Everyone wants to get the most for their money. When it comes to selling homes, the sub-prime mortgage crisis has flooded the market with properties and made obtaining top dollar for your Augusta, Georgia home more difficult. In a buyers' market, the key is to set yourself apart from the competition. Port Perry real estate owners are emphasizing their affordable lakeside frontage compared to densely urban downtown Toronto. You need to be doing the same thing in relation to your neighbor's house for sale if you want to get the best price. Here are some ideas for small things that you can do to set yourself apart and raise the offering price on your home.
Repairs and Renovations
It's a fact of life that unless your resale home is old enough to be historic, it's going to lose out to brand new homes every time. A way to combat this trend is to engage in some home remodeling. Toronto homeowners have enjoyed success by renovating their properties before sale and you can too. Adding a deck, fireplace, extra bedroom, garage, or even replacing your old carpets with shiny new hardwood or laminate will all increase your home's appeal in the eyes of buyers. The newer you can make it seem, the better, so of course it goes without saying that you shouldn't leave any repairs undone.
Landscaping
While you may think this is something that only applies to house owners, it doesn't hurt to try a little landscaping on the balcony if you're pushing condos downtown. Toronto condo owners are putting trees and window boxes out to increase appeal, so it's something you might try as well. House owners: make sure your lawn is green and mown, your bushes are trimmed and your trees are healthy. Repave or reseal your driveway and add an attractive retaining wall. If you have no greenery at all, we suggest you get some by purchasing grown trees or shrubs at a greenhouse supplier.
Staging
Staging is the home sale trick du jour so unless you want to stand out by being hopelessly outdated, you had better use it as well. When you stage a home, you remove all traces of your personality from a home (photos, excessive furniture, etc.) and create an airy decorating scheme that allows buyers to see themselves living in your house. If you're wondering what a staged home looks like, visit the show house in a new Rosedale homes development or pick up an issue of a magazine like Better Homes & Gardens.
Pricing
Some people think that in order to get top dollar for their Augusta home they should price it as if it were one of the Aurora townhomes for sale in Toronto. In fact, overpricing is more likely to sabotage your overall selling price than raise it. It's better to slightly under price your home, thereby attracting more buyers rather than less, which is more conducive to generating multiple bids that will drive up the price. Don't go too far, though, or you might lead people to believe your home isn't worth the effort.
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