Sell a Home

Selling Tips
Sell Your
Home Fast

Home Staging
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the Professionals

We sell Northeast Indiana

Selling your home can be a very emotional experience whether you've lived there for 2, 10 or 20 years, it's where you and your family have grown and shared life's memories. As a family-oriented, company nobody understands families better than Brian Peterson Real Estate!

Brian Peterson Real Estate

We can help home sellers understand buyer expectations and establish realistic pricing for your home under the current market conditions. Our goal is to leverage our knowledge and experience to help you get the best price the market will support while still selling your home in a reasonable period of time.

Make a Great First Impression

Brian Peterson Real Estate agents are experienced professionals who can help you get the most from your home. Our realtors® can help you assess your property and make suggestions that will help you sell your home faster and at the best possible selling price.

Professional Photography

There is nothing like the right photograph which sparks the interest of the right prospective buyer. Our in-house photographer is trained to take the right pictures of your house, highlighting what buyers are looking for. Aerial photography and videography will attract more prospective buyers by showcasing views from new heights—a new standard in our marketing.

Optimized Online Viewing

Our listings are posted to the IRMLS - a portal for thousands of agents who can send their clients listings that fit their criteria. The average agent has between 10-25 prospective buyers who would view a listing if the criteria met their needs. That's over 500,000 prospects connected through the MLS alone.

Social Media Presence

Research shows that more and more buyers today are spending more time on social media. So we take advantage of that to market your listing. Our listings are posted on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram.

“ Very efficient! He doesn’t want to just sell you a house, he makes sure it is the right one for you. Goes beyond making sure everything is the way it should be. Very nice and has a great staff that keeps you informed. Very efficient! He doesn’t want to just sell you a house, he makes sure it is the right one for you. Goes beyond making sure everything is the way it should be. Very nice and has a great staff that keeps you informed. ”

~ Jeffery & Peggy Fisher

Reviewed Brian Peterson

“ Works hard to make the best deal for both parties. Works hard to make the best deal for both parties. ”

~ Red Caboose Inc/Craig H

Reviewed Bev Ganshorn

“ Brian listens to what you're looking for and delivers. He's readily available to answer questions and get things done quickly. His whole team was a delight to work with and made the (usually) stressful experience actually quite enjoyable and fun! Brian listens to what you're looking for and delivers. He's readily available to answer questions and get things done quickly. His whole team was a delight to work with and made the (usually) stressful experience actually quite enjoyable and fun! ”

~ Audrianna & John Urschalitz

Reviewed Brian Peterson

“ Very proffesional , knowledgable about real estate markets helpful staff. Very proffesional , knowledgable about real estate markets helpful staff. ”

~ Dale Burbank

Reviewed Brian Peterson

“ Brian Peterson knows the Warsaw and Kosciusko County housing markets. He’s the consummate Realtor! He cares about his clients! Brian Peterson knows the Warsaw and Kosciusko County housing markets. He’s the consummate Realtor! He cares about his clients! ”

~ J Wesley & Gail Olds

Reviewed Brian Peterson

“ Brian is knowledgeable, fast, and a great communicator! He has gone above and beyond with helping me buy my first home. Brian is knowledgeable, fast, and a great communicator! He has gone above and beyond with helping me buy my first home. ”

~ Abigail Federico

Reviewed Brian Peterson

“ Her attention to detail, willingness to assist and gather information is extraordinary. She is personal as well as professional. Her attention to detail, willingness to assist and gather information is extraordinary. She is personal as well as professional. ”

~ Michael Arnolt

Reviewed Angie Johnson Hartley

“ Angie was the perfect agent for us! She did a fantastic job explaining the process, our listing was very professionally done, she answered all of our questions through the process, and expertly helped us navigate our first time selling a home. Angie was the perfect agent for us! She did a fantastic job explaining the process, our listing was very professionally done, she answered all of our questions through the process, and expertly helped us navigate our first time selling a home. ”

~ Chad & Heidi Kreider

Reviewed Angie Johnson Hartley

Tips for Selling Your Home

Less is More. Check for clutter both inside and outside of your home. Trim the bushes, freshen up your flowerbeds and make sure to mow the yard regularly. Is the front entrance neat and presentable? Maybe the front door could use a coat of paint. If you need a list of people who can help spruce up your home - just ask the professionals from Brian Peterson Peterson Real Estate!

1. Let There Be Light

Make sure you turn on the lights both inside and outside your home at night. Show off your exciting architectural features in dramatic way. Many times a qualified prospect will want to view your home after the sun sets - give them a lasting impression that says buy me!

2. Make Everything Look Big

Clean out closets. Remove clutter from rooms. Rearrange the furniture to enhance room size and traffic flow. Need Help? Ask your Brian Peterson agent, they can recommend many qualified decorators who can make your home easier to sell and on a budget too.

3. Disassociate Yourself With Your Home

Say to yourself, "This is not my home; it is a house -- a product to be sold much like a box of cereal on the grocery store shelf.
Make the mental decision to "let go" of your emotions and focus on the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours.
Picture yourself handing over the keys and envelopes containing appliance warranties to the new owners!
Say goodbye to every room.
Don't look backwards -- look toward the future.

4. De-Personalize

Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms. Buyers can't see past personal artifacts, and you don't want them to be distracted. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and they can't do that if yours are there! You don't want to make any buyer ask, "I wonder what kind of people live in this home?" You want buyers to say, "I can see myself living here."

5. Rearrange Bedroom Closets and Kitchen Cabinets

Buyers love to snoop and will open closet and cabinet doors. Think of the message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about you if she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well. This means:

Alphabetize spice jars.
Neatly stack dishes.
Turn coffee cup handles facing the same way.
Hang shirts together, buttoned and facing the same direction.
Line up shoes.

6. Consider Renting a Storage Unit

Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Since your bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room's purpose and plenty of room to move around. You don't want buyers scratching their heads and saying, "What is this room used for?"

7. Remove/Replace Favorite Items

If you want to take window coverings, built-in appliances or fixtures with you, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it, they won't want it. Once you tell a buyer they can't have an item, they will covet it, and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary.

8. De-Clutter!

If you don't need it, why not donate it or throw it away?
Remove all books from bookcases.
Pack up those knickknacks.
Clean off everything on kitchen counters.
Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use.
Think of this process as a head-start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway.
Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.
Patch holes in walls.
Fix leaky faucets.
Fix doors that don't close properly and kitchen drawers that jam.
Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have grown accustomed to purple or pink walls. (Don't give buyers any reason to remember your home as "the house with the orange bathroom.")
Replace burned-out light bulbs.
If you've considered replacing a worn bedspread, do so now!

What Is Home Staging?

It's how David Copperfield would sell a house. It's beyond decorating and cleaning. It's about perfecting the art of creating moods. Staging makes your house look bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, more loving and, best of all, it makes home buyers want to buy it.

Contrary to what you might think, it's about more than preparing the house for sale. Staging is what you do after you've cleaned, de-cluttered, painted, made minor repairs; it's all about dressing the house for sale.

How Much Does it Cost?

Prices vary depending on where you live and the local demand for professional home staging. Coastal areas and large metropolitan cities where home staging has been prevalent for years command higher prices. Some real estate agents help sellers stage the home themselves. Most listing agents agree, however, that vacant homes show better with staging and will encourage sellers to hire a professional stager. Fees range from $500 to $5,000 or more, depending on square footage and the number of rooms staged.

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