No Better Time To List Your Home

Spring is one of the busiest times for real estate, especially in Utah. If you are a homeowner planning to put your home on the market don’t wait for the temperatures to rise and the snow to melt to get ready to sell.
Tamara Zander, a full-time licensed real estate professional with Discover Realty, has a few tips for getting your home in perfect shape to list and earn top dollar.

Find the Right Agent
Selling your home is one of the largest transactions you will ever make. Your neighbor down the street or your favorite Uncle may all be great people, but that doesn’t mean that they have what it takes to earn your business as your listing agent.
Tamara suggests the following criteria when picking an agent:
1. High list-to-sale price—you want an agent who has strong negotiating skills and who will keep the purchase price close to the listing price.
2. Average days on market—boasting of a large number of sales can sometimes be deceiving. What you want to know from an agent is how long it took on average to sell the homes that they list. After all time is money!
3. Online presence—90% of home-buyers begin their search for their dream home online. You want to make sure that your agent will list your home on a variety of sites including those that cater to homebuyers who are relocating.
Staging Your Home
You may think that crayon marks on the walls of the playroom or toys in the backyard add character to your home—after all your kid is on track to be the next Picasso! But for people entertaining the thought of purchasing your home it can be a big turn off. In fact, local real estate professional Tamara, has found that for every $5-10 dollar repair you leave incomplete you will probably lose $500 off the sales price.
There are 5 C’s that Tamara suggests for staging your home:
1. Clutter—reduce the amount of items in your home. Take out everything you don’t need for at least the next three months and get it out of the house. Clutter can sometimes indicate to a buyer that you lack storage even if you have tons.
2. Clean—it’s not a bad idea to hire a professional to come clean and organize your home. Any presence of an odor or pet should be eliminated, door jams and base boards should be touched-up, your child’s precious artwork cleaned off the walls and having windows that sparkle all add an inviting atmosphere into your home.
3. Color—we know that you love your house and the décor inside, but would it turn a potential buyer away? Adding pops of complimentary colors into your home can make a big difference and can be as inexpensive as buying a few throw pillows or artwork. This goes for the outside of your house too, plant some flowers or add a colorful wreath to your door.
4. Care—most homebuyers will hire an inspection of your home. Trying to cover-up minor repairs versus taking care of them will only cost you more in the long run. Go around your house and do a physical inspection, you may be surprised to find an electrical outlet not working or loose railing.
5. Configure—a nice open space is usually the most inviting. Rearrange your furniture to make the most of your floor plan.

Another thing to keep in mind is that as it warms up the inventory on the market will also increase. It is advantageous to get your home ready and listed prior. You might be surprised at how quickly your home sells if you employ the 5 C’s. Fortunately, Daybreak has a wide selection of quick move-in homes available throughout the community, or you can begin working with one of our builders to build your dream home.