What it takes to sell on house in today's market.

Hi, This is Carol Skees of RE/MAX Elite in Albuquerque, NM, and I am a member of the Institute of Luxury Home Marketing.

There are currently about 6,700 homes on the market in the Albuquerque area, and a bunch of these houses have been on the market for a long time. If you want to sell your homes, and not just keep it picture perfect every minutes of the day, here is a list of must do’s.

Make your home feel like the most welcoming house on the block so buyers fall in love as soon as they open the front door. You need a “Wow” factor within the first 5 seconds.

Remove all the clutter from the house and yards. If you don’t want to have the item in your new home, now is the time to get rid of it. Pack up and store anything you won’t need until you are in your next home, for example store your Christmas decorations if you are putting you home on the market is March. Rent a storage unit, and put the items you packed in the storage unit. Garages need to look spacious too, so don’t clutter the garage, clean it up. Closets should make the homebuyer thing “there is room to put my clothes in here”.

Clean the houses thoroughly, including windows, exterior, interior walls, floors, and vigas (if you have them) everything needs to shine. Stainless steel sinks can be made to shine it just takes a lot of elbow grease, appliances need to be clean (inside and out) and be free of fingerprints. Clean carpets and make sure there are no remaining spots or odors. Cleanup the yard, and add some pretty flowers at the front door, if time of year allows.

Have a home inspector review the property and prepare a report, I personally use HouseMasters in Albuquerque because they do a thorough job. Better to know what repairs are needed (and make them) before you are dealing with a purchase offer. A top-notch inspection gives you a clear picture of the condition of your home.

Have the house staged to show off the best features of the home. People want to see how the home will look. Think about how you feel when you walk into a model home verses an empty home – the same house can look very different. The home stager will make suggestions including perhaps storing some of your pieces and renting some other pieces.

Establish a market price based on strategic market position and the homes that sold in the last six months. Do you rely on a competitive market analysis that strictly prices your home like the other homes on the market in your area. If you want to sell your home, it needs to be strategically price to sell – remember you don’t want to have to keep your home in perfect condition for six months or maybe a year --- you want to sell it and move to your new home.

Hire a professional to market your home. A Realtor, on average, will save you 9% on the sell of your home. Have the Realtor provide professional pictures and a virtual tour that reflect the best parts of your home.