Homeowner Resolutions

1. Overcome any possible objections a buyer would have.
Sellers don't often understand that their primary job is to not only eliminate any potential objections that would stand in the way for a buyer to make an offer but to exceed their expectations as well. If your home is competitively priced, and your home's condition exceeds a buyer's expectations, you'll get the offer you want.

2. Get my home into shape before I let any see it.
Getting a home into "selling shape" is quite different from even having a clean, beautiful home. You need to "stage" your home, which means you have to make it look exactly the way a buyer thinks it should.

For best results, do this before you invite any real estate agents or brokers in to assess how much it is worth. The agents you interview will be your "Wow!" test. If they walk into your home and say, "Wow! What a great place you have here," you know you've done it right.

How do you stage a home? Start by throwing away, giving away or packing away anything you haven't used in the last three to five years. You should also give your home a thorough cleaning and address any small fixer-upper projects you've been putting off.

Once your home is clean, you can assess what kind of other work needs to be done. Should you give your home's interior and exterior a fresh coat of white paint? Do you need to power wash your vinyl siding? Should the windows be washed? The wood floor polished? New wallpaper put up in the guest bathroom? Does your landscaping require a visit or two by a professional landscaper? Whatever you decide to do, make sure it's completely finished before you invite anyone over to see your home.

Finally, move out excess furniture, buy matching towel sets for the bathroom, and make sure you have a new cover with matching pillows for your bedrooms. Your home should look very put together, as if you were auditioning for the cover of a home decorating magazine.

Ask your real estate agent for a referral of an experienced professional Staging Specialist - the amount of money gained at sale will be many times over the cost of the materials and the stager fees.

3. Know what my selling timetable is before I list my home.
Do you want to sell or do you need to sell? If you need to be out in three months or less, you'll need an aggressive agent with a very competitive list price. Knowing when you have to move - and sharing that crucial bit of information with your agent - allows you to choose a correct pricing and marketing strategy.

4. Be realistic about the market.
After a half-dozen years of a super-hot seller's market, the tables have turned in many markets. Expensive homes are selling more slowly than homes priced for first-time buyers.

Accept the reality of your local market and make sure you price your home realistically. Don't blame your realtor if you don't get three offers over your list price within 24 hours of putting your home on the market. Sellers who set sky-high price could wait months for an offer and may wind up with the same price they would have had it they'd priced their home correctly the first time - or a lot less.

5. Know where I'm going.
Once you've decided to sell, you ought to think about where you want to go. Enlist the help of an experienced Realtor to act as your Buyer's Agent - have them set you up on a custom search once you have identified the area you would like to live, as well as the price, style and amenities you desire in your next property. Don't wait until you have a contract on your home. That's the time you should be seriously looking to put in an offer on your new home, not starting the process of exploring neighborhoods. Look to your own listing agent to work on your behalf to help you find your next home. He/She will know you and will have motivation to work hard on your behalf to successfully get you from point A to point B. Communication regarding close dates, timelines etc. will be much more convenient if you work with one agent or agent group.

6. Set my minimum sales price.
Everyone wants to get his/her list price. But unless you're in a strong seller's market (where there aren't enough homes to meet the demand), it's unlikely you'll get it. That means you'll probably get an opening offer that's somewhat below your list price.

In order to negotiate effectively, it helps to determine the minimum amount you'll be happy accepting for your home - before you put your property on the market. This is a price that will allow you to walk away happy. If you receive an offer with anything above this price, it's like gravy. If it's below the minimum price you've set, you can negotiate accordingly.

The psychological benefit of a minimum acceptable price is great: It puts you in control of an emotional situation by helping you to distance yourself emotionally from the negotiation process.

7. Not be driven by greed.
One big mistake many sellers make is to get a little greedy, particularly if the first offer is above the minimum acceptable price you've set. Then, the negotiation becomes a game of how much you can get.

Remember, a successful sale means everyone walks away feeling happy. If your get so greedy that the buyer walks away, you've let the deal get the best of you. Resolve to be reasonable and you'll end up shaking hands with the buyer at the closing. Remember - the first offer is usually the best - don't let them walk away!