5 things to get your home sold fast in 2016.

#1—Meet with Brent Hyland

Brent Hyland has been working as a Coldwell Banker real estate agent in the Clarendon Hills area for over the past 10 years. What sets him apart from the rest of the pack?

• No. 1: He is highly invested in making his customers happy.
• No. 2: His experience with a wide range of real estate markets enables him to analyze your home and uniquely market it.
• No. 3: Brent is a licensed general contractor and owner of Hyland Homes—offering customers custom home remodel solutions, which in turn can pinpoint exact areas to address before putting your home on the market.

#2—Devise a Plan

Are you upgrading, downsizing, moving to another city/state, or moving for financial reasons? Whatever the reason may be, start thinking about where your next steps will be and work with Brent to get yourself off onto the right path so that when your offer comes knocking on your door you aren’t left scrambling.

Other things to consider in your plan is when are you prepared to list and sell? Do you have youngsters in school that you don’t want to disturb (if moving out of the school district)? Do you have plans that you wouldn’t want disrupted with a quick sale?

#3—Repairs, Updates, Repairs

Now is the best time to fix that leaky faucet, paint that dingy mudroom, or upgrade your appliances—what makes someone buy a house even quicker is a state-of-the-art range. Perhaps your updates and repairs aren’t so easy to pin-point… Don’t stress! Brent will guide you in deciding what must be done to get your home market ready, to what could wait for that buyer who wants to update/upgrade to their own style.

Typical upgrades/updates include but aren’t limited to kitchens, bathrooms, painting, leaks, and roof repairs. Don’t let buyers create a list of reasons not to buy your home!

#4—Clean & Organize

This cannot be said enough. Buyers want to envision how they would live in the home not how you live in the home. This is probably one of the most effective and a “must-do” for those looking to list their home.

It is the beginning of the year, so get ready to check off one of your new years’ resolutions early by taking this opportunity to weed through wardrobes, kids’ toys, etc. and donate to a local organization—you’ll feel a lot lighter, clutter-free, and physically ready to make that next step—packing!

Don’t think you are ready to part with anything just yet? Store unused items in your attic and basement. Or if you don’t have the room, try a local storage unit, which can also be a great way to store extra furniture to make your home appear more spacious, if space is an issue.

#5—Trigger Time

Yes, that means going through all of the necessary steps to get your home listed. Get ready to pull together your home’s paperwork, including a run down of recent repairs/renovations, manuals, warranties, that will show potential buyers you mean business and that your home has been taken care of through and through.

Next steps are listing photos, planning and scheduling open houses and any necessary arrangements for pet care if applicable.

Phew! Now onto announcing to your friends and family that your home is up for grabs!