when this describes your home. Whether it is the trend towards “open floor plans” or away from “quad levels” the perception of properties rises and falls with popular opinion. If your home is currently at one of these peaks, now would be a great time to sell.
9. Family Matters
   Sometimes the best time to sell a house has nothing to do with supply and demand, or house condition or any of the above factors. Sometimes you have to sell your house, because a job is forcing you to move to another city. In these cases, it’s very important to price your property appropriately from the start and then market it aggressively. You may want to move your children to a new school district and you want to be in a new house by the start of a school year. There are a number of factors that can also contribute to the best time for your personal situation.
10. It’s Up To You
    While likely self-evident, the best time to sell your house is when you really want to. If you’re excited about the opportunity to move, you’ll have more energy to get the house ready for showings and the other tasks that go into a move. When you keep your eyes on the prize at the end of the race, everything goes much more smoothly.

Tre Pryor, a lifelong resident of Louisville, is a Realtor® with Rick Shaw Realtors. A graduate of the University of Louisville with a degree in Marketing, he has 15 years of professional experience, that includes consulting Fortune 200 companies. He uses his Internet expertise to help his real estate clients realize superior results. Mr. Pryor lives with his wife and three sons in the Springhurst area of Louisville.

As with our other Top 10 Lists, here at LHB we want to make sure you have the best possible information.

Relocating from one city to another is a major life change and can bring along a great deal of stress. Follow these helpful tips and you’ll be better prepared and far more relaxed… we promise.

1. Be Financially Smart: Not all cities are created equal, especially when it comes to their cost of living. Before you purchase a home make sure you’ll be financially prepared to live in this new city. Money Magazine’s Cost of Living Calculator makes it easy to see how a particular salary compares from one city to the next. Louisville typically favors very well against most of country.
2. Scout the Schools: If you have children, I’m sure you want them to attend the best possible schools. Your Realtor can help you find a home in the district of the school you desire to send them. The Wikipedia has a very thorough list of schools in Louisville that you can browse on your own. You can also check out the Jefferson County Public Schools site for more information. Depending on current enrollment, certain schools are near full capacity. If you want to get your child into one of these schools, it’s good to be proactive and submit the appropriate paperwork early to give your student the best possible opportunity to be accepted.
3. Check Out the Fun: There’s a lot to do in any city. Finding the best activities that fit your interests will get you off to a great start. Moxy.tv has started a big stir with their short video clips that focus on Louisville’s local scene. Sites like More Than Derby and the Courier-Journal’s Scene cover events and entertainment, in addition to the typical news items. Louisville is known for its world famous horse racing. Churchill Downs has both spring and fall meets that attract thousands of racing fans. Fourth Street Live is a fun way to spend an evening with great restaurants, clubs and recreational activities.
4. Make a To Do List: Once you’ve bought your home, it pays to be organized. A To Do List will help you keep track of the little details and cover all the bases. Start with items that can be done early in the process, such as planning for temporary housing if you can’t immediately move into your new home when you arrive in Louisville. Then list other tasks chronologically, so that you’ll be able to chart your progress all the way up to moving day. A To Do list will help bring some sanity into the craziness of moving.
5. Ask For Help: Moving is a big job. It makes sense to ask friends or family members to help with certain jobs. Have someone take your children out for pizza while you are packing up your home. Then there’s the always unpopular request for help actually lifting boxes into the van. Consider yourself lucky if you have these loyal helpers because it’ll make the job a lot more fun. If you know someone who already lives in Louisville, they can help by visiting properties and reporting important information back to you. When it comes to moving, the more the merrier.
6. Find the Right Moving Company: When the day of the move finally comes, the last thing you want is for your movers to let you down. The cost of entry into the moving business isn’t especially large, so there are a good number of relatively new or unknown moving companies vying for your business. Sites like Epinions can help you learn what others thought of their moving company and whether or not they’d use them again. It’s also a wise move to check with the Better Business Bureau, who can alert you to complaints against companies in the area.
7. Need New Necessities?: Moving to Seattle? Better buy an umbrella or three. What about Louisville? One of the grand things about Louisville is that we get to experience all four of the seasons. Summers aren’t generally blistering hot like the Southwest but have temperatures that average in the mid-to-high 70s, while our Winters average above 32 degrees. So if you’re coming from another region and you’re not accustomed to the changing of the seasons, you might need to stock up on warm sweaters or several new swimsuits.
8. Make Utility Appointments: There are usually a million and one things to remember when moving, so why not set up your utility appointments ahead of time? Some people would rather be without food than their television, so if this describes you, contact either Louisville’s local cable provider—Insight Communications— or Dish Network or DirecTV for satellite service. Here are some additional utility contacts you’d likely want to contact ahead of time:
   • Louisville Gas and Electric:
   • BellSouth
   • Louisville Water Company
9. Temporary Housing: Some times it’s not possible to move directly into your new home and you need temporary housing. Thanks to the Internet, Web sites like Apartments.com make it easy to find information about Louisville apartments. Other options include Extended Stay Hotels or corporate housing with a group like Oakwood that will have you living in style while you wait for your new home to become available.
10. Change Your Address: Make sure to complete the appropriate form with the United States Post Office so that you’re mail will be forwarded from the previous address.

