Considerations to Prepare Your House for Sale

Deciding to sell your house involves a complex set of decisions and actions. If you are considering selling your house, think about the many implications. There are financial implications. There are family and personal issues. There are issues about what is next (after selling). And, immediately, there are considerations about how to market the house, i.e., how to attract a buyer willing to pay a reasonable price.

The following is excerpted from an online article found at www.tycoonpublishingllc.com, 09/25/2009. This article suggests considerations (“5 rules”) to help prepare for presenting the house to the market, to attract a willing buyer.
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5 Rules to Sell Your Home in a 'Fugetaboutit' Real Estate Market
Ethan Roberts, Contributing Editor, The Tycoon Report, www.tycoonpublishingllc.com
But I do know a thing or two about how to sell a home, and today I want to share five solid rules with you that have worked for me, to help you sell your home in this "fugetaboutit" real estate market.
The 5 Rules are:
Rule # 1: Don't even think about trying to sell the home yourself.
In good times, only about 15% of the "for sale by owner" homes will sell without having a real estate agent. In bad times, it's even more difficult to do so.
With a shortage of buyers, and a huge inventory of multiple-listing homes to choose from, buyers and their agents will most likely ignore your home.
Rule # 2: You must price it right.
The most important thing is -- don't try to get last year's (higher) price.
Today is a brand-new day, and if you want to sell your home, you must price it close to what homes have been selling for within the last three to four months only.
Lender guidelines no longer permit appraisers to even consider sales that are older than that.
Rule # 3: Remember, you are selling to someone who isn't you!
Do not assume that everyone else has the same tastes as you.
Maybe you love those wild and crazy designer colors, but when it comes time to sell your home, the magic color word is "NEUTRAL."
So, you need to re-paint any room that has bold colors that could turn off a potential buyer. How do you expect a potential buyer to match their green couch with an orange and purple wall?
Rule # 4: Skimp on exterior curb appeal, and buyers will skimp on your ask price.
Buyers are very good at reducing your asking price by exaggerating the costs of the work needed. I have had buyers tell me they would have to spend $10,000 to paint three interior rooms and change the carpet.
Rule # 5: Kitchens and bathrooms sell a house.
Kitchens and bathrooms are where you want to focus most of your time, energy and money on the interior, to get the best return for your dollar and to increase the odds of selling your home quickly.