Home Seller's Guide

1. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
Homeowner'sGuideto
EverythingYouNeedtoKnowtoGetT
heBestValueforYourHouse

2. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
2014SELLERSGUIDE
PreparingYourHometoGetTheBestValueFromTheMarket

3. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
75%Of homebuyers
Choose location
&neighborhood
as thetwo
most important

4. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
FACTORSYOUCANCONTROL
Pricingisacrucialcomponentofpreparingapropertytosell;getti
ngitrightthefirsttimewilloftenyieldgreaterresults.
Location Location,whileextremelyimportantforbuyers,it’
simpactedbythingsoutsideyourcontrol.
Neighborhood Neighborhoodisextremelyimportantforbuye
rsaswell,butyourhouseiswhereitis.
PropertyCondition Improvements,curbappeal,staging&c
leanlinessareallinyourcontrol.
$

5. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
4QUESTIONSTOASKBEFORES
ELLINGYOURHOME
Sellingyourhomeisabigfinancialandemotionaltask,whichrequireslot
sofplanning.Sobeforeyoudecidetoputyourhomeonthemarket,herea
refourquestionstoconsider.
?

6. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
WHAT’SMYHOMEWORTH
?
Severalfactorsgointodeterminingyourhome
’smarketvalue.Theseincludetheconditionoft
heproperty,squarefootage,location,ameniti
es,aswell as
recentcomparablepropertysales.Forasnapsh
otofyourhome’scurrentvalue,youcanenter
youraddressintoafreeonlinevalue
estimatortool.
Alternatively,youcanlook
atarecentpropertytaxbilltogetyourhome’st
axassessedvalue,whichisapercentageofyou
rhome’sfairmarketvalue.Ifyouknowyourstate’
sassessmentrate(whichisusuallybetween80
and90percent),youcanestimatefairmarketv
alue
1

7. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
HOWCANISELLITFORTHE
HIGHESTPRICE?
Thereareseveralsimple,low-
costthingsyoucandotoboostthevalueof
yourhome.
Theseincludeeliminatingclutter,washingwi
ndowsandwalls,andinstallinghigherwatta
gebulbstocreateabrighterenvironment.L
argerprojects,likeaddingbedroomsandren
ovatingkitchensand
bathrooms,typicallyyieldmoresubstantialin
creasesinsalesprice.Stagingyourhome,whic
hhelpspaintapictureforhowbuyerswilluse
theirnewspace,canalsoaddvalue.
2

8. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
HOW LONGWILL
ITTAKEFORMYHOUSETO
SELL?
Thetimeyourhomespendsonthemarketdep
endsonseveralfactors,includinglocation,ho
wcompetitivelyyourhomeispriced,andhow
aggressivelyyourhomeismarketed.Statisti
csshowthatifahomeisproperlypriced,anoff
ershouldcomeinwithinthefirst12showing
s.
Ifyouwanttospeedupthesalesprocess,don’tu
nderestimatethevalueofstaging.Researchsho
wsthatwell-
stagedhomescansellupto32percentfasterth
anhomesthataren’tstaged.
3

9. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
WILLANAGENTHELPMEA
CCOMPLISHMYGOALS?
Arealestateagentcanhelpwithallaspectsoft
hesellingprocess,frompricingtomarketingt
ohandlingtheintricaciesofclosing.
Hiringaprofessionalwhoisexperien
cedinyourareaandcanhelpyoupositionyou
rpropertytogetthehighestandbestpriceisy
ourtickettoasuccessful
sale.Inasellers’
market,gettingthepropertyundercontr
actisonlyhalfthebattle,gettingitclosedi
swhatmakesadifference.
4

10. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
ASELLERSGUIDETOIMP
ROVEMENTS
Asasellerintoday’scompetitivehousingmarket,youneedtomakesure
you’reputtingyourhome’sbestfootforwardforprospectivebuyers.
Whiletheymayseemcostlyintheshortterm,afewrepairsandrenovatio
nswillleadtoaquickersaleatoraboveyourstickerprice.Thequestion
is,whatshouldyoufix,andhow?Here’saquickguidetopre-
salehomeimprovements.

11. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
REPLACE
Somehomefeaturesarebetterreplacedcompletelythanfixedorrefurbished.Forstarters,yoush
ouldreplacecarpets,especiallyinstairwaysandhigh-trafficareas.
Thisisessentialifyouhavepets,asevenstain-
freecarpetscanholdontobadodors.(Dependingoncost,considerreplacingcarpetswithhardw
oodorlaminate:they’reeasiertokeepcleanandfetchahigherprice.)Stickwithneutralcolors,and
don’tinstallanythingtooexpensive--
afterall,there’sagoodchanceyourbuyerwillreplacethesethemselves.
Next,updatingoldlightfixturesandwindowtreatmentscangofarinmakinganoldhomeshinelik
enew.
Again,goforneutralstylingthatwillappealtoawidespectrumoftastesanddecor.Replaceoldba
throomandkitchencountertops,alongwithbuilt-inappliances:dishwashers,cooktops,etc.
Whileyoudon’thavetospringforgourmetgraniteoratop-of-the-
linestove,youshouldstillgoforstainlesssteelandname-brandquality.

12. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
REPAIR
Aworn-outroofisabadomenthatwillscarebuyersaway.Havearooferreplaceanyworn
ormissingshinglesorroofingtiles.Haveanymossorotherplantgrowthremoved.Youshouldalso
ensureproperdrainagebycheckingthatyourguttersareclear,clean,andfreshlycaulked.
Inside,takecareofanyplumbingissues.Checkandreplacethesealsonallofyourtoilets.Tightenl
eakyfaucetsandrefurbishwithnewO-
rings,gaskets,andotherparts.Checkthelinesleadingtoyourdishwasherandwashingmachine
.Besuretoaddressanyfaultywiringaswell,fixinganyproblemsocketsorswitchestoavoidpotenti
alembarrassmentduringashowing.

13. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
REFRESH
Afreshcoatofpaintcanworkwondersoneventheshabbiestrooms.Stripoffanyoldwallpaper
andfillholesfromnailsandpicturehangers,thengiveyourinteriorafreshcoat.Replacebrightcolor
swithsafershadeofwhiteorbeige.Payspecialattentiontoscuffedanddentedbaseboards,spackli
ngandrepaintingasnecessary.
It’softenagoodideatorepaintyourfrontdooraswell--
afterall,it’sthefirstdetailpotentialbuyerswillnotice.
Asfortherestoftheexterior,athoroughpower washingandwindowcleaningshouldsuffice.
Whenitcomestolandscaping,pullweedsandseedanydeadpatchesofgrass.

14. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
STAGINGYOURHOMEFORHIG
HEROFFERS
Whenpreparingtosellyourhome,it’softenagoodideatostageyourprop
erty,highlightingitsbestfeatureswithpresentationanddecor.Buthowe
xactlydoesaneffectivelystagedhomeenticebuyers?Let’sbreakdownt
hescienceofstagingandlookatsometipsforappealingtothesenses.

15. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
LIGHTING&VIEW
Therehavebeendozensofscientificstudiesonthehumanresponsetosunlight,andtheconclusi
onissimple:weneedit.Becauseofthis,whenstagingyourhomeforprospectivebuyers,youshoul
dtakestepstoletinasmuchnaturallightaspossible.Removethick,heavycurtainsandblinds,and
avoidblockingwindowswithfurniture.Uselampswithhigh-
wattagebulbstoilluminatespacesthatdon’treceivemuchoutdoorlight.
Anotherwaytoappealtobuyers’senseofsight:showthemmoreoftheroombyremovingallex
cessfurnitureandclutter.Thiswillmakeyourspacesfeelbigger.Whenitcomestopaintanddecor,
stickwithcolorsanddesignsthataremutedandgenderneutral.
Thiswillleavemoretotheimagination,allowingvisitorstocreatetheirownvisionoftheroom,i
nsteadoflimitingthemtoyours.

16. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
CLEAN&COMFORTABLE
Physicaldiscomfortcannegativelyaffectmoodandperspective,sotakecaretoensurethatyour
homeprovidesacozy,cleanenvironment.
Adjustthethermostattoensurethetemperatureisperfectbeforebuyersarrive.Makesurealloft
hesurfacesinyourhomearespotless:there’snothingworsethanputtingyourhandonatable,on
lytocomeawaywithgrimeordust.
Thesamegoesforfloors:eventhroughshoes,buyerscanfeelthedifferencebetweenacleankitc
henfloorandadirtyone.

17. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
MAKEITSOUNDGOOD
Dependingonwhereyoulive,ambientnoisefromoutsideyourhomecanbeablessingoraliability.
Ifyou’reinacity,forinstance,you’llwanttominimizestreetnoisebykeepingyourwindowsclosed.
Conversely,ifyouryardplayshosttosongbirds,youmightconsiderleavingyourwindowsopen.
Speakingofsongs,youcanalsousesoundactivelyinyourstaging.Studieshaveshownthatlisteningt
osoothingmusiccanreducestress,whilesongswithslowertemposinspireconsumerstotakethe
irtime.Byplayingsoft,slow,classicalmusic,youcanprovidebuyerswithacomfortableatmosphe
retocontemplateyourspace.Besuretokeepitsimple,quiet,andconsistent--
afterall,youdon’twanttodistractbuyersfromtheirbigdecision.

18. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
SMELLSMATTER
Fewcharacteristicswillputoffhomebuyersmorequicklythanabadodor.Ifyouhavelotsofcarpet
sorrugs,makesurethey’vebeensteamcleanedthoroughlybeforeyoustartshowingyourhome.
Getthedogorcatoutofthehouse,or,iftheymuststay,makesurethey’ve
beenbathedrecently.Openthewindowstoletfreshairinatleasttenminutesbeforebuyersarrive.
Youmayhaveheardstoriesaboutbakingcookiesorlightingscentedcandlestoenticebuyers.
Whilepleasantodorscanhaveapositiveimpact,it’simportanttokeepyoureffortssubtleandsimp
le.
Anoverpoweringsmell,nomatterhowsweet,willreducebuyers’focusandundermineyourstagi
ngefforts.

19. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
ASENSEOFHOME
Unlessyou’rehostinganopenhouse,buyers’senseoftasteisn’tlikelytoentertheequationverym
uch.For example, it’simportanttokeepbuyersfocusedonyourhome - ratherthanthe smell of
your
home.Thatsaid,somestrategicallyplacedcandiesorhomemadechocolatechipcookiesprobablyc
ouldn’thurt.

20. Kim& Kristine-Sister Realtor’s
310-737-8173|kimandkristine@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway | 3130 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 | Santa Monica, CA 90403 | Confidential
FORMOREINFORMATION
Ourjobistohelpyougetthemostvalueforyourhomeandwehavededicatedourcareerandlive
lihoodtothisgoal.
Whileitoftenseemseasyfromtheoutside,weoperateasaminimarketingagency, and
advisortogetthejobdone.
For a free home and market evaluation, please call or text: 310.737.8173
Welookforwardtomeetingyou!