Westfield Seller Tips Archives - Luxury Homes/Top Towns

How to Hurt Your Home Sale

March 4, 2022 by Scott Gleason

We live in a seller’s market here in the Westfield area. Even so, you still need to prep your home to show off its best features. Most buyers look for a “move-in ready” home rather than a fixer-upper. In fact, sellers benefit from a pre-list inspection. So, you might want to consider hiring an inspector to come to your home before you put it on the market. But even if you decide not to do that, keep these home sale “don’ts” in mind to capture the attention of as many potential buyers as possible. Plus, you’ll get your home sold in a shorter time frame for more money.

Be careful when preparing your Westfield area home to sell. Otherwise, you might do more harm than good. Find out what can hurt your home sale with this "do not do" list.

How to Hurt Your Home Sale

Take Your Own Photos

No matter how great of a camera your cell phone provides, leave the photo-taking to the professionals. Most real estate agents work with a professional photographer. They may even include this with their services. A professional photographer knows the right angles and lighting to use to showcase a property properly. Unprofessional photos stand out like a sore thumb against the pros. Since the majority of home buyers start their search online, you need your photos to entice them to come to see the property in person.

Ignore the Kitchen

They say the kitchen is the heart of the home. It also helps sell your house. So, if you want to hurt your home sale, ignore it. However, if you want an offer, invest in updating your outdated kitchen. No money in the budget for a major overhaul? At least stage it by clearing off the countertops, cleaning it from top to bottom, and getting rid of any “artwork” on the fridge.

Forget to Stage Your Bathrooms

Yes. Buyers want to see bathrooms as well as the bedrooms, kitchen, and other living spaces in your photos. But do not forget to stage them first. Again, get rid of everything on the countertop. Clean the mirror, floor, window, and shower until they gleam. Add fluffy towels and rugs for a spa-like feel. And, for goodness sakes, close those seat covers.

Neglect Your Outdoor Space

Whether it is your curb appeal or your backyard, always make sure that your outdoor space looks just as good as your indoor space. Touch up or repaint as necessary. Mow the yard. Trim the bushes. Weed the garden. Store away toys and tools. Keep trash bins out of sight. If the outside looks rundown and unkempt, it makes buyers wonder what other things the seller has not taken care of inside. The last thing you want to do is sow a seed of doube in a potential buyer’s mind. That will definitely hurt your home sale.

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes

Selling Your Home in 2022: What You Should Do Now to Be Ready for Market

December 31, 2021 by Scott Gleason

New year. New home? If you plan on selling your Westfield area home in 2022, you should start focusing on the tasks required to make it happen. The sooner you create a plan of attack, the easier selling your home becomes in the new year.

Selling Your Home in 2022

Set a Target Date

March through May tend to be the best times to list your home on the Westfield market. That is when more buyers go out looking for a new home. Why? Nice weather makes it easier to navigate their way to a showing. Plus, this allows families time to close and move during the summer, when school closes. Once you set your target listing date, create your list of tasks that must be completed beforehand. Then, set deadlines for which each task must be finished.

Interview REALTORS®

Next, you need to find a REALTOR®. You need someone with extensive experience in the Westfield/Cranford/Scotch Plains marketplace. Talk to several prospects. Each REALTOR® brings something different to the table in terms of communication, marketing, experience, etc. This will most likely be one of the biggest financial decisions you make in your life. You want to work with someone that makes you feel comfortable. That may mean meeting with several prospects before you find “the one”.

Make Repairs No Matter How Small

Before selling your home, take a walk around your property both inside and out. Use a “buyer’s eye” to make an honest assessment of your house. What condition is the paint in? Does the carpet need replacing? Are there stains on the walls? Does the doorbell work? Is the doorknob loose? Are any bulbs burned out? If you were considering buying this property, what negative things would stand out to you? Fix them. If you expect to receive top dollar for your Westfield area home, you need to make sure it looks spectacular.

Perform a Deep Cleaning

Buyers look at everything when they view a home. This includes opening up cupboards, closets, the oven, and even the refrigerator if you include it in the listing. So, mop the floors. Steam clean the carpets. Clean out the refrigerator, freezer, and stove. Make the inside of your microwave glisten. Clean the windows until they sparkle. Remove any stains from the toilets, showers, sinks, and tubs. Keep kitchen counters clear of any clutter. Pack up personal nick-nacks and mementos. Remove one-half of the clothes from your closet to showcase the space the closet offers. Put your garage in order, too.

Improve Your Curb Appeal

You only have one chance to make a first impression. So, make sure that impression is a good one by focusing on improving your curb appeal where needed. Get rid of weeds and debris. Trim your trees and shrubbery. Paint the front door, if needed. Make sure all exterior lights work properly. Update the fixtures. Keep tools, toys, and trash bins out of sight. Always make sure to maintain a clear walkway from the street to your front door.

Home Staging

Finally, stage each room. Studies show that staged homes spend less time on the market and sell for more money. If possible, hire a professional. They know how to highlight the positives and minimize the negatives. Your REALTOR® may be able to suggest someone. If you decide to stage it on your own, minimize the number of large furniture pieces in each room to make the rooms appear larger. Replace heavy drapes with sheer panels to allow natural light to shine in. Paint walls in a neutral color. Make your bathrooms appear more spa-like and serene with crisp white plush towels and a nice new bath rug. You want potential buyers to see themselves living in the space.

