Selling Malibu Real Estate
No matter what your reasons are to sell, remember
that
now is no time to dawdle, the process of preparing a home for
sale can take a month or more. So, here's how to start:
1. Take a Fresh Look at Your
Malibu home
Your home looks great to you,
but a buyer wants to see it as he and his family will be living in it
-- so take a fresh look at your dwelling. Hop in your car, drive
around the block, and then scrutinize your home as a prospective
buyer will see it for the first time. First, consider what's
called "street appeal;" does it need washing or painting? Does the
driveway need repair work? Is the landscaping in good shape?
Remember, be very critical; your buyer will be.
Next, pull into the driveway
and take a good, hard look. Is the yard neat and trimmed? What
about the view from the front yard? Then, walk inside and size up
the interior as though seeing it for the first time; take a tour
and imagine what your real estate agent might say about each room,
look into cabinets, open doors, check out the bathroom.
Then, make a mental note of
the things that might put off potential buyers, along with
another list of the things that first attracted you to the dwelling.
Remember, the home's become a great place for you, but a new buyer
will see things that you don't.
2. Clean Out the Clutter Before
You Start to Sell
Clean out all the extra stuff
to make your Malibu home as empty as you can,
before
your home goes on the market. When a buyer sees a new home,
they only see furnishings placed in the models. Less is more, a place
looks bigger without too much stuff crammed into a small space.
Potential buyers are seriously
put off by clutter. You can give your existing home a fresh new look
by clearing out the kitchen cabinets & drawers, closets, attic
storage, bath vanities and shelves.
This is not the time for
sentiment. We tend to accumulate belongings and most of us drag a lot
more things through life with us than we really need. You won't want
to haul everything you own to your new home anyway. A great way to
reduce the amount of stuff you've collected is to have a moving sale
and use the proceeds to repaint the house or make repairs. You can
always put the items that you do want to keep into storage until it's
time to move into your new Malibu home.
3. To Sell, Sell, Sell --
Clean, Clean, Clean
After you've cleared out the
clutter, it's time to really clean. Have the carpets professionally
cleaned, strip and polish the floors, scour the bathrooms, go over
the laundry room, polish the furniture, scour out the cabinets, wash
the windows and window coverings, and spiff up the ceiling fans and
kitchen appliances. In short, clean everything.
Don't forget the exterior;
paint or pressure wash everything that needs the work. Remember, this
is a ceiling-to-floor, roof-to-foundation clean-up project.
4. Get More for Your Malibu
Malibu home: Repairs Pay Off
After you've cleaned the place
to within an inch of its life, the next project is making all the
repairs necessary to attract a buyer.
So, patch up the roof, touch up
all the paint, repair the screens, spruce up the porch framing, and
make your entry area really shine. Don't forget to water the lawn and
landscape beds, and take the time to trim, mow, edge and get rid of
sick or dying plants. Inside, fix the grout in the bathrooms and on
tile floors, adjust any doors that need it, fix any scratches on the
walls, cover any stains, and be sure to fix any plumbing problems.
Remember, do what your Malibu home needs before the first buyer
appears at your door.
Also, it's a good idea to get
all this done before your real estate broker lists your home -- a
good agent will advise you on what needs to be done. Also, if you
have friends willing to be brutally honest about what your home needs
to sell, invite them to assess the fix-up needs.
There is an alternative to
maximizing your equity through general fix-ups, however this
alternative does carry a price. An "as-is" sale keeps you from having
to put in all the extra effort involved in repairing a home which has
not undergone continuous maintenance. Buyers of these "fixer-uppers"
will assess about twice the price you would have paid for the
repairs. Expect buyers to deduct that amount from your asking price
when they make their offer.
5. Putting Your Home on the
Market: Show It to Sell It
After you've, cleaned, shined,
mowed, and generally whipped your property into shape, it's time to
attract a buyer.
Regardless of who markets your
home, you or a broker, there are other, small things you must do to
attract buyers. For example, even if it's bright daylight, open the
blinds and turn on the lights. Also, open all the interior doors to
make the Malibu home appear more roomy. Be sure to remove all your
kids and pets -- they're cute, but a prospect wants to see your
Malibu home, not your pride and joy. In addition, make sure your
pet's litter pan is clean so the Malibu home smells clean and fresh,
not like an air freshener. Remember, you need to make sure your
home is available to be seen by a prospective buyer with as little
notice as possible. That means less than an hour, or even five
minutes, if possible. Also, park your car away from the property when
it's time to show the house. A buyer should not have to fight for a
parking space when they show up, it would leave them with just one
more red flag.
6. Get a Sense of the Market
Before you put your home on
the market, take a weekend day to check out the competition:
homes with similar prices and in similar neighborhoods. Remember, you
don't have to go out and buy new furniture just to look like that
beautiful new model in the new development -- what you want is the
feel of that new model -- clean, uncluttered, and fresh.
Remember, after location, the
most important item to a buyer is a well-maintained home. Many
flaws can be overlooked if the buyer knows he can move in without a lot
of trouble and expense.
Information provided by The American Homeowners Association,
Copyright© 2003
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