The decision has been made. You are going to sell your manufactured home. Whether you use a realtor or attempt to sell it yourself you need to begin to think the way a potential buyer would think. Don’t get too caught up in thinking what you like and what you want in a home. The only thing that matters is what the potential buyer wants. 

The first and most obvious is the price you will be asking. How did you arrive at the asking price? Did you have a realtor do a comparison study of similar homes that sold (not ones that are on the market and haven’t sold)? If you live in a community rather than on private land check out the last five or six homes that sold. Hopefully they will be similar to yours. The very best way to price your home is to have a formal appraisal done. This will place a true value on the property and serve as a convincing tool with potential buyers. 

Second in consideration, if you live in a land-lease community, is the current lot rent and what it will be when the community owners adjust it to market rent. Check with management and find out exactly what the new market rent will be and be prepared to disclose it to potential buyers. 

Assuming you have priced the property right and can logically explain the new market rent, you are now ready to think about why a buyer should buy your home. I know you are proud of your home; you love it and think it is almost perfect but that does not mean “diddly” to a potential buyer. You have to find and please the buyers’ want and need. 

Make sure the yard is clean and neat. The first thing a potential buyer sees is the yard and house from the outside. If your home does not have “curb appeal” the sale may be lost before you start. First impressions are lasting impressions. If you live in a community be able to show the amenities available and why it is a good place to live. 

When a potential buyer first walks into your house, what will he see? Is it dark or is it light and bright? Light and bright is best. If your house is dark turn on as many lights as possible. Is the first impression when you come through the door of an open area or is it cluttered with furniture and lots of knick knacks? While you may love all your knick knacks most people will only see clutter. They need to see it as open as possible so they can envision where they would put their furniture and their knick knacks. So, if you have a lot of stuff, remove it before you put your home on the market. 

Make sure your home is immaculate and neat. No clutter. Buyers look to see how clean the home is as it is an indication of the care given to the home. If the shower stall is full of mold and rust they will notice that right away. If there are dirt and grease marks on the wood work it will be noticed and turn buyers off. 

Let’s look at some of the other things that turn off potential buyers. 

• Strong odors of most any kind, except something pleasant. Some sales agents recommend having a pan with spices simmering on the stove to provide good odors.
• Dogs and/or cats can be a turnoff. No matter how much you love your pet keep them away from potential buyers. Make sure your house does not have pet odors.
• Dirty bathrooms are a big turnoff. Dimly lit rooms will discourage potential buyers. Turn on all the lights; insert higher wattage bulbs. Add lights to a dark room.
• Make sure all your closets are organized and neat.
• Have sparkling clean windows.
• Busy wallpaper or real artsy painted walls. You may have loved that wallpaper or having a room with three different color paints but it can be a real turn off to a potential buyer. Woodwork that is dingy, full of marks and needs painting badly. Yes, you can knock something off the price so the buyer can redecorate, but that requires an unusual buyer. Most want to move in and be settled quickly not have to redecorate immediately.
• That curb appeal is critical. Does the trim on your house need painting? Is the paint peeling or badly faded? Are the gutters full of plants growing? Are the plants trimmed and neat?
• Have records of your appliances available. Buyers will want to know how old your appliances are. Will they have to replace the heater/air-conditioner? The water heater? The washer/dryer? If you already replaced them, when and at what price?

If you are going to use a realtor it is important that you clean up and spruce up the home before you invite them to look it over and develop an asking price. 

Remember, you are not to look at the house with your eyes. It is important that you look at the house with the “eyes” of a potential buyer. What they see is what is important, not what you see. It is often wise to spend a few dollars to fix things up to make it look good for buyers.