40 TOP TIPS FOR SELLINGYOUR TAMPA HOME IN 2016

Sweat the small stuff now...for great results when you’re ready to put your home on the market.

What Are Tampa home buyers looking for when house hunting for a home?

These tips were compiled from real conversations and insights from My Tampa Agent buyer clients. We have found, that this list holds true for all price points. Having more of the buyers “must –haves”

and avoiding their “deal-breakers” will be critical in achieving the best result when you sell your home.

Now that your home is looking amazing – be sure to invest in professional photography and video to show it off! (My Tampa Agent employs ONLY the best of the BEST!)

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS – CURB APPEAL

REPAINT THE HOUSE - INSIDE & OUT

Painting can be one of the least expensive preparations that can make the most impact. Have colors work in your favor instead of against you. You can never go wrong with neutrals. You want your home to feel inviting.

White trim always gives everything a crisp, fresh look.

Most homebuyers in any price range cringe when they see wallpaper in a prospective home. They anticipate a huge mess and an expensive inconvenience. Even if the buyers can see past the wallpaper, be prepared for them to overestimate the cost of removing and repainting. Many will add in some extra “hassle”bucks”! For the most positive impact, you should take it down.

If exterior painting is outside your budget, pressure washing the house and freshening up the trim is a great alternative.

12

11

10

9

Clean up your landscape and add fresh mulch and colorful flowers. Yellow has been known to evoke a buying emotion.

Trim or remove overgrown bushes and trees.

Add some decorative house numbers.

Spruce up your front door by repainting and replacing hardware and if needed add a pretty welcome mat.

Pressure wash driveway and sidewalks.

Wash or replace the porch light fixture.

Paint or replace your mailbox.

Clean out the gutters.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Buyers value bright homes with great lighting. It is one of the most requested qualities.

Remove heavy draperies.

Trim back bushes and trees to maximize the light coming in and the views.

Clean your windows.

Replace light bulb with the highest wattage allowable, Especially CFL BULBS which tend to be not as bright and warm up slowly.

MAXIMIZE THE LIGHT

My Tampa Agent provides PROFESSIONAL STAGING ADVICE at NO COST to our sellers

13

14

15

16

DE-CLUTTER

While this is the least expensive suggestion, it’s also the most impactful. It can be a very time-consuming and emotional portion of your preparation to sell. Plan ahead! If you are looking to sell during the height of a spring market, don’t wait to start cleaning a couple of weeks before. Six to twelve months ahead of time is not too early to start! Too much clutter can make a buyer feel stressed and negative while walking through your home. It also makes the rooms feel smaller. Simplified spaces evoke positive emotions and help buyers envision themselves living in your home.

Storage is something every buyer is looking for. Empty closets of items you do not need. For even better impact, if you can afford a storage area, remove anything from your home you will not need for the time your home is on the market.

Almost every home shows better with less furniture. In addition to purging some furniture, you can also rearrange pieces to show off the space. Move a table that sticks out a little too far in the entryway or a chair that disrupts a natural walkway in the house. Conversation areas around a table are warm and inviting. If there is anything you don’t want to include in the purchase - remove it now, not later!

17

18

19

You may not want to do renovations . . . but neither do buyers. The idea of giving the buyer a credit to do it themselves just doesn’t work. Even if buyers can get over the overwhelming negative connotation that the house feels old, they will want a discount for time and effort to do it.

On the contrary, buyers will pay a premium for an updated, move-in-ready home. If you aren’t up for a complete re-do of kitchen and baths, implement simple alternatives to major renovations. Some small poignant fixes can really make an impact.

RENOVATED KITCHENS AND BATHS SELL HOMES

Display pretty, fresh towels.

Update light fixtures.

Add new, stylish drawer and cabinet pulls.

Remove the big, outdated mirror and replace with a picture frame mirror. Or if you’re crafty, paint or stain moldings and add them around the perimeter to simulate the look.

Replace shower curtain to add to the updated decor.

Consider adding a seamless shower door.

Re-grout the tub and shower.

Clean the grout on your tile floors

Update drawer pulls and cabinet knobs to stainless steel or brushed nickel.

Some cabinets may benefit from being painted or re-stained. Consider re-facing if the cabinet boxes are in great shape.

Add new stainless steel appliances.

Swap out your old countertops with granite. Buyers want and expect granite, regardless of your home’s price range, ! We have some great resources that we would be happy to share with you.

Make the countertops as clear and uncluttered as possible. It’s all about space!

Consider installing an updated sink and pull-out spray faucet.

BATHROOMSKITCHENS

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

Dust blinds, light fixtures, ceiling fans and the tops of door jambs.

Use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to clean baseboards, doors and anything else!

Do minor repairs like; patching holes in walls, fixing leaky faucets, replacing cracked floor or counter tiles, fixing doors that don’t close properly, kitchen drawers that jam and replacing burned out light bulbs. If you’ve thought about replacing that worn bedspread - now’s the time.

