IN North Allegheny Winter 2019 | Page 15

INDUSTRY INSIGHT REAL ESTATE SPONSORED CONTENT ADVICE FROM YOUR LOCAL EXPERT REAL ESTATE AGENTS: DAN & DAWN U’REN Successfully Selling Your Home in the Winter Months M uch like preparing for an important job interview— where you plan what you are going to wear to make a great first impression, you do some research on the prospective company and interviewer so that you are armed with knowledge, and you practice how you may answer those anticipated interview questions—a little planning and preparation to place your home front and center stage on the market can be a worthwhile process in the long run. Here are some simple steps to plan for success in selling your home: • Visit some open houses in your area. This will give you basic market knowledge on price ranges and also how your home compares with the other homes that you will be competing for buyers with. • Pack, donate, or purge. You want to stage your home to look its best and make that great first impression, not only for the photos but when buyers tour. Decluttering is always a great way to start, and since you will be moving it will make life easier if you are presented with a 30 to 45-day closing on your offer! Place packed moving boxes in a storage area of your home or rent a storage unit for the items you want to take. Throw out the items that need to go, and donate the items that can help others! Too much stuff in the rooms or closets can make these areas appear smaller than they really are. • Give your home a good cleaning. Buyers will notice! You want your home to show like a shiny penny and little things like cleaning windows, woodwork and wiping down appliances can make a difference. Try thinking about keeping the home “at the ready” so that if you get a call that a buyer would like to see your home that afternoon, you can easily tidy up in 15-20 minutes and be good! Enlist the kids to be helpers with their rooms—one idea is a hamper in their rooms where they can quickly toss items from the floor. • Keep your outdoors as inviting as your indoors. Many times buyers will do a drive-by on your home before scheduling an appointment, so put a little time into lawn care and if you do not have flower beds, seasonal potted plants near your entry or lawn lamp post are a splash of color and beauty! Are your shutters and front door looking a little tired? Freshen them up quite inexpensively with a fresh coat of paint! When it comes to buying or selling your home... experience does matter! Give us a call, let our combined 38 years of real estate experience work for you! Dan and Dawn U’Ren We hope these tips help! Please contact us with real estate questions or for a market analysis of your home. Happy Selling! – Dawn & Dan U’Ren Dan 412.600.7329 [email protected] Dawn 412.915.0424 [email protected] Office 412.367.3200 The Preferred Realty NORTH ALLEGHENY ❘ WINTER 2019 13