Whether you are gearing up to sell your home this very moment or just flirting with the idea, you will definitely want to consider these real estate tips for selling your home for top dollar! I hope you’ll PIN this post How to Sell Your Home for Top Dollar! {8 Real Estate Marketing Tips}for reference later.
After buying and selling five homes of our own, we have learned some helpful real estate marketing tips along the way. For example, one thing I am sure of: PRETTY SELLS. Location may be everything, but PRETTY goes a long long way even when a home’s setting is not ideal. But let’s not rely on my personal experience and biases, let’s look at recent research from Zillow to explore 8 real estate marketing tips.
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How to Sell Your Home for Top Dollar! {8 Real Estate Marketing Tips}
1. Sell at the Right Time.
The best time to list your home for sale? Definitely in the SPRING! If your home is located near New York, Chicago, or San Francisco, the best time to list is the last two weeks of April. If you live in the Los Angeles area, the last two weeks of May are ideal. For everywhere else in the nation, the first two weeks in May are your best bet for listing and receiving top dollar. Zillow reports that listings during this May 1-15 period nationwide, sell almost two weeks faster.
2. Be Strategic With Your Home’s Listing Description
“For-sale listings touting spa-inspired bathroom features or entertainer-friendly kitchen amenities sell for more money than expected,” according to this recent Zillow analysis. That study looked at the descriptions (which mentioned home features, design styles, and amenities) of almost 4 million listings in America which closed in 2016.
What features specifically make a big difference for mentioning in the listing to get top dollar?
Theater Room/Media Room, Craftsman style architecture, Modern farmhouse style, Chef’s Kitchen, Professional Appliances, Farmhouse Sink, Prep Sink, Pizza Oven, Wine Frig, Carrara Marble, Shed or Garage studio, Outdoor fireplace, Outdoor Kitchen, Pet shower, Carrara Marble, Freestanding Tub, Pet shower, Steam shower, Coffered Ceiling, Meditation Room, Herringbone floors, Heated floors, and Solar panels.
Theater Room/Media Room
According to the report, home buyers are willing to pay 19% more for a home with a theater room.
These Design Styles Are Popular & Trending
Craftsmanstyle Style Architecture
Modern Farmhouse Style
Modern Farmhouse Finds!
These Specific Kitchen Features
Chef’s Kitchen, Professional Appliances, Farmhouse Sink, Prep Sink
Pizza Oven, Wine Frig, Carrara Marble
Shed or Garage Studio
Outdoor Fireplace & Kitchen
Pet Shower
These Specific Bathroom Features
Carrara Marble
Freestanding Tub
Buyers may pay 21% more if you have one, according to Zillow’s report.
Steam Shower
Coffered Ceiling
Meditation Room
Especially in Southern California!
Herringbone Floors
Heated Floors & Solar Panels
According to the report, buyers may pay 21% more for the feature of solar panels.
3. Declutter & Clean Thoroughly
Here’s a great article on how to declutter. And just in case you want a great guide to get you energized and prepped for a thorough cleaning of your home, visit this story.
4. Remove Personal Items
You want potential buyers to picture themselves living happily in your space, and pictures of your family everywhere and a refrigerator covered with personal items are not consistent with that goal.
5. Make the Entry Pleasant
You want to show that there is a designated place for keys, coats, mail, etc. but do tidy up the area so it feels airy.
6. White Towels in the Bathrooms
White towels feel spa-like and just cleaner than colorful towels.
7. Open Blinds to Maximize Light
Let as much natural light flood your rooms as possible!
8. Think Curb Appeal
One of the best things you can do is simply clean the front door, entrance, and porch area thoroughly. Power wash it if necessary. Even simple pots of fresh greenery (or faux if you can get away with it) will do wonders. Mow the lawn. Remember many buyers will drive by before making an appointment for a showing – make sure your home’s entry is inviting. Take photos then study them to tweak the plan.
Hope these tips helped and you discovered some inspiring ideas! I hope you’ll share this to Pinterest and Facebook so your friends see it since this is the hot season for real estate!
I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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This was interesting! I have to say, I prefer something that’s halfway to ruin, so I can redo it to my taste. When we were looking for our house, I insisted on one thing: mature trees, because I didn’t have 30 years to wait for them to grow. The house, by contrast, was easy to change, and it did.