We hope these tips have sparked your thinking. If you have any great tips of your own, please post them in the comments below. We wish you the best possible move to Louisville!

Tre Pryor, a lifelong resident of Louisville, is a Realtor® with Rick Shaw Realtors. A graduate of the University of Louisville with a degree in Marketing, he has 15 years of professional experience, that includes consulting Fortune 200 companies. He uses his Internet expertise to help his real estate clients realize superior results. Mr. Pryor lives with his wife and three sons in the Springhurst area of Louisville.

Buying a house can be intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. Here at Louisville Homes Blog we’ve compiled the Top 10 Tips for first time home buyers. If you have any questions, please contact us and we’ll certainly get back to you.

1. Should I Even Buy? There is nothing wrong with renting and in many cases it’s the smart move. A critical factor to consider is how long you expect to live in the house. Some experts believe that you’ll need to stay for at least 36 months. Of course, that will depend on the price you pay for the home, it’s current value and rate of appreciation.
   
   It is good to note that in today’s “easy” credit environment, lenders are increasingly willing to loan large sums of money to purchase a house with a very small down payment. So, just because you don’t have a lot of money available for a down payment, it doesn’t mean you can’t buy a house.
2. Get Professional Help: No, we’re not talking about a therapist, but instead, real estate professionals. After the decision to purchase a house is made, the next thing you should do is find a quality agent—someone who understands the process and the market; someone who’ll work well with you to find that perfect house.
   
   Then ask your agent to identify a reputable lending company. Having these professionals on your team will ensure that the whole process goes smoothly and that you make the best decisions possible.
3. Locate the Location: You can save yourself a great deal of time and energy by narrowing the field of properties you are considering. Start by identifying the part of town in which you’d like to live. Take time to consider its proximity to your job, shopping, major highways and schools, if you have children. Also note whether an area is growing or not. Would you prefer to live in the hustle and bustle of a expanding area or would you rather find a more secluded, quiet location away from crowded roadways and busy shops. Your Realtor can help you with this. The last thing you want to do is purchase a home that doesn’t fit your lifestyle. Remember what they always say, “Location, location, location.” Yes, it’s that important.
4. Create Your Master List: One of the toughest tasks with any purchase decision is determining whether something is a want or a need. If you identify these features from the outset, before you’ve looked at a single property, then your list will have been made objectively and you won’t be susceptible to last minute temptations. For example, if you didn’t list a inground hot tub as a need (or even a want) on your Master List, then when you visit a property that has one, you’ll be able to correctly assess the overall home and not let a single feature skew your perception.
5. Get Pre-Approved: Before you visit a single property, you should take time to sit down with your lender and determine what you feel comfortable borrowing to purchase this home. Getting pre-qualified only gives you an idea of how much you might qualify to borrow. Pre-approval means they’ve done their work and have agreed to loan you “X” dollars for a house in a specific price range. It doesn’t take much time and will help you zero in on the price range that is custom-fitted to your financial situation.
6. Visit Some Properties: Nothing will give you a feel for a home like visiting it in person. Have your Realtor set up a few showings and enjoy the process. Hopefully you’re not under a time constraint and the viewings will be a fun experience. Only by visiting a few properties will you start to get a good feel for the kind of properties that exist on the market in your price range and in your desired geographic location. Don’t expect to find your dream home the first trip out. Today’s statistics show that home buyers visit an average of 10 properties before making an offer.
7. Educate Yourself: Your Realtor will always be your most valuable resource, but you can also take advantage of the Internet in the following ways: learn more about a specific property/area; take virtual tours of houses before physically visiting them; compare characteristics of multiple properties in order to make a more informed decision. The Internet has revolutionized the real estate industry and has given home buyers and sellers access to information that was previously unavailable.
8. Negotiate The Deal: When it comes to negotiations, having an experienced Realtor is vital. Understanding how the negotiation process works and the intricacies of how to best frame an offer can sometimes be the difference between getting that dream house at a price you can afford or completely missing out.
   
