How to Get the Most Money for Your Home Sale

You want to take advantage of the increase in home values we have seen over the past couple of years by selling your Inland Empire home. Great! First, you should read my home seller pre-list checklist to get started. Then, follow these four simple steps to fetch top dollar for your home sale.

Set Each Room Right

Home staging is one component of my pre-list checklist. Part of home staging includes restoring each room back to its original purpose. If you used the dining room for your home office, the kids’ playroom, or for a general “catch-all” space during the pandemic, stop. Bring the dining table back into the dining room. If the loft sat empty because you had no idea what to use it for, convert it into the family movie room, a home gym, or even put your home office there. Bottom line: buyers want to see each room utilized as what it was originally designed for to help them picture themselves living there.

List Slightly Below Market Value

You might be thinking, “Wait! How can I make more money from my home sale if I ask for less money?” Well, listing slightly below market value brings in a larger group of home buyers. With more people, comes a better opportunity for more offers. Multiple buyers tend to drive the final sale price up as well. Of course, this can be a risky venture if you only end up with one buyer at the lower list price. So, talk this over with your real estate agent first to see if it is a viable strategy to use in your neighborhood.

If a Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words…

…how much do you think a video tour is worth? Millions! Photographs are strongly encouraged. However, you can bump up your home’s attractiveness by including a video tour of the property as well. These proved even more popular since COVID lockdowns made in-person tours almost obsolete for a while. Even though live tours are back, buyers still like to see a video of the property before they head out to see it in person. And it allows a better view of your Inland Empire home for buyers coming in from out of the area, too.

Get a Professional Pre-Inspection Done

Finally, pay a professional to come out and inspect your Inland Empire home. This helps you identify places that need repairs right away. That will help you get the most money out of your home sale. Plus it eliminates any “surprises” that the buyer’s home inspection may unravel. It also saves you money by allowing you the time to research prices for the repairs. Or, at the very least, you can gather quotes to fix problem areas and present these to the buyer. But be prepared to lower your asking price if you do not take care of these repairs yourself ahead of time.

Muna Dionne, your Inland Empire specialist with Coldwell Banker Realty