Make More Money when Selling Your Home - Increase your Bottom Line

Selling your home is one of those times in life where you are in a position to receive one of the largest sums of money that can be personally accumulated in a lifetime. We all want to increase that bottom line. There are some tips to look at, to possibly get even a few more thousand dollars tan you might have otherwise when selling your home.

1. Increasing Curb Appeal Many people realize the value of increasing the curb appeal on a home and act on it. When prospective buyers are driving by, this is their first impression. Its obvious this can make or break a sale at all, but it can also help in more people being interested and getting possibly higher bids on your home. The goal is to encourage them to look closer, and really explore the possibility of buying your home over another.

Remove any and all clutter like things around the yard. Keep your lawn mowed, the bushes nicely manicured. Sweep any walkways, and get rid of dead trees and try to look at your home with a new critical eye like a buyer would. Showcase the house itself. Don't get rid of too much in the way of trees or shrubs/landscaping because people may love that too. If you spend money doing these things, save the receipts. Fixing up shutters, replacing roof shingles, looking at the siding, etc are all good things to do.

2. Before listing your house, ask for a complimentary market analysis on the house from real estate firms. You can get one or a few, and it will be helpful. It is done when an agent comes and visits your home to to compare it with other recently sold homes in the neighborhood and area. It's a free service and usually with no obligation. You can also hire a professional appraiser to do this and that is very helpful, but can cost a little more. It is worth it to many people.

3. Keep things Clean It is so much easier to sell a home that is both attractive and clean. It can be a huge turn off, even if people love the home itself, to find that it has been dirty and not taken care of over the years. If the current situation is such that they didn't even clean it to show it, that is a problem. Other basics include things like changing soiled carpet if necessary, repainting, taking care of leaky faucets, fixing nicks in the paneling, dealing with broken tiles, etc. Giving a feeling of spaciousness is important. Organizing closets and tidying in general is a must. You want to show a clean, clutter free, bright and cheery home as much as you are able.

4. Be ready for people to come looking at your home. Don't have people around if you can help it. Make plans for children and pets to be out of the way or busy with other things so people can look around. Letting the real estate agent do all the talking is smart, but try being gone altogether. It is just smart business and a good rule of thumb to have the least amount of contact between buyers and sellers. You may be amazed at what can jeopardize a sale.

5. Look over any offers very carefully. Don't sign before considering everything. Negotiating the best deal you can help provide money for your retirement possibly, helping a child through school, etc. Well chosen home improvements can definitely aid in helping to sell and getting the best price possible for your home.