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Selling your home in a more challenging market is more of an art, you have to set the stage.  The first step is to declutter.  Declutter every room in the house. You may need to rent storage space to store larger objects such as excess furniture. Decluttering includes your closets and garages also.  Next make sure your home is spotless. This means clean walls, floors, counters, refrigerator, everything! 

You may need to touch up or repaint some of the rooms.  Any deferred maintenance should be completed now.  You want your home to look new and inviting.  Be sure and open curtains and turn on lights right before an agent comes by to show your home. Also make sure your home smells fresh.

Have you tried zillow.com yet? This is a free website that lets you get a zestimate which is an automated estimate of value of your home.  You can try this from here on our web site.  You  simply type in your address and instant gratification.  It’s a nice tool but  frequently not very accurate. It does allow you to see other properties around you that have sold.

A “zestimate” would be more useful in areas with big subdivisions of similar homes or in a condo complex.  It’s not going to know and adjust for such things as a great ocean view, or upgrades to your home.

This can be a good tool for buyers also if you are interested in a specific neighborhood.

“Staging” does not always mean hiring a professional stager to re-do your home.  There are a number of things you or your Real Estate Agent can do yourselves.  Start with the outside as curb appeal is major in any kind of market.  Drive by your home, walk across the street to look at it and then pull up to the curb and pretend you are a buyer.  What do you see? 

Such things as a new welcome mat, new address numbers, the porch light and of course the front door are very important to make your home appealing. Is the paint in good condition?  Are the bushes trimmed and tidy and the front yard and other landscaping green and in good condition.  Make sure bushes are trimmed away from the windows to allow light inside.

Put away garbage cans, toys, sports equipment and anything else that doesn’t belong there or that doesn’t help enhance your home.   Is there enough color around the front door and front exterior of your home. Consider adding a pot of colorful flowers by the front door.

These sound like small things, but can considerably enhance the look of your home. Read my section on tips for Sellers for other ideas.

An individual can exclude (not pay taxes) on up to $250,000 profit on a home if he/she has lived in the home for two of the last five years.  If you file a joint return you can exclude up to $500,000 in most cases.  The home must be or have been your primary residence.  Any gain/profit on the sale of your house above these amounts are taxable.  You will be able to deduct most items related to the sale of your home as well as any capital expenditures. The Internal Revenue Service has several publications that may be of interest to you.  If you don’t meet the two out of five years rule for living in your home - there can be a partial exemption in some cases such as having to relocate for a job, health reasons, etc. .  Consult a good accountant before you sell your home!