Tips to help sell your home fast and for top dollar

Deciding to sell your home may be one of the most important decisions you will ever make. So your top Chino Hills, CA Realtor has gathered up a list of valuable tips to supplement a fast and successful home sale.

1.     Understand why you are selling your home. Your motivation to sell determines how you will approach the sale. For instance, if you are planning to sell your Chino Hills home fast, this sale should be treated differently than someone who plans to maximize profit.

2.     Don’t reveal the reasons you’re selling to any potential buyers, this could affect the way you negotiate a sale and place you at a disadvantage.

3.     When setting a price, make buyers aware of the absolute maximum to pay for your home. Setting the price too high runs the risk of not being taken seriously by buyers and pricing too low can result in selling for much less than you were hoping for.

4.     Learn about your competition and “Do some ‘home shopping’ yourself.” Discover what turns buyers off and remember that if you want to sell your home fast, don’t price it higher than your neighbors.

5.     Getting a good appraisal can be a benefit in marketing your home because it lets prospective buyers know that your home can be financed, but there is no guarantee you’ll like the figure you hear.

6.     Tax assessments are really based on a number of criteria that may not be related to property values, so they may not necessarily reflect your home’s true value.

7.     Be sure to choose someone that you can trust and feel confident in to sell your Chino Hills home.

8.     Before setting your asking price, make sure you leave enough room to negotiate.

9.     Appearance is critical to selling a home for top price. Prospective buyers react to what they see, hear, feel, and smell even though you may have priced your home to sell.

10.  Be objective about your home’s good points as well as bad. A common mistake sellers make is relying solely on your own judgment.

11.  Clean and fix everything, even if it seems insignificant because you’ll never know what turns buyers off. You’re not just competing with other resale homes, but brand new ones as well.

12.  Allow prospective buyers to visualize themselves in your home. Avoid clutter and decorate in neutral colors and place a few carefully chosen items to add warmth and character.

13. Odd smells like traces of food, pets and smoking odors can kill deals quickly and prospective buyers may start being aware of odors and seeing stains that may not even exist.

14. Disclose all known defects to buyers in writing, this can save you from liability issues in the future and potentially prevent lawsuits.

15.  It is better to have several buyers because they will compete with each other whereas a single buyer will end up competing with you.

16. Keep emotions in check when negotiating. Be detached, using business-like manner and you will have an advantage over those who get caught up emotionally.

17.  Try to find out the reasons your buyer is motivated, because the better you understand your buyers, the better you can use this to your advantage during the negotiation process.

18. Try to learn the amount of mortgage the buyer is qualified to carry as soon as possible and how much his or her down payment is.

19.  When buyers like to close, is quite often when the buyer needs to close, and knowing their deadlines for completing negotiations again creates a great advantage on your side.

20. Never sign a deal on your next home until you have closed the deal on your current home.

21. It is tougher to sell a home that is vacant because it no longer an appealing sight, so moving out before you sell can put you at a disadvantage.

22. If possible, don’t try to sell by a certain date because it adds unnecessary pressure and is a serious disadvantage in negotiations.

23.  Don’t take low offers personally. Don’t get upset, and evaluate the offer objectively.

24. Counter a low offer so show buyers that the first offer isn’t seen as being a serious one and that you’ll be negotiation only with buyers with serious offers.

25. Make sure that the buyer is qualifies to carry the size of mortgage the deal requires. You may be able to suggest they compare your price to the prices of homes for sale in your neighborhood.

26. To avoid liability issues, ensure that all terms, costs and responsibilities are spelled out in the contract.

27.  Resist deviating from the contract. Don’t take any chances of the deal falling through.

If you have any more questions about selling your home fast and for top dollar, contact Erika Shinzato, she is a top real estate agent, with best ranked realtor reviews, selling homes in Chino Hills and surrounding areas at (714) 485-3998.