Selling your home? 5 Ways to make it stand out
10/06/2007 by Pamela St. Peter
Even here in the Raleigh area homes are sitting a tad longer than what we’ve been used to, but there are a few newer ideas to help your home stand out.
Of course nothing replaces having your home cleaned, decluttered and paint colors neutralized! We can’t stress that hard and loud enough… but here are few things that may be just what the new buyer needs to push them over the top and chose your home over the competition;
Home inspection – having one completed before you put your house on the market and making it available to the prospective buyer sends a strong message; this home is well taken care of and ready for you to move in!
Home Warranty – It’s pretty common around here for a home owner to include a home warranty for a year – so kick your offer up a notch and offer a 2 year warranty! And while you’re at it include some of the extra stuff like the washer & dryer! Most policies include service to the home’s HVAC, interior plumbing, appliances and major fixtures. The low cost of home warranties (typically a few hundred dollars) makes them a low risk-high reward incentive to offer.
Utility Bills – how about showing them a year of your HVAC and/or electric bills that you’ve paid and offer to pay those up front for them.
Maintenance Fees – here’s something new and a great idea if you do have a sauna or especially a pool - some features of a home that you may consider “selling points” (pool, hot tub, sauna) can actually seem like detractions to buyers due to their related maintenance costs. You can assuage a buyer’s concerns by offering to pay for the first year’s worth of maintenance.
Condo/Homeowner’s Association Fees - In a condominium complex or planned community, homeowner’s dues add to the monthly cost of ownership. If the first year’s worth of dues are taken care of by the seller, potential buyers have one less early-expense to worry about.
