MAKING YOUR HOME WORTH MORE

True Market Value

Salesmanship

Showing The Home

How To Discuss Price

Objections

How To Counteract

Closing The Sale

Making Your Home Worth More

Before you consider what your asking price should be, emphasize to yourself that your home is going to be subjected to a very critical inspection. Home seekers shy away from a house that is only slightly in need of repair. It will be to your economic advantage to:

1. Make it more readily salable;

(2) Increase its sales value as much as possible.

EXTERIOR

When a home hunter drives by and sees your "FOR SALE" sign in front of your home, the home starts selling itself or hindering its sale. Getting him inside to inspect is your first hurdle because no one will buy a house without having first inspected it. To induce this essential entrance you must:

(1) Keep the lawn fertilized and watered, the shrubbery neatly trimmed, and the grass smoothly mowed and carefully edged;

(2) Remove from the grounds all trash, papers, leaves, and all other cluttering materials;

(3) Collect toys and garden tools scattered about your "FOR SALE" premises. If you cannot hide the toys entirely, put them in the nursery. Store the tools in an appropriate location and position them orderly; (4) Notice puddling, stagnation, corrosion, clogging and other drainage difficulties which tend to develop on most lots and to reduce their market values; take necessary corrective action, or suffer the depreciation;

(5) Take a critical look at your fences and gates. (Are they shabby? If so, either repair them or, when they are neither decorative nor really needed, remove them entirely.) (6) Repair holes in the driveway, or in other concrete, asphalt or masonry improvements;

(7) Paint and otherwise redecorate all surfaces which

reflect unfavorably upon the premises. (Peeling paint indicates poor maintenance.)

8. Look at that roof! If you see any broken shingles, or shingles of an off color from which leak repairs can be inferred, eaves, cornices, gutters or downspout needing attention, get them shipshape before inspection;

(9) Get in your car and drive up and down the road looking at it. If you see anything else that needs corrective action, fix it before you put up that "FOR SALE" sign.