The unfinished spaces can have as much of an impact as the stated living spaces.

Tampa homes have no basements and little usable attic space. To make your home more appealing to potential buyers relocating from the north, cleaning and organizing any unfinished spaces is important.

Painting the garage walls and concrete flooring will give the space a fresh, clean look.

MAKE SURE YOUR HOUSE IS CLEAN - NOW’S THE TIME TO MAKE IT SPARKLE!

CLEAN THE UNFINISHED SPACES

3435

36

37

It is valuable to be aware of the current inventory of homes for sale, as these homes may represent your competition (or a future comparable) when you are ready to sell. There is a finesse to pricing homes. Don’t fall into the trap of pricing high to leave a lot of negotiating room. In a high demand area like ours, setting a fair, appealing asking price can show buyers your home is a great value and can actually lead to a competitive, multi-bid situation resulting in a higher selling price.

Try not to factor in your emotional feelings for your home when evaluating its market value. Try to be objective and realistic. This strategy will give you, the seller, more control in the deal. With appraisal and inspections still to come later in the process, fair pricing can be the key in keeping buyers from being overly demanding during the upcoming phases.

Your home is worth:

• What you are willing to accept

• What a buyer is willing to pay

• What your buyers LENDER is willing to give them

Over-pricing your home, sells your neighbors home before yours.

One of the most important factors that bring buyers to a community is the school system. Even if buyers don’t have school-age kids, most savvy buyers know that a great school system is crucial for a strong resale value down the road. See how the neighboring schools compare. Whether or not these online websites and rankings truly draw an accurate picture of a school or its district, buyers are researching on these sites, finding information and making decisions based on it. You need to know what they know.

We find that most buyers use the following sites:

SCHOOLREPORTS.ORG

GREATSCHOOLS.ORG

Hillsborough Countywww.sdhc.k12.fl.us

Pinellas Countywww.pcsb.org

Pasco Countywww.pasco.k12.fl.us

It’s not a bad idea to have a licensed home inspector inspect your home. This can save you time and money in the long run. It gives you the opportunity to fix those distracting small issues, as well as remediating any larger concerns that are uncovered. Buyers can get spooked, even with small issues, especially if they are not handy people. Being preemptive and fixing these issues in advance can keep nervous buyers calm and keep your deal from falling apart. A wood destroying organism (WDO) inspection is also a good idea and if you have a pest maintenance contract, be sure to keep it in effect until after closing in case the buyer’s inspector finds some critters! Buyers expect a home to be in reasonable condition for the price they agree to pay.

KNOW THE MARKETBUYERS ARE DOING MOST OF THEIR RESEARCH ONLINE

HAVE A PRE-HOME INSPECTION

39

38

40

Jane FloydBranch Manager • NMLS #327235Direct: 813-961-3900 • Cell: 813-758-833414497 North Dale Mabry Hwy Suite 235NTampa, FL 33618jfl oyd@nfmlending.com

NFM, Inc. does business as NFM Lending. NFM, Inc. is an FHA Approved Non-Supervised Mortgagee (19951-0018-0 and 19951-0000-7), Veterans Affairs Automatic Lender (659985-00-00) under the trade name NFM Lending, approved Fannie Seller/Servicer (26859-000-5), and approved Freddie Mac Seller/Servicer (183149). NFM, Inc. is licensed as: Florida Mortgage Lender License a(MLD174) and Florida Mortgage Lender Servicer License (MLD795) under the trade name NFM Lending. NFM, Inc.’s Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) Company Identifi er Number is 2893. NFM, Inc. is not affi liated with, or an agent or division of, a governmental agency or a depository institution. Copyright © 2015.

Whether you are looking into buying a new home, building the home of your dreams, renovating your existing home or simply refi nancing your current mortgage, NFM Lending is here for any of your mortgage needs. With the products you need, competative rates and a high level of customer service, NFM Lending stands out above the rest.

Contact me today and let me show you why we are “America’s Common Sense Lender.™”

Find the BestMortgage Option for You

14007 N. Dale Mabry Hwy.Tampa, FL 33618

Local Postal Customer

PRSRT STDECRWSS

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

EDDM Retail

If your home is currently listed with another broker, this is not intended as a solicitation.Copyright 2015 My Tampa Agent @ Florida Executive Realty. • All Rights Reserved

INVITE US INWE’D BE HAPPY TO MAKE

SUGGESTIONS TO GET YOU STARTED

813-390-1424 •www.MyTampaAgent.com

WHEN YOU GET ANTHONY...You get the whole team!

ANTHONY MALAFRONTE

Team Owner of the My Tampa Agent Team

Call, email or text us 813-336-6737

info@MyTampaAgent.comwww.MyTampaAgent.com