There’s a lot of competition in the current market for Butte homes for sale.  If you’re thinking about adding your home to the list, this checklist is for you.

#1.  Set your goals. What do you expect from your sale?  Do you just want to get rid of the home, or do you want the highest price possible?  Will you be ready if a buyer wants to close quickly?  The answers to these questions factor into how much time it takes for a house to come off the market.

#2.  Decide whether to use an agent or not. Although many Butte homes for sale go faster and at better prices with a real estate agent, it’s still possible to get a decent price doing it yourself.  If you decide to use an agent, interview them and talk to their past clients to make sure you feel confident in their services.

#3.  Set your home price. This is tricky, because if you don’t set the right price, your house can sit on the market for a long time and sell for much less than it’s worth.  If you hire an agent, they’ll analyze comparable homes and find a good price.  If you don’t hire an agent, make sure you look at recent sales on comparable homes, as well as neighborhood demographics to find the right price.

#4.  Find the problems and get serious issues fixed. Although you aren’t obligated to hire a home inspector, a professional home inspection can help head off serious issues that can delay the sale.  If you can fix the serious issues, do so.  If you can’t, you can still sell the house “as is,” as a fixer-upper.  Keep records of everything you do fix.

#5.  Consider staging your home. From curb appeal to inside style, home stagers can help your house look its best.  Studies show that, in general, staged homes sell faster and for better prices than those that haven’t been staged.

Adding your house to the list of Butte homes for sale will be an exercise in patience, but following this checklist can help make the exercise a much shorter one.

If you’re thinking of selling your home, please allow me to interview for the job.  Call me today at 406-491-1234 or email me for more information or to schedule an interview.

Many putting up their home for sale on the Butte market don’t have a lot of available cash to spruce it up.  While staging houses is a definite plus, it costs, as does many of the other suggested “to-dos.”  Here are a few cheap, easy ways to make your home look more inviting to buyers:

1. Put up your personal stuff

Not every buyer looking at a home for sale in Butte  appreciates the fact that someone still lives there.  Putting away the following things can help the buyers’ see themselves in the home:

*your pet’s things (toys, litter box, bowls)
*your medications, toothbrushes and toilet accessories
*any toys
*knick-knacks and personal pictures

2. Create more space

Small, closed in spaces are major turnoffs for buyers.  Create the illusion of more space by:

*putting up out-of-season clothes or clothes you don’t wear very often to make your closets look bigger
*taking one piece of furniture out of your bedroom
*packing up the small appliances in your kitchen
*taking out all but four chairs in your dining room, as well as extra table leaves

3. Touch on the trends

Chances are that some of the buyers are paying attention to celebrity trends.  Feng shui is a big one, and you can do your part with just a few touches:

*add a fresh bowl of fruit to the kitchen
*put a comfortable couch or chair on the east side of your living room or den
*put a green welcome mat on your porch to symbolize opportunity
*get rid of reds

Whether you see or feel a difference doesn’t matter.  Keep in mind that you’re trying to appeal to potential buyers of your home for sale in [city], not make the home more livable for you.  If it helps, pretend that you’re the buyer, seeing the house for the first time.

If you’re trying to get your home ready to sell, I can help.  Call me at 406-491-5777 or email me for more information.