Author
I think I know just what you mean. Since no house we look at is going to have the right kitchen, I would much rather look at those needing updates. Trees are so important to me too, and our present home came with a bunch of unsavory features…But the trees! You just can’t underestimate the value of them. 🙂
Call me nuts, but the kitchen is the last concern on my mind when looking at a home. Sure I don’t want it filled with barely-working appliances in a windowless space. But for me as long as it has the basics: a sink, stove, oven, frig, microwave, I’m happy enough.
I have a brother in law who’s a professional chef. I had been seeing online all these huge kitchens and wondered about them. One article by a married couple, both chefs, said: “You really only need about 4 square feet of prep space.” So I asked my brother in law if that was true. He gave it a thought and said, “Yeah, that’s about all you really need.”
So why all these huge kitchens? Sure I like a pretty kitchen as much as the next person but I’m ‘very old school’ in that when I cook, I want to cook without an audience. Give me a closed off kitche to hide my cooking mess and a lovely dining room to serve my guests when all’s ready.
Author
Huge kitchens make sense for a lot of families because they function as living spaces, not just for meal prep. We linger in our small kitchen, and I sooooo miss our old huge one. Everyone gravitates toward that space anyway when you entertain, so it might as well be roomy. I think I’m a little old school like you when it comes to cooking though. I need to keep my thoughts together and get in my zone so talking and having an audience makes it tricky. Kitchens really do tend to sell houses regardless of how much space is realistically needed so when you want top dollar, it truly can make a significant difference to put dollars there. 🙂
This is one fantastic list of tricks to buy/sell a house. And for the most part, We have a well-equipped entertainment room in our villa and it the point is well engaging that most people are likely to a bit high for special features available in the house. Thanks for posting such useful article, Michele 🙂
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Thanks for reading.:)
I’m agreeing while I’m having a very serious giggle! Why? Well in our area it’s almost as if any one of those features would be reasons why homes DON’T sell here. Let me give you a couple examples——-
Marble? “What?! It’s granite or go home.”
Decluttering and de-personalizing? “They’re not buying our stuff, so it shouldn’t matter what they see!” (I am NOT kidding here!)
Media room? “Who cares as long as I can have my 72″ flat screen TV and recliners with beer holders in them in the living room!”
Freestanding tub? “Just give me a shower. Nobody wants a tub these days.”
Open blinds to maximize light? “No, leave ’em closed so they don’t see the dirt.”
Outdoor fireplace and kitchen? “Here??? Why would I pay extra for those when we could only use that about 3 months of the year! Just give me a gas barbeque cooker and I’m good to go….Hey, don’t forget the beer!”
We’re in what some people have called “The Northern Outpost” so ideas like this will probably get here eventually…..like in about 10 years. Haha!
Lovely post and lovely photos as always. So enjoying your blog and very happy to have found you! 🙂
Author
Thanks for playing along and addressing how these tips don’t apply to every real estate market. Swimming pools don’t fetch as much of a return in the Midwest where I live as they do in the Southwest – so you’re right, there’s no point in investing dollars into something a particular demographic will never see value in. 🙂
Great tips Michele! Fresh paint seems to work like magic too. Can’t wait to see your next fixer upper?
Author
The thought of another fixer upper makes me this old woman feel tired! I think staying put or a new build would be wonderful! 🙂
I read this list a couple of days ago. Obviously, these requirements are for an upscale area. I have had 12 homes and most of these would not be on my list.
I interview realtors to pick the one that best suits my needs. Good photos are paramount to attracting buyers. A well written listing, too,
I believe curb appeal is on top of the list. If you can’t get them to even enter your house, you miss an opportunity to sell. Gardens should be eye catching but not too busy, front door should be a welcoming color and a chair out front is inviting.
Kitchens and baths are next on my list. They have to be functional & updated.
Walls & trim should have a fresh coat of paint. I always use a neutral color so anyone can picture their furniture in the spaces. I like to move into a home and take my time making changes, as I get a feel for the house.
A good location is important too. I don’t care how spectacular a house is if it’s in a less than desirable area, close to a highway, by a corner store, etc.
No clutter, no personal items on display, no Smells!
Lovely photos today!
Author
Great discussion and reminders, Joanna! This report definitely seems relevant to higher end homes, and it’s time sensitive to current trends. It’s not suggesting adding professional kitchen appliances to help sell a fixer upper on the swamp. Rather, it’s saying if your fixer upper on the swamp is exactly like your neighbor’s fixer except yours also boasts professional kitchen appliances, your place may sell for up to 20% more than your neighbor’s place. 🙂