Sell Your Home for Top Dollar

From low-cost, instant upgrades to large scale makeovers, here are some ideas from TV pros on how to get the most money for your home.

Sellers want to get the highest price ASAP for their homes while investing the least amount they must before the sale.

Strategy: Since you're the seller, you control the rules of the game. But if reality forces you to make the decision of selling, rather than it being a personal choice, your strategy will differ.

Do you have the time but little money, to invest in improving your home to make it earn top dollar? Here are some inexpensive tips to give your home curb-appeal and buyer-appeal for few dollars.

Do you need to sell quickly because of illness or possible foreclosure? Speed dictates selling at the best possible, and lowest market-price recommended by a Realtor professional. A Realtor should know your area and what similar homes are selling for. Don't be unrealistic. Recognize that every month you stay costs you more and makes the deal less profitable.

The following tips will include a range of expenses for preparing your home for sale. Pick what you can afford or what you can do in your allotted time frame.

Most people will hire a listing agent to represent them for "open houses" and negotiations. If you attempt to do this yourself, you should be fairly savvy about home marketing and the laws involved in legally representing a home to a buyer.

For D-I-Y sellers, you will probably need an attorney or some legal help to close a deal.

1. Spend money to make money: If you've got money to spend on home improvements that will add profitable dollars to the deal, and time is not against you, you've got a wide-open field of choices.

2. Curb appeal: This is self evident. Imagine a real estate agent drives you to an ill-kept home for a look-see, and you say, "Don't waste our time or yours." You don't even walk in.

3. Eliminate outdoor negatives: Show off what you've got. Make sure the yard is cleaned up; trash cans are out of sight; toys aren't littering the grass or driveway. Are there any noticeable eyesores? Fix them, paint them, or cover them up.

4. Do bushes or hedges need trimmed? Get it done. Does the lawn look good? Plant some grass seed in bare spots or do some hydro-seeding (spray green slurry) for instant improvement.

5. Does the home need touch-up paint? Do gutters and downspouts need to be repaired?

6. Do any outside ornaments detract, rather than add value to the overall look? Hide them, sell them, or get rid of them.

7. Highlight the positives: like the entry door. It should be welcoming and attractive. It will create the first impression as buyers enter their, possibly, future abode.

8. Inside home staging is important. Stagers can charge $300 or more for simple re-dos, but they can be quite effective, also. First impressions are vital and lasting.

Appeal to the senses: sights, sounds, smells. Does the home smell clean? If there are any smoking or pet odors, get rid of them. Clean pet stains with a carpet cleaner with enzymes. If that doesn't make it noticeably better-looking and cleaner-smelling, consider removing the carpeting.

People do not want to see or clean up other people's dirt. It can be a deal-breaker.

Before a viewing, try a home spray like Febreze or use an odor-eliminator - like hidden containers of Arm and Hammer baking soda. The home must smell fresh, not offensive, or no one will get past the front entry.

You can always use the trick of creating inviting smells by placing a touch of cinnamon in boiling water; or baking a loaf (prepared from refrigerated, store-bought dough on hand in the fridge) of fresh bread; or lighting vanilla or food-scented candles - something non-allergenic. (Avoid strong-smelling, potential-allergy-producing scents like roses, lavender, or lilacs.)

Use an expensive spray of silk flowers as an added touch to draw the eye to an area you'd like to highlight but avoid real flowers, again, because of allergies.

9. "Remember this house." Create a "calling card" memory of your home. You could leave out a plate of single-wrapped candies, small, single-bite cookies, or some pink lemonade with disposable glasses - something welcoming to "guests" who might remember the considerate gesture. (Don't offer things that could be messy, like chocolate, in case children visit.)

10. Low, soothing, relaxing, background music might add ambiance. If you can't create any, quiet is preferable.

11. Subliminal effects: Every room must appear light, clean, and neutral. Walls and floors should give each room a feeling of being inviting and airy. No heavy, dark, boldly-patterned or busy-print draperies, if lightweight will do. No large-patterned wallpaper or gaudy art objects. (If heavy draperies offer insulation and actually look elegant, they should be high-lighted as a plus to the buyer.)