If one of your new year’s resolutions includes selling your home in 2022, use these tips to make it happen. Feel free to contact me when you are ready to put your Westfield area home on the market.

FEATURED WESTFIELD AREA HOME FOR SALE

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes

Home Sellers Benefit From a Pre-List Inspection

August 6, 2021 by Scott Gleason

Now is a great time to sell your Westfield home. Prices continue to rise. Interest rates remain low. And Westfield made the Top 10 List of Best Suburbs to Live in New Jersey. We keep seeing more and more buyers looking to move here. But even in a seller’s market, you need to make sure your property is in tip-top condition. That is why home sellers can benefit from a pre-list inspection.

Most buyers have a home inspection performed during the escrow process. But home sellers greatly benefit from a pre-list inspection, too.

Home Sellers Advice: Pre-List Home Inspection

No Surprises

One of the best reasons why home sellers should perform a pre-list inspection is because it eliminates the element of surprise. Your buyer will most likely have an inspection performed during the escrow period. If you get one done before you even list your Westfield home, you know the condition of your home as it stands today. Inspections uncover issues you may not have even been aware of. Performing one now allows you the chance to get ahead of it.

You have two options if you find issues during the home inspection. One, spend the money fixing it/them. If problems are fixed before you list your home, buyers won’t even know there was an issue to begin with. Or two, get estimates from local contractors for the cost of repairs. When the buyer performs their home inspection, you can present them with your findings. In turn, this may mean reducing your sale price in order to factor in the costs and make the sale happen. But it also shows transparency and due diligence on your part which sits well with buyers.

Money Savings

How does spending a few hundred on a home inspection save home sellers money? It allows you time to shop around for the best deal on repairs. Also, when you show the buyer that you recently updated an aging system (electrical, HVAC, roofing), it shows them that you put pride in ownership and took care of your home. Plus, when the buyer accepts the disclosure of any repairs made, they acknowledge that they accept the home in its current condition. This greatly reduces the chance that buyers come back later on in the transaction and ask for discounts.

More Marketable

Finally, a pre-list home inspection helps your Westfield home become more marketable. As I said before, buyers like transparency. It provides them with a certain level of trust that you are being forthright. Make sure you have the results of your pre-list inspection readily available to buyers as well as the proof of any completed repairs.

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes

Determining the Fair Market Value of Your Westfield Home

June 4, 2021 by Scott Gleason

The real estate market is an ever-changing landscape. Currently, sellers wield the upper hand. But that does not mean that buyers will pay an astronomical amount simply because you asked for it. For a successful transaction, you must list your Westfield home at a price appropriate for the current market. Fair market value (FMV) helps sellers determine this price.

Fair Market Value

How to Calculate Fair Market Value

You must take into account several factors to come to a proper FMV. They change from month to month and sometimes even from week to week. Talk to your Westfield REALTOR® about how the market is behaving right now. Look at how much buyers paid for recently sold homes in your neighborhood recently. Look at the price-per-square-foot of homes similar to your own to provide you with an estimated value of your property. Hire an appraiser to assess the value of your Westfield home. All of these variables go into your calculation of FMV.

Fair Market vs Appraised Value

The appraised value is slightly different than the FMV. Banks use the appraised value of a home as part of their consideration in whether to approve or deny a mortgage loan. However, they will not approve a loan with an appraised value below the sale price. When that happens, buyers need to come up with money out of pocket to make up the difference or sellers need to lower their price. If neither side comes to an agreement, the sale falls through. Then, no one wins. But the FMV may end up higher than the appraised value. This happens in more popular neighborhoods. Again, discuss your options with your Westfield REALTOR® before deciding on what to list your property for when you decide to put it on the market.

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes

Home Seller Resolutions for 2021

January 4, 2021 by Scott Gleason

I hope everyone welcomed in the New Year in their own fun yet safe way. Westfield came in at #1 on Coldwell Banker’s “Top Places to Live in New Jersey” last October. (It was #9 on Niche.com’s 2020 list.) But that comes as no surprise to anyone who lives here. With buyer demand rising, homeowners might want to put their properties on the market soon. As the new year begins, consider these home seller resolutions to make your house ready for a buyer in 2021.

If you wish to sell your Westfield property this year, take this time to tackle some home seller resolutions right now.

Home Seller Resolutions for 2021

Get Rid of the Clutter

One of the first (and possibly easiest) home seller resolutions to tackle is to declutter your Westfield home. Just because the holidays ended does not mean that charities do not need your help anymore. Go through your house room by room and start boxing/bagging up clothing, linens, appliances, toys, books, etc. that you no longer need or use. Then, donate these items to the local Goodwill, Salvation Army, or women’s shelter. Toss anything beyond repair into the trash.

Catch Up on Home Maintenance Projects

Next, a home seller needs to make sure their Westfield home is in tip-top shape to net the best sale price. This includes new paint where needed, replacing broken or missing roofing, repairing broken fixtures, and checking for leaky pipes. Even something as small as a wobbly mailbox or squeaky door hinges should be addressed before you place your property on the market.

Increase Your Curb Appeal

The outside of your Westfield home offers buyers their very first impression. So, make it a good one. Even while social distancing, a home seller can add curb appeal by simply trimming shrubbery and trees, clearing off the driveway and walkways, and keeping trash bins, tools, and toys tucked out of sight. As the weather warms up, regular weeding and lawn maintenance will be necessary to keep things neat and tidy.

Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes