5 things you can do yourself to sell your house quick

Houses around the Valley are sitting on the market and many sellers are looking for ways to get a leg up on the competition!
 
The continuing slump in housing has given buyers plenty of options — making it increasingly important to have your house looking its most dapper.

Things like staging a home for sale used to be considered a luxury. Now, however, many real estate agents consider it a necessity.

Angie’s List, a national consumer ratings and reviews company, offers advice on how to sell your home FAST!

1. Screen appeal trumps curb appeal
Nearly 90 percent of homebuyers now research homes online, according to realty industry research.

So it’s important that the house be staged and looking its best before the photos are taken to post online.

2. Look outside in
A buyer first sees what’s outside your house, not in.

Freshly cut grass, manicured shrubs, swept sidewalks and a power-washed driveway look inviting; sick or dead potted plants don’t.

3. Clutter kills
Go through every room in your house and decide which belongings you’ll need in the next six months and which you won’t.

Get rid of the second pile — in the trash or in storage.

4. Nothing personal
Remove all photos, degrees and other personal effects.

The buyers want to imagine themselves living there and too many reminders of your family can make them almost feel like they’re invading someone’s home.

And that’s a sales turn-off.

5. Know your audience
The best home stagers research the types of people who buy houses in your neighborhood and adjust the house to suit that demographic.

If most buyers are families with kids, keep all the bedrooms as bedrooms.

If more singles are looking to move in, consider staging one of the bedrooms as an office or home gym