So you want to sell your home quickly. Here are ten things to make sure you check off your to-do list before listing your home on the market.

1. Price Strategically

Here at ICI Homes, we encourage you to work with a trusted realtor especially when you’d like to sell your home quickly. If you do work with an agent, have them gather information on three similar homes that have sold in the area in the last month. Take the average of the selling prices, then price your home 10-15 % lower than this.

2. Enhance the Curb Appeal

Depending on how well you already maintain the front yard of your home, freshening up the curb appeal may or may not take a large investment. Powerwashing windows, planting new sod, replacing your rusty mailbox, these are all ways to improve the appeal of your home. Keep in mind that before making the call to tour, potential homebuyers will drive by to see whether or not it is worth seeing the rest of the home. You may want to keep the lights outside lit in the evening for a more pleasing overall presentation.

3. Make Updates Inside and Out

Here’s where it may get tricky for some. Be smart about the return of your renovation investments because you don’t want to price yourself outside of the market. Renovations that increase your home value to $3oo,ooo or even $400,000 are great…but not if you live in a $200,000 neighborhood. If you rather move forward with renovations, bathrooms and kitchens will usually yield the greatest returns.

4. Market the Home… and Lifestyle

If you live in a great neighborhood with a great location, be sure to promote the lifestyle new residents will enjoy in the home. Adding snapshots of shopping locations, walking trails, and parks nearby will set your listing aside from the rest. Some sellers will even invite neighbors to open houses so prospective home buyers can talk to them about the neighborhood.

5. Stage Outdoor Furniture

Now before you go and create the best zen garden of all time, consider simply staging an outdoor table or a bench under a tree. You want to help create ideas of how the new homeowners can use the space without limiting them to exactly how they were used before.

6. Declutter

Most buyers will have an opinion about the home within the first 7-10 seconds of arriving. Your mission? To make them want to keep seeing more. While stuffing everything you had laying around the house into closets might have worked in the past when you invited guests over, this will not work in preparation for an open house. Remember, visitors are going to open every closet, look at compartments under sinks, and often do a full inspection of each room when they are touring the home.

7. Remove Your Pets

If you have pets, plan to have them kept at a friend’s home during this time. As much as we all love Fluffy, someone with a pet allergy may not. Remember to remove their pet dishes as well. You want prospective buyers to visualize themselves living in the home and it may not be so pleasant while staring at your cat’s litter box.

8. Be Flexible

Nowadays we are all busy however weekday evenings or weekends may be the only time an interested homebuyer will have open to tour the home. Making your home available after normal business hours may be the difference between receiving an offer this week or next month. Consider weekdays until 7 pm and a late morning or early afternoon open house on the weekends.

9. Post (Lots of!) Great Visuals

Remember, when it comes to photos of your home, quantity AND quality matter. According to Trulia.com, listings with more than 6 pictures are twice as likely to be viewed by buyers as listings that had less than 6. Now you don’t need a professional photographer for this but keep in mind, people want to see all the rooms in your home. Take a full shot at different angles and be sure all photos are clear. Do not include any that are blurry. Also consider making videos of your home, your neighborhood, and the nearby amenities like parks and shopping.

10. Promote Via Social Media

Studies have shown that 92% of buyers search online for a home vs. only 28% who search through print newspaper ads. In addition to print publications and sites like Trulia, you’ll want to market your home on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. Most reputable real estate agents include an digital marketing strategy so be sure to discuss your realtor’s social media and e-marketing strategies before listing. Ask your realtor where and how often they will they be posting. If you are active online, you may want to post your listing on your own social accounts as well. Even if you only have 50 friends on Facebook, one of those connections may be able to connect you to a potential buyer!

What other tips would you recommend to sellers hoping to make a faster sale? Visit our Facebook page and share your tips with us!