Information for Sellers

Selling your home is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life. How much is it REALLY worth? How long will it take to sell? How do you handle buyers making undesirable offers?

As top Waco and Central Texas REALTORS® with years of experience and a proven track record, it is our job to guide you through this complicated process, from beginning to end. We want you to get the maximum value for your home, within YOUR time frame.

5 Things to Do Before You Sell

1. Get estimates from a reliable repairperson on items that need to be replaced soon, such as a roof or worn carpeting, for example. In this way, buyers will have a better sense of how much these needed repairs will affect their costs.
   
   
2. Have a termite inspection to prove to buyers that the property is not infested.
   
   
3. Get a pre-sale home inspection so you'll be able to make repairs before buyers become concerned and cancel a contract.
   
   
4. Gather together warranties and guarantees on the furnace, appliances, and other items that will remain with the house.
   
   
5. Fill out a disclosure form provided by your sales associate. Take the time to be sure that you don't forget problems, however minor, that might create liability for you after the sale.

10 Ways to Make Your House More Salable

1. Get rid of clutter. Throw out or file stacks of newspapers and magazines. Pack away most of your small decorative items. Store out-of-season clothing to make closets seem roomier. Clean out the garage.
   
   
2. Wash your windows and screens to let more light into the interior.
   
   
3. Keep everything extra clean. Wash fingerprints from light switch plates. Mop and wax floors. Clean the stove and refrigerator. A clean house makes a better first impression and convinces buyers that the home has been well cared for.
   
   
4. Get rid of smells. Clean carpeting and drapes to eliminate cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells. Open the windows.
   
   
5. Put higher wattage bulbs in light sockets to make rooms seem brighter, especially basements and other dark rooms. Replace any burnt-out bulbs.
   
   
6. Make minor repairs that can create a bad impression. Small problems, such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, or a dripping faucet, may seem trivial, but they'll give buyers the impression that the house isn't well maintained.
   
   
7. Tidy your yard. Cut the grass, rake the leaves, trim the bushes, and edge the walks. Put a pot or two of bright flowers near the entryway.
   
   
8. Patch holes in your driveway and reapply sealant, if applicable.
   
   
9. Clean your gutters.
   
   
10. Polish your front doorknob and door numbers.