Many home sellers believe bad advice or listen to those whose home selling experience is merely once every 10+ years.  Here are some good tips for those wanting to sell their Shreveport Bossier home for top dollar with an expert agent!

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True or false: All real estate advice is good advice? (Hint: it just depends.)

Everyone you know likely has advice about the real estate market, but not all of that unsolicited information is true or even factual.  Remember, everyone has had both bad and good experiences yet the bad ones tend be the most remembered (and spread around).  So when it comes time to list your home, you’ll need to separate fact from fiction.

Below we’ve identified some of the top real estate myths out there — and debunked them so you can hop on the fast track to selling your property.

Myth #1: I need to redo my kitchen and bathroom before selling

Truth: While kitchens and bathrooms can increase the value of a home, you won’t get a large return on investment if you do a major renovation just before selling.

Minor renovations, however, may help you sell your home for a higher price.  Replacing the Formica countertops with quartz or granite is a good idea.  Or perhaps you have older black or white appliances.  It would be a good idea to give a more freshened and clean look with stainless appliances.  This may be just the kind of bait you need to reel in that new buyer. Check out comparable listings in your neighborhood, and see what work you need to do to compete in your local market.  Remember, there are many other choices out there for a buyer.  Your job is to make them choose you!

Myth #2: My home’s exterior isn’t as important as the interior

Truth: Home buyers often make snap judgments based simply on a home’s exterior. Therefore, curb appeal is very important.

“A lot of buyers search online or drive by properties before they even enlist my services,” says Bic DeCaro, a real estate agent at Westgate Realty Group in Falls Church, VA. “If the yard is cluttered or the driveway is all broken up, there’s a chance they won’t ever enter the house — they’ll just keep driving.”

The good news is that it doesn’t cost a bundle to improve your home’s exterior. Start by cutting the grass, trimming the hedges and clearing away any clutter. Then, for less than $50, you could put up new house numbers, paint the front door, plant some flowers or install a new, more stylish porch light.

Myth #3: If my house is clean, I don’t need to stage it

Truth: Having a clean and tidy home is a good first step, but professional home stagers have raised the bar. Tossing dirty laundry in the closet and sweeping the front steps just aren’t enough anymore.

Stagers make homes appeal to a broad range of tastes. They can skillfully identify ways to highlight your home’s best features and compensate for its shortcomings. They might, for example, recommend removing blinds from a window with a great view or replacing a double bed with a twin to make a bedroom look bigger.

Of course, you don’t have to hire a professional stager. But if you don’t, be ready to use some of their tactics to get your home ready for sale — especially if staging is a trend where you live. An unstaged house will pale when compared to others on the market.

Myth #4: Granite and stainless steel appliances are old news

Truth: The majority of home shoppers still want granite counters and stainless steel appliances. Quartz, marble and concrete counters also have wide appeal.

“Most shoppers just want to steer away from anything that looks dated,” says Dru Bloomfield, a real estate agent with RE/MAX Platinum Living in Scottsdale, AZ. “When you a design a space, you need to decide if you’re doing it for yourself or for resale potential.”

She suggests that if you’re not planning to move anytime soon, decorate any way you like. But if you’re planning to put your home on the market within the next couple of years, stick to elements that have mass appeal.

“I recently sold a house where the kitchen had been remodeled 12 years ago, and everybody thought it had just been done because the owners had chosen timeless elements: dark maple cabinets, granite counters and stainless steel appliances.”

Myth #5: Home shoppers can ignore paint colors they don’t like

Truth: Moving is a lot of work, and while many home buyers realize they could take on the task of painting walls, they simply don’t want to.  There’s so much more to worry about with a move and spending the time and money to paint is not usually one of them.

That’s why one of the most important things you can do to update your home is to give it a fresh coat of neutral paint.  A few colors to consider that are very popular these days are light grays or light beige.  These neutral colors also help a property stand out in online photographs, which is where most potential buyers will get their first impression of your property.

Hiring a professional to paint the interior of a 2,000-square-foot house will cost about $3,000 to $6,000, depending on labor costs in your region. You could buy the paint and do the job yourself for $300 to $500. Either way, if a fresh coat of paint helps your home stand out in a crowded market, it’s probably a worthwhile investment.

**Ryan Wheeler is an expert RE/MAX real estate agent and military veteran serving buyers and sellers of homes in the Shreveport Bossier City area. #ryan_wheeler_expert_realtor Connect With Me