Ready to Sell - Consider this
First
impressions are everything! Most of us open the garage door, park the car, and
enter our house from the garage and rarely enter through the front door. Take
the time to act like a buyer and enter your home from there, remembering that
they will be spending time waiting for the real estate agent to unlock the door
so they will get a real good look there. Touch up paint, clean off cobwebs,
shine your door handle, freshen up landscaping, and scan for brown
spots in the lawn if you have a pet. This all matters…
Unequivocally
it is a seller’s market and the high season is upon us! So if your
home is on the market, you’re already halfway to the bank, right?
It’s perfectly
possible to spoil your own sale. There are plenty of things you should do, and
avoid, to make sure you actually make it to closing day, your way.
When
properties are moving quickly, if your home doesn’t sell within the first
couple of weeks, buyers will start to perceive your home as market-worn, they’ll assume
there is an issue with it and consider themselves in a stronger bargaining
position or reject the home altogether.
1. Price to Sell
Many factors
can feed in to your initial list price: market inventory, perceived vs. actual
value, and others. Sellers often fall victim to the lure of a gigantic
payday, thinking the higher the price, the higher their take-home.
In this
market buyers don’t think sellers are negotiating very much. If you overprice
it, you’ll lose! The first days on the market are critical. Even if you price
it $20K over, instead of making an offer, buyers will move on. Your house will
take longer to sell, and you’ll likely end up having to cut the price anyway.
An agent can show you in black and white that houses typically close at about
97% of List Price.
A typical strategy
we hear a lot —‘We can always come down in price’—can be a very costly one.
While we understand that nobody wants to leave money on the table, unfortunately
this strategy does exactly that.
2. Don’t Get
Booed Off the Stage
People don’t
buy empty, nice, renovated houses they buy a home! Staging makes a house a
home. As awesome as your house may be, it’s your home. Strategic
staging offers prospective buyers visual cues to help them picture your house
as their home—which can translate to a sale.
Some buyers
are capable of visualizing, but most are not. Buyers need a little help to imagine
themselves in your home. Agents who have a keen eye and or who may be
trained in the expertise to make the most out of certain spaces in the home are
your best bet. Listen to their suggestions and follow them carefully.
3. Nab Them
at the Curb
The outside
of your home is at least as important as the inside. Brown grass, sketchy
shrubs, wilting flowers, peeling paint—all those and more can disqualify a home
before your prospect walks through the door. For goodness sake make sure the
newspapers, flyers and trash cans are properly put away! A freshly landscaped
yard, and clean windows, will result in prospects stopping in the street to
take a gander thinking if it is as neat and tidy on the inside – it is going to
be awesome – let’s call our agent to see it!
4. Choose
Your Agent Wisely
It is
paramount to hire a REALTOR® that you like, trust, and respect. Even in a lively market, if you don’t
match well with your listing agent, your sale could be adversely affected. That said; know that there is a difference
between a real estate agent and a REALTOR®.
Only REALTORS® adhere to the best of practices and are well versed in
their Code of Ethics.
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