Hire a REALTOR®

Studies show that homesellers who use a REALTOR® to represent them generally get a better price than those who sell the home themselves. REALTORS® are up-to-date on critical processes and can help keep you out of trouble. They can also help you get your home sold at the best price in the right timeframe.

Equally as important, REALTORS® add objectivity to an inherently emotional transaction: the sale of your home.

Before Your Home Is Listed

Having your home in good showing condition before potential buyers start going through it is essential. Here are a few steps to help you prepare your home for sale:

• Touch up interior and exterior paint as needed.
• Thoroughly clean, or if necessary, install new carpeting and flooring if it appears worn or dated.
• Curb appeal is usually a potential buyers first impression. Make sure the front exterior of your home is clean and spruced up.
• Keep your lawn mowed, leafs raked, and bushes trimmed.
• Be sure the interior is kept clean, decluttered and odor-free. Eliminate evidence of pets.
• Minimize personal items such as family photos. You want buyers to see themselves living in the home.
• Consider putting excess furniture and belongings in storage. Now is a great time to get rid of those items you no longer want or need.
• Consider having a pre-listing inspection performed. Buyers will be hiring professional inspectors; so here's your chance to take care of potential problems in advance.
• Consider engaging a professional stager to give your home the right emotional appeal.

During the Listing Period

• It is best to be absent when potential buyers visit your home. If you are home, make yourselves as inconspicuous as possible.
• Have fresh flowers in the entryway. It makes for a friendly introduction into your home.
• If offers are made that don't match your hoped-for price, don't reject them out of hand. Pay attention to your agent's advice.
• Consider dropping the price if several months go by with few or no offers. But if you and your agent have priced your home properly from the start, this shouldn't be necessary.
• Don't get discouraged. In buyer's markets, homes take longer to sell than during boom times. Your home will eventually sell; it's a matter of your RE/MAX Executive agent finding the right buyer for you.

Help Your Agent

You have the best chance of selling your home if you work closely with your RE/MAX Executive agent. Make sure all showings are coordinated through him or her. If you have a brochure box, be sure to keep it filled.

If prospective buyers want to discuss your property or negotiate price or other terms, defer to your RE/MAX Executive agent. He or she is the expert and can best handle all these details without emotion.