The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

10 tips to follow when selling your home

Realtor advocates de-cluttering as one way to set a house apart from others on the market.

Cheryl Robinson (left) works with Barbara Chasteen, an accredited staging professional and Realtor with Sibcy Cline, to remove the clutter from her refrigerator Friday, March 12, at her Trenton home. Staff photo by Nick Daggy

Staff photo by Nick Daggy Cheryl Robinson (left) works with Barbara Chasteen, an accredited staging professional and Realtor with Sibcy Cline, to remove the clutter from her refrigerator Friday, March 12, at her Trenton home. Staff photo by Nick Daggy

ENLARGE PHOTO

Red Cross volunteers ready at moment’s notice
Updated 2 min. ago
Longtime educator, Browns fan  is Edgewood’s Teacher of the Year
Updated 5 min. ago
All-day kindergarten costly to implement for area schools
New 9 min. ago
Injured biker itching to get back on road
New 12 min. ago
Artist completes mural on  city’s veterans memorial
8:50 p.m.
> More headlines

E-mail this page

By Jessica Heffner, Staff Writer 9:19 PM Saturday, March 13, 2010

Getting your home ready for this year’s spring market will be like beating Tiger Woods in the Masters — it’s not going to be easy.

With foreclosures still flooding the local real estate market — making up as much as 39 percent of all home sales in the Greater Cincinnati area, according to Zillow.com — there’s one easy way homeowners can set themselves apart from their cheaper counterparts.

Cleanliness.

“The easiest thing to overlook if you can’t make improvements is cleanliness. Everything has to be clean. That is not an expensive way to set yourself apart,” said John Prazynski, president of the Hamilton-Fairfield-Oxford Board of Realtors.

With so many homes set to be listed this spring, to grab up the homebuyers chasing the $8,000 tax credit that expires April 30, sellers need to be on their A-game. That means cleaning, de-cluttering and neutralizing their home, said Barb Chasteen, a realtor with Sibcy Cline and an accredited staging professional.

“Buyers are also looking to see how well you have maintained the home, so pay attention to every detail, because you can bet they are,” she said.

Here are some tips compiled by local real estate professionals on how to get your home ready for the spring market:

Sell your space: Buyers are typically looking for space when they move, so make sure each room has enough space to walk around. Exchange the king bed for a smaller one to make the room seem bigger. Try to allow for three feet of clearance around furniture pieces.

Fix the front door: You only have one opportunity to make a first impression and your front door is the first thing buyers see while the Realtor unlocks the door. Make sure it is clean and inviting. Touch up paint, clear away cobwebs and make sure all the hardware matches.

Clean: Nothing makes buyers feel more comfortable than a clean house. From ceiling to floor, make sure everything is clean and odor-free. This includes the inside of cabinets and appliances.

Flooring and paint are two of the cheapest home updates “that make a huge difference in the look of the home,” Prazynski said. Replace stained flooring and freshen up walls with neutral paint. A dirty home gives the impression of neglect, and no buyer is going to want to clean up your messes.

De-clutter: “Get some boxes and pack up items you will not need until you are in your new home. This may seem premature but if you stage your home well, you will be unpacking before you know it,” Chasteen said.

Designate a small area in a garage or basement for boxes or get a storage unit. If you are getting rid of any furniture during the move, part with it now to open up the rooms.

Check the price: The home market changes quickly, and so do home prices. Have a Realtor re-evaluate your home to make sure it is priced competitively with the other comparable homes in your neighborhood. “If you are not seeing any action, it may be time to make some changes,” Chasteen said.

Boost curb appeal: When you look at your home from across the street, does it look clean, bright and well-kept? Many buyers drive by before scheduling a viewing. Make sure they have a reason to want to come inside. Plant flowers out front, mow the lawn, replace the welcome mat, sweep off the porch and clean the windows and shutters.

Differentiate your home through good landscaping, outdoor lighting and highlighting areas outside for entertaining by staging a patio or back porch. These will be hot spots for spending time with the warm weather ahead, Chasteen said.

Be transparent: “Being transparent about how your home is budget-conscious can set your property apart from the rest,” said Joe King, president of Coldwell Banker West Shell.

Provide information on utility costs and any home improvements or recent cleanings. “Green” improvements like new energy-efficient appliances, insulation or new windows are especially important to emphasize.

Stage your home: In a society that is glued to programming like that on HGTV where homes are immaculate and high-end, make sure your home fits the image. Knowing how to set the scene for buyers can be tricky, so use an accredited staging professional Realtor because they don’t charge for staging assistance, Chasteen said.

Interior design students looking to add to their portfolio are also a good source for help. The library and Internet are also good sources for ideas on do-it-yourself help or to find a professional.

Consult a professional: While you should invest some money in improvements to make your home market-ready, consult a Realtor before making any major upgrades because some may not be worth the investment.

Start early: By contacting a Realtor before you want to list your home, he or she can help you get the home ready and motivate you for the sale. It also gives time for the home’s progress and the market to be evaluated before becoming listed, Chasteen said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jheffner@coxohio.com.

Home sales & prices

Area home sales and average pricing breakdown, as of 2009:

Area No. of sales Average pricing

Beckett Ridge 33 $241,073

Fairfield 296 $144,888

Fairfield Twp. 222 $162,403

Hamilton (east) 156 $42,235

Hamilton (west) 347 $95,067

Hanover Twp. 63 $149,078

Lemon Twp. 20 $56,293

Liberty Twp. 453 $248,004

Lindenwald 102 $63,349

Madison Twp. 67 $110,223

Middletown (north) 231 $76,151

Middletown (south) 239 $52,254

Milford Twp. 26 $161,785

*Monroe 7 $123,057

*Monroe 171 $150,684

Morgan Twp. 29 $184,551

Oxford 48 $169,863

Oxford Twp. 16 $169,863

Reily Twp. 15 $155,753

Ross Twp. 45 $188,553

Sharonville 12 $256,375

*St. Clair Twp. 1 $36,702

*St. Clair Twp. 46 $54,445

Trenton 177 $111,137

Wayne Twp. 37 $161,466

West Chester (east) 220 $193,645

West Chester (west) 318 $243,490

*Area split into multiple MLS listings

Source: Multiple Listing Service

Share this article

ADD COMMENT

Comments feed

Tip #1:

Location, location, location! Call a house mover and have your house moved to one of the nearby attractive communities.

W. C. Fields
9:01 PM, 3/14/2010

REPORT ABUSE

Tip 11 for selling your home.

Don't try to sell your home if you live in a depressed, image riddled, Section 8/HUD/low income dominated, jobless town with poor performing schools and every building in sight is being demolished for green space, hoping someone will show up to build upon the vacant land. But no one ever does show. Uh-oh....Middletown.

Oh No
12:28 PM, 3/14/2010

REPORT ABUSE

Thanks for the great info, but if the neighborhood and location stink, there's not much you can do about that. Location is everything and unfortunately, your home can look like a million dollars, but if the location isn't right, there will be no sale.

Great Info but...
9:01 AM, 3/14/2010

REPORT ABUSE

We welcome your comments. Please remember this is a public forum and behave appropriately. Your comments must conform to our visitor's agreement.