   One other point, always make your offer contingent on a home inspection. Your Realtor can recommend a good home inspector and the costs are relatively low. You certainly want to know about a leaky basement before you purchase that house and not after.
9. Insure Your Valuables: Now that you’ve got a house, you want to have it insured, right? That goes for your home’s title as well. Title insurance is relatively cheap and is becoming more and more imporantant in today’s litigious environment.
10. The Close and Move In! It’s finally here—the big day! A house closing isn’t the most exciting experience but it’s the final necessary step in home ownership. Then you get to move in. Hopefully, it won’t be raining and the movers won’t break (or lose) a single item. Congratulations, you are officially a homeowner!

Tre Pryor, a lifelong resident of Louisville, is a Realtor® with Rick Shaw Realtors. A graduate of the University of Louisville with a degree in Marketing, he has 15 years of professional experience, that includes consulting Fortune 200 companies. He uses his Internet expertise to help his real estate clients realize superior results. Mr. Pryor lives with his wife and three sons in the Springhurst area of Louisville.

There are literally hundreds of ways to enhance your property’s image for prospective buyers. Here at Louisville Homes Blog, we’ve identified the Top 10 Ways to Prepare Your Property For Sale to save time and get you closer to your goal of selling your home.

1. Cleanliness Is Crucial: Perhaps something as simple as cleaning the house may seem a natural thing to do, but you’d be surprised at the number of homes that aren’t thoroughly cleaned before a showing. Pay special attention to the kitchens, first floor bathrooms and any other area where a potential buyer may be closely inspecting.
2. Landscape Works Wonders: When the lawn is cut, the planting beds are clean and orderly and the sidewalk and driveway are clear, your home is telling buyers that its current owners have taken great care of it. When prospective buyers arrive, the first impression your home will communicate to them is that this is a house that’s in great shape.
3. Organize the Clutter: While a clean house is a top priority, removing clutter by organizing household items into bins or containers compliments the cleaning process. Large plastic bins with lids can be bought inexpensively at most home improvement stores and really help in organizing basements and garages. Be careful not to toss everything into a closet as many buyers will be peeking inside those as well. Don’t be afraid to throw things out or donate items to charity if they still have some life in them.
4. Lights, Camera, Action: How often do you hear people praise a home for being “so light and airy”? It’s clearly something most buyers are evaluating. So make sure to replace any lightbulbs that have burned out (inside and out) and make sure to turn them on before a showing. Remember to open curtains and let in the natural light as well.
5. Appealing Aromas: You can enhance the experience of visiting your home not only be removing any foul or negative odors, such as litter boxes or ash trays, but by creating wonderful aromas with fresh-baked cookies or bread. It may sound clichéd but you should take advantage of every trick in the book to make your home highly marketable. You never know what just might be “icing on the cake” for some buyers.
6. Give the Pets a Vacation: Believe it or not, not everyone loves your prized family pet. It’s generally considered a good idea to take your pet to a friend or relative’s house during a showing. Not only will a possible distraction be avoided, but buyers will be less likely to consider the wear and tear a pet may have caused to the home they are considering if there is no pet present to remind them. It’s a win-win situation!
7. Repair Wisely: Things like garage doors, screen doors, door knobs/handles, or other functional items should be in good working order. Other repairs, such as updating a refrigerator might not be a smart move. You should consult with your Realtor about the particulars of each issue before deciding which items you’ll choose to repair.
8. Consider Off-Site Storage: Taking items typically stored in a basement or garage and moving them off-site is a wonderful idea that increases the perceived size of those areas. Since you’re planning on moving in the near future, relocating boxes filled with Christmas decorations or other home furnishings to temporary storage gives you a headstart on the move and enhances your current home to prospective buyers.
9. Safeguard Your Valuables: Thefts during open houses have been known to happen, so make the effort to store any valuables away during a showing. Things like wallets, purses, jewelry or portable electronic devices can be easily tucked away in a drawer or cabinet. This also helps to clear away some clutter.
10. Turn Off the Noise: If you have any appliances or ceiling fans that are particularly noisy, it’s best to have them repaired or at least, turned off during a showing. This also goes for audio coming from a TV or radio. Rather than trying to guess what style of music your buyers may like, it’s often better to have nothing playing at all and let the house speak for itself.

We hope these tips have sparked your thinking. If you have any great tips of your own, please post them a comment below. Good luck on selling your home!

Tre Pryor, a lifelong resident of Louisville, is a Realtor® with Rick Shaw Realtors. A graduate of the University of Louisville with a degree in Marketing, he has 15 years of professional experience, that includes consulting Fortune 200 companies. He uses his Internet expertise to help his real estate clients realize superior results. Mr. Pryor lives with his wife and three sons in the Springhurst area of Louisville.