Should I Sell Now?

We have all heard the saying, "Buy low and sell high." However, with home sales in the dump these last couple of years it is hard to follow that advice if you really have to sell your home. However, National Association of Realtors just published this article today that states that existing home sales are up for the third month in a row and we are now above sales levels from a year ago. It may not be back exactly to where we would want them to be but three months of improvement sure does make me feel a bit better.

Deciding to sell your home can be a tough decision and there are lots of things you should consider. HGTV's Frontdoor (HGTV's very own website that allows you to search homes for sale!) put out an article that you can find here and it addresses many different things to think about when you  are pondering putting your home for sale. One of my favorite things in this article is the fact that a lot of people most likely forget to consider ALL the costs that go into selling a home and they list out a TON of them. For example, in today's market did you know that you may possibly need to look into making your home more green?! A lot more home buyers today are concerned with how energy efficient a home is and how much money "being green" will save them. Bet you didn't think of that....I definitely didn't!!!

So you have now read the article and are ready to put your home for sale. Have you thought about how the house should follow the five senses when showing? Wait, what's that you say?! Yes, a home that shows well is a home that appeals to all five senses. Let me give you a few tips on how to appeal to the potential home buyer on a very basal level.

• Sight: Make the home as bright as you possibly can! Open up all the blinds, turn on all the lights and make sure even the darkest corners get some love. It will make the home feel more open and larger. In this picture, all the lights are on and they even lit the pantry!

HGTV!

• Smell: You want the house to smell like it just had the deepest cleaning ever. The clean smell elicits thoughts that the house has been taken care of and the new home buyer will not have a major cleaning chore on their hands, thus not wanting to buy the home. Many real estate agents have also said to me that any home that smelled like you just baked some sort of sweet goodness has a tendency of selling faster. We all love sweets!! If you don't have time, you can always get a scented candle that makes it smell like you had all the time in the world.

• Hearing: Studies have shown that classical music can help when you are studying because it gets the brain active. I can't really explain the science behind it but they do know it helps with retention. You TOTALLY want a potential home buyer to remember your home right?!! Throw on the classical music station in the major rooms of the home and get those brain cells going. 

• Touch: We all know that home buyers are going to open cabinets, sit on couches, lean on counter tops and probably do more that we don't want to admit to. So, make sure all surfaces are clean and smooth, the couches are not covered in little crumbs from the kids crackers, and the floors are swept for those that like to take their shoes off. 

And finally, Taste. Ok, so this sense may not be used when walking through a home. (At least you hope not...that would be a little awkward!) But you can utilize this sense by actually making that cake or those cookies and leaving them for those potential home buyers. They will love them and will definitely remember your house for the nice walk through snack!