Get Your Home Ready to Sell with Curb Appeal

There are many great Bakersfield area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (661) 832-2355 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

With spring approaching in Bakersfield it's time to start thinking about how to prep your house for sale in a crowded market. Obviously the best thing you can do to sell your home is have it priced correctly, but today I am talking about curb appeal. 

People Do Judge a Book by Its Cover

When someone pulls into your neighborhood to look at a home they begin judging before they even walk in the door. Your home not only needs to look great on the inside, but also from the outside. Don't forget that your home's exterior is what gets buyers in the door!

1. Make the yard as clean and neutral as possible, but add color too. Fix your sprinkler system, trim your grass and hedges, and plant flowers (even if you don't want to). Remove any cars from the driveway if possible.
2. Add Lighting Everywhere: Turn on your porch lights and let your home shine! If people cannot see your property, they will likely not buy it.
3. Make sure your home smells nice: Although it's not a pleasant topic, your home should smell as neutral as possible. Refrain from cooking with odorous ingredients like curry or cabbage. If you're a smoker, do not smoke in your home. Also, remove any pet odors or stains. You don't want your buyers to smell anything, not even pleasant odors.
4. De-personalize your Home: Your home should not be imparting your values or beliefs on to your buyers, so be sure to remove photos, posters, or artwork. Let someone imagine how they would live in this home. Plus, if you've already decided to move, it's best to get the clutter out of the home anyway.

The key with prepping your home for sale is to neutralize it as much as possible. Don't project your lifestyle onto your buyers. 

These are just a few things that I've thought of, but contact me if you need any help prepping your home for sale in Bakersfield. You can reach me at (661) 617-4434 or email me at DBANDUCCI@BAKERSFIELDMAGIC.COM

Learn to compete with savvy home-buyers in Kern County

There are many great Bakersfield area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (661) 832-2355 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Kern County is seeing a large influx of listings coming onto the market. Foreclosures also appear to be declining, but are not totally out of the equation. The good news is that there has also been a large increase in home construction.

What this means for buyers in the market:
Home inventory levels are higher than usual, so buyers are able to picky when choosing a house.

What this means for sellers in the market:
While you're gaining equity right now, your home could sit flat on the market if the pricing is incorrect. Because of a shortage in housing, sellers mistakenly thought that they could ask for any price, and desperate buyers would pay. However, this is not the case. Buyers have become much savvier with so many resources on the internet like Zillow or Remax.com, and they are making their own comparisons and prices. Buyers are now able to gauge prices based off of new construction, current listings, and what features they find valuable in a home.

Bottom Line:
Pricing is key to get the most money for your home in the current Bakersfield real estate market.