San Diego real estate blog - Peter Toner

Thinking of selling your home or already have your home on the market? We’ve got a few helpful tips and ideas to share with you to make sure that the New Year brings you a successful home sale!

1. Home Inspections - First and foremost have your home inspected. Hire a professional inspector to review your home’s interior and exterior. This way before going into contract with a buyer you will already be aware of any issues with the home that you will need to disclose. Or if you any items that can be repaired in advance, you can do so before you put your home on the market.

2. Curb Appeal - Look at the outside of your home. How does it stand up to your neighbors? Are the exteriors well maintained, is your front yard a jungle? Could the home use a touch up paint job? Curb appeal can help a buyer fall in love with your home, while the lack of it can cause them to turn around and leave. You don’t have to spend a fortune on landscape, just make sure what you do have looks well kept. Remove that dead shrub you’ve put off replacing, clean off that oil stain on the driveway and most important make sure your front door is inviting to prospective buyers.

3. Don’t Forget the Bathrooms - Many of us don’t think about it, but the bathroom can play a major role in a buyer’s feeling about your home. Make sure your bathrooms sparkle to an interested buyer. This doesn’t mean you have to rip out the tub and put in a new one, just make sure the one you have is clean and that the fixtures are well maintained. Changing fixtures can be a great way to update the look of a bathroom, without spending a fortune.

4. Clean Up Your Kitchen - another key element to a home. Make sure that it’s neat, look in places like your microwave, oven, and dishwasher. Even if the units are old, make sure to clean them up so that they are presentable and do not turn off a potential buyer. 

5. Remove Buyer Distractions - When a buyer walks into your home, how does it flow? Do you walk right into the back of a couch when you walk in? If so flip it around so it invites the buyer in, not pushes them out. Are 100’s of your favorite family photos on display? Put them away or at least keep them to a minimal. It is too hard for a person to imagine buying the home when they are too busy looking at all your family photos and thinking about the family that already lives in it. You want the home to feel like an open canvas for the buyer to create into their own dream home!

6. Ask for Expert Advice - Last but not least… talk to an agent you trust! What tips and techniques do they suggest for selling a home? Have them run a comparable sales report to see how the rest of the homes match up in your neighborhood. Drive by the other homes for sale to see how their curb appeal compares to yours. If your home is already listed make sure that your agent is getting feedback from the agents who have shown the property and listen to the suggestions made, it could make or break a future deal.

Hope these tips have been helpful to you!! If you aren’t currently working with an agent and are unsure of where to begin, our team would be happy to talk with you about the options available to you!

Written by Angela Meakins - specialist San Diego listing agent with Team Toner