St. Cloud homeowners have ample reason to expect to attract bids that reflect the recent run-up in U.S. real estate prices, but that alone shouldn’t lull them into complacency as they prepare their property for entry into the St. Cloud listings. That’s a real estate truism—even in a well-defined seller’s market. For area homeowners who see tens of thousands (or hundreds of thousands!) of dollars more in market value indicated by recent comparable sales, it’s tempting to then assume that little preparation will be needed to achieve similar results. Not true.

The value of thorough preparation to show off any property continues to make a substantial difference at the signing table. Since the word “thorough” may be too vague to be of much value, here is an abbreviated listing of actionable tips that appeared recently on the Bankrate.com website as “10 tips to sell your home for more money.” The “10” is probably arbitrary (it’s an often-queried number)—but these can be pared down into a shorter tip list:

1.      Use a trusted real estate agent. Bankrate’s first tip can’t be condensed further.

2.      Be willing to invest where results can be expected. This combines four of the tips: Invest in Value-Adding Improvements, Stage your Home, Up Your Curb Appeal, and Get a Pre-listing Inspection. Although many improvements can’t be shown to result in a dollar-for-dollar boost in the bottom line, carefully weighed investments can!

3.      Highlight with pro photos. The aforementioned ‘trusted real estate agent’ will be sure that important factor is first-rate.

4.      Use Your Head and Not Your Heart can be combined with tip #7: Set the Right Asking Price. In some cases, that might seem to open the door to a less-than-best result, but in the right circumstances, the carefully-considered attractive asking price can immediately draw multiple enthusiastic buyers who bid up the winning offer.

5.      Remove Personal Items can be combined with Tip #9: Be Ready to Move Fast. A well-presented property (whether or not professionally staged) is by definition free of clutter and personality-neutral. Winnowing away all the excess “stuff” that accumulates in any house makes the move after the sale a lot easier.

Recruiting a trusted St. Cloud real estate agent will do wonders to organize and coordinate all your pre-sale efforts. Call me when you are ready to hear more! 

Providing a superior level of informed, professional real estate services to buyers and sellers throughout Central Minnesota. We have agents specializing in residential, commercial, multifamily, new construction, existing, investment properties, foreclosures/REO, and short sales with offices located in:

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Saint Cloud 320-259-4554

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