12. Look at some magazines of professionally-decorated rooms. Imitate something with mass appeal.

13. Of course, you're going to declutter the home. If you must get rid of bulky furniture or too-personal items like family pictures, moose-heads, and other knick knacks, consider putting the stuff into storage.

One solution is to temporarily move all of your extra stuff from the home - over-sized, outdated, worn, or simply old and unattractive - into the attic or garage. Alternatively, perhaps a nearby relative or friend will donate some space. You want the attic, garage, and shed to look good, clean, and spacious, too, but most people will "overlook" clutter there. If adjoining spaces are cluttered - but clean, dry, without noxious smells - most potential buyers can imagine their stuff filling those spaces instead.

If money is no object, you can also rent furnishings for "staging." The smart TV professional do this when presenting homes, and they seem to get top dollar quickly.

Another solution is to buy some inexpensive, new or used, attractive furnishings from a place like GoodWill, a secondhand shop, or a household auction. If you have a truck, or a friend with a truck, you can do quite well at places like this if you have the time to shop around.

A clean canvas: People want to visualize their furniture in the house: they want to picture themselves, their children, and their pets in your home. Give them a clean, clear space in which to create their own vision.

14. Highlight focalpoints like a beautiful fireplace, an indoor spa, a lovely kitchen island, a particularly lovely outdoor view, or a very inviting garden spot.

Fresh eyes, honest opinions: If you have an honest friend who has an eye for "what looks good," and you can trust his/her opinion, ask your friend to do a walk-through of your home as though (s)he were the buyer.

15. Besides cleaning up and clearing out to open up space, you can also create visualillusions with color and lighting to make your space inviting and comfortable.

Paint is the cheapest way to improve the looks of rooms, hallways, closets, etc. Light, neutral colors make rooms appear larger and reflect light better. A neutral - not too dark or too bright - color allows people to picture their own furniture, pictures, and personal possessions in each room.

Use mirrors to reflect light and make any room appear larger. Unlike pictures, these are more neutral, and fill up wall space without distractions like family photos, shelves of messy-looking books, and personal art objects.

Lighting: Use table lamps and floor lamps to highlight areas. Overhead lights can be a bit harsh and create unflattering shadows. Use soft glow bulbs; some have a flattering pinkish glow. Use bright daylight bulbs in baths.

Create spaciousness: Arrange existing furniture attractively and allow as much foot-traffic space as possible in each room. Make every room appear as spacious as possible.

16. Clean, clean, clean: At little cost, but some worthwhile labor, you want to create the best appearance possible. Of course, you're going to clean the whole house thoroughly, organize closets and storage space, de-clutter kitchen cabinets, and make necessary repairs before a potential buyer sees the home.

Hide animal beds, clean up unsightly piles of clothing or toys, store dirty clothes in hampers or trash bags out of sight.

17. Seek help: If you have friends, family, or neighbors who can help accomplish some of the above tips, ask them to help make your home look as inviting as possible with the least amount of monetary investment.

If you've got time and money, you can hire a professional to stage your home, hire a painter, and a handyman.

18. Forced quick sale: If time is of the essence - due to serious illness, job relocation, or possible foreclosure - you might have to take a loss on the sale or, at the best, break even.

Listing agents can be an invaluable resource at a critical time. Some listing agents are trained in staging; get a two-for-one deal without extra expense. Call around. (S)he should be able to show pictures of previous work done, or you should be able to get a reliable reference from someone who has used his/her services.

19. If you have a medical illness, perhaps you need to hide medicines or medical equipment. That is a real turn-off to many people and could signal your desperation to sell quickly.

20. Professional advice: Take seriously a professional listing agent's/stager's advice because he/she knows what sells a home, what buyers are looking for, and what the fair market value of your home is. They can offer advice about how to sell your home quickly for the highest profit.

21. Out of time: If you don't have time to wait for a buyer, get the best price you can, move out, and move on.

Every month wasted on the market detracts from your profit margin, and creates a very real stress-factor in an already stressful situation.

Sources:

HGTV Newsletter, August 31, 2007. "How to sell your house and get top dollar: 30 can't miss staging tips." Also site at www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows, "Home Staging."

Ellen James Martin, Smart Moves: How to sell an "as is" property. The Morning Call newspaper, January 20, 2008. Martin's article includes ideas from Mark Nash, real estate broker and author of "1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home."