By Melissa Dorman, March 17, 2021
Most sellers think that “location” sells their home. Well, this isn’t exactly wrong, but you also can’t do anything about the location of your home. Here are some actionable ideas to help your home sell quickly and for more!
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PREPARE
- Organize and de-clutter – you’re going to pack anyway so you might as well get started! Consider leasing a storage garage or POD so you can create as much space in your home as possible.
- Depersonalize – you want the buyers looking at your house, not your family pictures and memorabilia, trying to figure out if they know you somehow.
- Maintenance – if you know something is broken, fix it. Replace worn toilet seats or banged up screens, patch holes in drywall, etc.
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PRESENTATION
- Curb Appeal – If the weather permits, put out a container or two of bright flowers, and make sure the lawn is well tended and free of weeds or debris. Spread some bark dust, edge the lawn, and consider putting a new coat of paint on the exterior of you home.
- Bright & Spacious– open curtains and blinds so light can stream inside, make sure the entryway is spacious as possible so buyers and their Realtor can get inside and begin their tour. Don’t park in the driveway!
- Clean -Your home has to be immaculate, organized, and sparkling clean. Ensure there aren’t any lingering odors from food, pets, etc. If you need to, put some things in storage. Remember that buyers will open closets and doors, so keep it neat!
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PRICE
- Don’t list too high– Don’t push your agent to list your home for too high of a price. It may backfire and your home will get less attention. You can’t make a great first impression twice, if you get it wrong the first time.
- Don’t list too low – Selling is stressful and you don’t need 5o offers to sort through after the first weekend on market. It’s good to list just below value to draw a crowd to create a bidding war….but you don’t need to overwhelm yourself by going too low.
- Do a Market Analysis – Looking at recent market data of similarly comparable homes will show you what your home will likely fetch when it sells. Evaluating this data will give you the best chance of pricing your home to sell, which is what you want to do after all!
Melissa Dorman
Broker | OR & WA
She/Her
Ten years ago, Melissa was living in a slum in Kolkata, India, helping over 200 women escape sex trafficking by providing alternative work at a social business.
It was there she discovered her passion for financial education as a means of empowering people to move out of poverty. After graduating from UCLA with a Masters, Melissa spent 5 years working as a Social Worker; assisting clients facing homelessness, in jail, or at a psychiatric facility.
As much as she loved the work, imagining saving for retirement on the meager salary of a social worker was becoming grim. That's when Melissa discovered "passive income." In no time, she fell in LOVE with real estate as a vehicle for wealth. Soon after, Melissa began locating off-market multi-family properties to purchase through creative financing strategies and win-win opportunities. Two years into investing, Melissa quit her day job as a Social Worker to become a full-time broker and investor. Initially, she was drawn to people in difficult circumstances, so she developed extensive experience assisting families facing foreclosure, short sales, and probate. Melissa is well versed in helping her clients overcome complex real estate challenges.
Currently, Melissa is teamed up with Super Broker, Yascha Noonberg at Living Room Realty. Together they assist clients to achieve their real estate dreams, including how to strategically buy and sell a personal residence to maximize profits. Far from the slums of Kolkata, her greatest passion now is empowering other working professionals to develop passive forms of income through buying multi-family properties in Portland.
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- T: 503-567-4697
- melissa@livingroomre.com
