Homes sell year-round in Lexington, KY. Though it may be more difficult to find interested buyers during the holidays, with the right preparation, you can make your home a must-have before it leaves the market. Here’s how you can sell your home before the holidays:
Day 1: Search for an Agent
Find an agent in the area that is familiar with the neighborhood where your home is located. Lexington offers many types of homes and you need to find the right agent. As you interview agents, ask how they plan to market your home. Choose the one that is the best fit for your needs.
Day 2: See What Your Home is Worth
Your home value needs to be researched. Look at what homes have recently sold for near you. Ask your Realtor for a comparative market analysis to get a feel for what your home is worth. With plenty of information, you can get an estimate of how much your home is worth around the Lexington area.
Day 3: Set a Price
After talking with your agent and evaluating the current market conditions, decide on a listing price. You should price it competitively, but also leave wriggle room for negotiations.
Day 4: Make Repairs
Any repairs that could prevent the house from being sold need to be addressed. Buyers want a home that is in good condition, not a fixer-upper. The obvious items are broken tiles, stains on the carpet, leaking faucets and electrical problems. Go room to room and make a list of what needs to be fixed and get them repaired before selling.
Day 5: Clear the Clutter
Clutter means one thing to home buyers: A lack of space. Toys lying on the bedroom floor, stacks of paperwork in the home office, and a conglomerate of appliances in the kitchen are all clutter and reduce the amount of space home buyers see. Try to minimize these items and clean up the house. You don’t want to stuff them in the closet, as buyers will be looking in there to see how much space the property has.
Day 6: Arrange Your Furniture
Arrange the furniture around a focal point, such as a t.v. or a fireplace. Establish the purpose of the room and create a flow with your furniture. This helps buyers visualize living there and using the room.
Day 7: Stage Bathrooms
Clean the bathrooms, including all tubs and toilets. Get them as white as you can and utilize mirrors to reflect any natural light permeating throughout the room. The more light, the more spacious your home appears.
Day 8: Stage Kitchen
Make the kitchen usable. Clear off the counters with any personal affects. Keep one or two items max on the counters, such as a toaster and a blender. Here, you want to highlight your counter space and appliances.
Day 9: Curb Appeal
When people drive up to your home, what do they see? Make the right impression and add some curb appeal to your yard. Shovel snow, cut back the trees in the yard, and maybe even build a snowman in the yard to show how the home can be enjoyed. If it hasn’t snowed yet, rake up the leaves and present the yard as best as you can.
Day 10: Seasonal Touches
Buyers are in the holiday mood. Appeal to their desires by adding a few seasonal touches like a wreath on the front door or scented candles that reminds them of the holidays with the family.
Day 11: Open House
Plan and set a date for an open house. Let your agent do the selling as you spend the day in town. Let home buyers tour your home without worrying about the owner watching their every move. By letting them relax and comment, your agent can get some feedback as to what buyers are looking for (if someone doesn’t make an offer).
Day 12: Adjust Selling Strategy
If you didn’t get an offer from the open house, it’s time to review the feedback with your agent and make some adjustments. People likely expressed their concerns over certain issues, so find out what they were. Maybe there was too much clutter in a closet or a bathroom was in disrepair. Set a new strategy and make your home more appealing to buyers this time around.
Selling Your Home in Lexington, KY
If you’d like more information about selling your home in the Lexington, read our free home seller’s eBook:
