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You’re ready to take the plunge and sell your home. Here’s the million-dollar question: is your home ready?
You want the selling process to be as easy and stress-free as possible. The Locate KC team, part of ReeceNichols Real Estate, has the same goal. The nine-person team—seven partners, two associates—offers nearly a century of combined experience. In short: they know how to effectively sell homes (and help buyers, too).
Two members of the Locate KC team—Tom Suther and Becky Loboda—recently sat down with IN Kansas City to share six must-do things before you list your home.
1. Deep clean. And that means every part of your home—baseboards, light fixtures, shelves, even the silverware drawer. In fact, Suther recommends hiring a cleaning service to do the work.
2. Declutter. “If you have a shelf with eight things on it, we want to see two,” says Becky Loboda with Locate KC. Think of it this way: you’ll get a head start on your packing! This is another area where you might want to call in a professional who, as Suther explains, can assess your space with a neutral eye.
3. Paint. You don’t necessarily need to change colors, although you might consider it if your home is sporting some outdated hues. The key is to freshen the paint and eliminate any scuffs, scratches or nicks. “Painting is about the cheapest thing a homeowner can do to refresh their home,” Suther says.
You’re halfway through Locate KC’s tips and likely amassing a sizable to-do list. This is where working with a team like Locate KC gives sellers a significant advantage. Instead of following a traditional real-estate team structure, Locate KC operates more like a law firm. “Everyone on the team has a stake in our listings,” Suther says. “And everyone has an area of expertise. When you list your home with us, you have an entire team working on your behalf to help with marketing, staging, and pricing, among other services. Working collaboratively like this allows us to serve clients at the highest level.”
4. Stage. Your home is clean and sparkling—now, it’s time to stage. Loboda says there are two people on the Locate KC team with impressive staging skills—one of whom are always on-hand for photo shoots. Not only do you want an optimal balance of furniture and decor; you also want to make sure elements of the room won’t unintentionally distract prospective buyers, such as a loudly patterned comforter or duvet.
5. Sharpen curb appeal and improve the first impression. They say a first impression is the most important—and that’s especially true for real estate. Loboda and Suther suggest going outside your home’s front door and carefully examining the door, the entry and the surrounding landscaping. Do you need to paint or re-stain your door? Add mulch or freshen your landscaping? Clear any clutter that’s accumulated on or near your front porch? “First impressions matter so much to prospective buyers, and that impression starts at your front door,” Loboda says.
6. Brighten the basement. Want to know a real estate secret? People are often scared of basements, something that Locate KC sees a lot because they sell a lot of older homes. Consider cleaning and painting your unfinished basement—walls and floors. Check to make sure all light sources are working and add more light as needed. Another important tip, especially if you’ve had recent heavy rainfall: make sure your basement is dry!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed about preparing your home for the real-estate market, you’re not alone. And you have someone—nine someones, to be exact—in your corner and ready to help.
“We’re the vendor who knows all of the vendors that can help with painting, cleaning, landscaping, staging, organizing—whatever you need,” Suther says. “We know how to get the best people to help you.”
Not only that, but Locate KC can create a schedule with weekly tasks so that you know what you need to take care of in the weeks leading up to your listing going live.
“We do that all of the time,” Loboda says.
Visit Locate KC’s website to meet the rest of the team and explore new listings. You can also contact them to talk more about your buying or selling needs. Whatever real estate help you need, Locate KC can provide it—or find the perfect person to assist. That’s the service-minded mentality that’s not only helped Locate KC succeed, but also create and nurture a family dynamic.
“We’re all good friends who enjoy each other’s company,” Suther says. “We enjoy spending time together, both personally and professionally, and meet for lunch several times a week. We also have a high level of trust in each other and love what we do.”
