There are a variety of things that are out of your control when selling your home in Charlotte NC , including market conditions, location, price bracket etc…But there are a few things that are well within your control! These 5 tips can help put thousands of dollars back into your pocket!

In this post I want to explore the reasons around why its really worth spending time on your home before you leave it, both for you and for your potential buyers!

Of course, you want to maximize your profit when selling your Charlotte NC home. There are many things you can do to ensure that you get the most money possible for your home. In this article, you will learn about the top 5 things to focus on to ensure you can maximize your profit when selling your home here in Charlotte NC

1. Curb Appeal

Curb appeal isn’t just about making your house more attractive; it’s about making it memorable and demanding positive attention. A home with high curb appeal can demand higher prices and take less time to sell. The outside is also what brings potential buyers inside.

The reality is that many homebuyers begin the buying process online and, of those, over half will drive by a home they saw online. That means that over half of your prospective home purchasers could make a decision on your house by what they can see from the street. Every part of your home’s exterior from the front entryway to the yard, driveway, sidewalk, walls, and windows can make an impression.

You probably won’t be able to update or polish every aspect of your home’s exterior, so what should you prioritize?

• • • • • •  Cut back tree’s and shrubs: Trees and shrubs should accent and enhance your house, not hide it. With a good eye, the right tools and a little time, basic shrub and tree trimming and pruning can yield impressive “curb appeal” results.
          •  Manicure your lawn: Keep your lawn freshly mowed, trimmed and edged. Give it special attention before weekend showings. If you don’t have the time or the inclination to do it yourself, consider hiring a reliable, professional yard service to keep your lawn show ready.
          •  Plant some color: Flowering plants are a quick, inexpensive and effective way to make your home look bright, fresh and inviting. Get advice as to which plants do best given the time of year and the amount of daily sunlight they will receive.
          •  Paint the house:Painting an entire house can be expensive, but may be justified if the current paint is in bad shape or the colors are simply dated. From a curb appeal standpoint, painting only the trim can give your home a fresh, clean, updated appearance for considerably less than the cost of painting the entire home. Color choice is key (whether painting the entire house or just the trim); a professional color consultant can help you select the color scheme that will likely appeal to the most buyers.
          • Clean the roof and gutters:Buyers notice roofs, and it goes beyond curb appeal. The roof is a major home maintenance and expense item. Tree branches on the roof, clogged, sagging, gutters and algae growth detract from the home’s appearance and give the impression of the roof (and the home itself) being neglected. Clean debris from the roof and gutters, have any moss or algae growth removed and reattach any loose gutters.
          • Freshen walkways and driveways: Pressure wash brick and concrete walkways, patios and drives. Put a fresh coat of sealant on black top driveways. 
          • Freshen walkways and driveways: Pressure wash brick and concrete walkways, patios and drives. Put a fresh coat of sealant on black top driveways. 
          • Address your mailbox: Your mailbox is one of the first things a buyer may notice. If the box is on a wood post, freshen the stain or paint the post a neutral color. If the mailbox itself has seen better days, replacing it is fairly easily and inexpensive.
          • Address your mailbox: Your mailbox is one of the first things a buyer may notice. If the box is on a wood post, freshen the stain or paint the post a neutral color. If the mailbox itself has seen better days, replacing it is fairly easily and inexpensive.
          • Your Front Door:Your front door is the first thing that buyers will see before walking into your home. You want to start with a good first impression. You want to make sure the front door’s paint isn’t peeling, or weathered. Major dings or dents are a no-no. Hardware like door handles should be in good condition, and weatherstripping should be intact, and most homeowners can fix those issues themselves.

2. Declutter & Staging Your Home

Before you can successfully show off your house to anyone (or even take listing photos) you need to ensure you have a home that people will want to live in: one that’s well organized and filled with ample storage space. To help, we’ve put together a list the most important places to de-clutter as you prepare to sell your home. And though we can’t promise it’ll shorten the length of time your home spends on the market, we can assure you it’ll make the staging process go a whole lot smoother.

3. Have a Clean & Tidy Home

Most people expect you to clean the home before closing the deal. But also, a lovely and clean home can leave a favorable impression on every potential buyer. Remember that they will be poking around and looking through every inch of your home, searching for every detail.

While you could sell a house in poor condition and messy, it might be a bad financial decision. Unless you are selling your home “as is,” keeping it in top shape is important to raise the asking price.

4. Small Touch Up’s and Repairs

It is easy to miss a lot of the wear and tear that happens to your house over the years. But when you start thinking about selling, the state of your home becomes much clearer. You know that there are things that need to be fixed and cleaned up. However, you only have so much money and time to make repairs. So, what should you fix?

           1. Paint: Paint is one of the cheapest, easiest ways to update the look of your home before you list it. And you don’t need to be a professional painter to make this work for you, either. Watch a few videos online, pick your colors and go to town!

          2. Exterior: The exterior is the first thing buyers will see, so you want it to look good. Replace missing fence boards, add sod if the yard is looking the worse for wear, and clean up any junk that may have accumulated in the yard or on the outside of any storage sheds.

         3. Lighting: Lighting can make even the smallest home seem open and inviting. You want to maximize the perception of space, so you will want to take advantage of the many lighting options now available. You can learn more about lighting different spaces online and find a variety of affordable lighting options that will be far superior to the current overhead or stand lights in your house.

         4. Functionality: Go to your home and make sure everything works as it should – from the small things like doorknobs and locks to bigger stuff like your garage door.Everything doesn’t have to be new for a home to be desirable to buyers, but all the functional aspects of the home must be in good working order to fetch the best price. A few broken components are all it takes to start driving the price down, so get them fixed.

        5. Flooring: Bad flooring can quickly turn away home buyers because it’ll be one of the first things they notice when entering your house. Costs to replace flooring mainly depend on the material that you choose.

       6. Water Stains: You’ve learned to live with the results of a long-fixed plumbing snafu, but for buyers, a water stain suggests there could be a dozen pesky problems hidden beneath the surface. That’s why this is one of the things to do before putting your house on the market.

5. Depersonalize The Home

As hard as it sounds, you need to depersonalize the house to sell it. Try to see it through a stranger’s eyes and think zero clutter, warm wall palettes, soft textures, and small bursts of color—you’re aiming for neutral, but still charming!

Depersonalizing your home is overwhelming, we know. So, what are a few things to focus on when depersonalizing your home? 

• • • • • • Remove personal photos and family portraits
          • Start taking down those prized trophies, awards and framed certificate
          • Pack up your ‘collections’
          • Put away toys and sporting or exercise equipment. They are also considered personal items
          • De-personalize your bathrooms
          • Remove magnets from your fridge 

When you live in a home, especially for a long time, it’s easy to overlook the things that can make or break an offer. Selling your home is about taking an objective look from a buyer’s point of view. Remove yourself and your memories from the equation, and imagine that you are seeing your home for the first time.