Sell Your Home in New Bern Faster That is what you want to do, right? Below you will find 10 suggestions that will help give you the competitive edge in selling your home. Often we see folks chasing the market down. This happens when they either overprice the neighborhood or do not pay attention to what buyers consider important. We hope you find these suggestions useful. Please feel free to contact us at anytime for a free no obligation consultation.

1. Curb appeal: First impressions are lasting impressions and believe me curb appeal is very important. You are trying to sell your house. I have had appointments to show properties and my clients did not even want to go inside after seeing the junk in the front yard and the toilet bowl planter on the front porch. The first thing a prospective buyer will see when they drive to your house is your front yard. The second thing they see is your front porch. Make sure both are spruced up and will make a nice impression. Fresh potted plants go a long way and are not that expensive. New pine straw is not that expensive and can make a fresh and well kept look. A new coat of paint on the front door is always a good idea. How about a brand new door knob? Does your driveway and house need pressure washing? Definitely de-clutter your yard. These items are low-cost. The great thing about a good curb appeal in addition to making a good impression on buyers visiting the home, is that it will allow your Realtor to take nice photos of your home. Since many buyers see homes online before choosing to see the home in person, you want the best exterior photo you can get!

2. Finish the honey-do list: You know what the list is. The little things that you have put off for a long time. The broken globe on the light fixture in the hallway. The grinding noise the hall bath exhaust fan makes. The broken tile in front of the dishwasher. You may have stopped noticing these things but buyers have not. To them this can be perceived deferred maintenance. These relatively inexpensive items can make a difference. I have shown homes that had quite a few of these loose ends needing attention and my clients said they did not want to buy a home that  required so much work even if they were little items.

3. Stage the rooms: Stand in the doorway to find each room's focal point, and use furniture placement to highlight that. The back of your sofa shouldn't block the view of the fireplace, for example, and the dining room table shouldn't be sharing space with a stair climber. You should remove any extraneous pieces of furniture, but you may be able to "repurpose" them in another room. A wingback chair that's crowding the family room might help create a nice reading nook in the master bedroom.

4. Have a current Comparative Market Analysis: This needs to be done so you have a realistic value on your home. The CMA should have been done within the last 3 months. This is a buyer's market. If your house is perceived to be overpriced by a potential buyer or other Real Estate Brokers it will not get shown. If it is not shown it will not be sold. In today's market most Real Estate Brokers would rather see a home priced to sell, rather than be offered a bonus for selling.

5. Have a Home Inspection done: A pre-sale inspection can help in several ways. First of all more real estate deals go south due to home inspections than anything else. Professional inspections can identify problems that could prevent a sale. If you know what those problems are before there is an offer on the table, you have the opportunity to correct the deficiencies. And if there are no major problems or the problems have already been addressed, an inspection can publicize that fact to skittish buyers. Having an inspection laying out on the counter shows the potential buyer that you have nothing to hide.

6. De-clutter the inside of your house: Too much stuff makes rooms look smaller and focuses buyers' attention on your possessions rather than the home you're trying to sell. That's why many professional stagers recommend removing as much as a third of your things to better show off rooms and closets. Since you're going to have to pack it up anyway why not go ahead and do it now. It is very difficult for a buyer to imagine themselves living in your house if they can't visualize how their furniture would work.

7. Depersonalize your house:  The first items that you should pack as you are de-cluttering your home should be family photos and other collections that say "you." Streamline your artwork and consider toning down bold decorating statements. The 20 photos of your grandchildren on the refrigerator may have special meaning to you but to buyers they represent clutter.

9. Odor removal: You don't want other Real Estate Agents to remember your house as the cat litter house. I was showing a home some time ago and the minute we opened the front door we were overwhelmed with a smell of cat urine. Needless to say my customer turned around and said "let's go". If you're not sure how your place smells, get your least tactful friend to take a few whiffs and tell you the honest truth. Sometimes we get accustomed to the scents in our own homes.

10. Pick the Right Agent:  This most important thing you can do to sell your home will cost you nothing. That is, choosing your Real Estate Professional. Do this based upon their expertise and marketing skills. Friends may refer their sister-in-law or you may have a neighbor or a friend at church in the business, but steer clear of these agents unless the agent is qualified. Selling a home is one of the largest financial decisions a person will ever make. You do not want an inexperienced or "discount" broker handling that for you. If you were going to get an operation would you want a "discount" doctor or if you were going to trial, would you want an inexperienced lawyer? This is serious business, treat it as such.