Avoid These 8 Mistakes to Sell for Top Dollar in Portland


Selling your Portland home? Check out our free home value report
Buying a Portland home? Search all homes for sale

Welcome back to part two of my home-staging video. I'm going to be discussing some common mistakes that buyers make when they stage their home. If you play your cards right in the process, you can see a nice return when you sell your home. Hopefully these tips can help you sell your Portland property for a little extra this spring!

Numbers one through four were discussed last week:
  1. Being too personal. You don't want people to walk into a room and be able to identify the type of person living in it. 
  2. Pack away your personal items. You don't want your potential buyers distracted by photos and other belongings of yours. Your home should stand out to them, not your collection of sports memorabilia. 
  3. Don't paint with dark colors. Darker colors make rooms feel smaller, and we always suggest colors that are light and bright. Earth tones seem to be popular right now, and they tend to be more inviting colors for buyers. 
  4. Not taking advantage of natural light. You want every window of your house open and light shining in. Buyers like to see homes that are well-lit, and opening up your windows and letting the light come inside is a very simple and easy way to improve the look and feel of your home. A lot of buyers want nice natural lighting in their home.
  5. Thinking more is better. Remove any large furniture that you have in your home. It will make the room feel smaller and it can clog up traffic in your home when buyers are viewing it. 
  6. Forgetting the fixtures. Make sure every fixture in your home works and that every light has a fresh bulb. This is also a small pet-peeve that can really irritate some buyers during a viewing. Bright houses always sell.
  7. Having pets at home. I love animals, but not when I'm trying to sell a home. They bring along odors and can cause unsightly stains. Remove any litter boxes from your home or kennels that are left out. Try to make it appear as if no pets are in your home. 
  8. Neglecting the exterior: Buyers are beginning to care more and more about outdoor spaces of properties. Buyers are drawn into your home by what it looks from the outside, so paint your front door, mow your lawn, plant some flowers, and make sure that it looks as inviting as possible. I might even recommend power washing the sides of your home as well as your driveway. 
Hopefully, these eight tips can help you sell for top dollar this summer in Portland! If you have any questions about these topics, please don't hesitate to contact me!

Thanks for watching, and stay tuned!

Avoid These Mistakes to Sell for Top Dollar in Portland


Selling your Portland home? Check out our free home value report
Buying a Portland home? Search all homes for sale

Now is the time to list your home for sale in Portland, so I wanted to speak about some common mistakes that people make when staging their homes. I'll discuss four mistakes in this video, and then there will be another follow-up video where I will discuss four more mistakes being made.

  1. Being too personal. You don't want people to walk into a room and be able to identify the type of person living in it. 
  2. Pack away your personal items. You don't want your potential buyers distracted by photos and other belongings of yours. Your home should stand out to them, not your collection of sports memorabilia. 
  3. Don't paint with dark colors. Darker colors make rooms feel smaller, and we always suggest colors that are light and bright. Earth tones seem to be popular right now, and they tend to be more inviting colors for buyers. 
  4. Not taking advantage of natural light. You want every window of your house open and light shining in. Buyers like to see homes that are well-lit, and opening up your windows and letting the light come inside is a very simple and easy way to improve the look and feel of your home. A lot of buyers want nice natural lighting in their home.

Hopefully, these tips have been helpful if you plan on buying or selling this summer. We'll be coming back in a few weeks with tips 5-8.

Thanks for watching, and stay tuned!

Avoid These Six Buyer Mistakes for a Smooth Transaction


Selling your Portland home? Check out our free home value report
Buying a Portland home? Search all homes for sale

As we head into the buying and selling season, I thought I'd give my home buyers some tips for when they set out on the market. Now is a great time to buy a home, but it's important to make sure you're avoiding these mistakes.

  1. Borrowing the maximum amount: You need to set a realistic budget because there are a lot of hidden fees when you purchase a home. You need to be able to afford the costs of maintenance, insurance, HOA fees, and a fund for when something absolutely catastrophic happens. Hopefully, you will never need this, but you never know. You want to be able to comfortably afford a home, not live paycheck to paycheck.
  2. Not Planning Ahead: You need to take into consideration what your home will be worth when you go to sell it in a few years. Are you next to a busy street? Do you need new carpet or a new roof? You want to sell your home for more than you bought it for, and that will take some planning.
  3. Get Pre-approved for a loan: You need to get approved for a loan even before you go out and start looking for a home. Sellers probably won't even consider you as a buyer if you can't prove that you can buy the home. Getting approved will also allow you to figure out what you can afford to buy, so you won't be wasting time looking at homes that you cannot afford.
  4. Indecision: Our market is moving very quickly, so you need to be able to make decisions quickly if you find a home that you really like. Don't let someone else buy your dream home!
  5. Checking only online sources for mortgage programs: We believe that it's best to have a face-to-face relationship with your lender. This ensures proper communication between you and your lender, and that is really important during the closing period.
  6. Debt to income ratio: You really need to pay attention to this. Don't think about going out and buying a new car or new furniture that could ruin your debt to income ratio and disqualify you for a loan. I've seen people spoil their ability to close by doing this, so please budget wisely during your closing period.

We would love to talk to you further about these items. If you have any questions about this, please don't hesitate to contact us. 

As always, consider us your #1 resource for real estate in Portland!