Some home sellers wait for months for a buyer. While others have one in days. Why is that?
Could it be the fast sellers have better marketing tactics? Perhaps. To help with that here are six things you can do to sell your house faster and for more – even in a tough buyers market. In no particular order they are staging, pricing the house right, creating curb appeal, flaw free presentation, using a good agent, and offering tempting incentives. If you diligently follow these tips the SOLD sign will appear before you know it.
While the “The Price Is Right” is a game show pricing your house isn’t a game. The first two to three weeks are critical. In a slow real estate market you can’t miss this window of opportunity. The idea is to set the price as low as you can live with without feeling you’re leaving money on the table.
Get the house professionally inspected. This will highlight potential problems before they become a problem identified by the buyers inspector. Plus an inspected house is like a certified used car. Buyers can bank on the fact that a third party says there is nothing materially wrong with your house that hasn’t been addressed.
Staging a house is a smart move that goes beyond decluttering, painting and other obvious sprucing up. It gets you another impartial set of eyes from someone who can keep you from kidding yourself about certain things. Like appliances past their prime. Or outdated carpet that won’t help your house sell. Think of your house as a product. You want it to get an “Oh wow” from a prospect rather than an “Oh yuck!”
Turn on the curb appeal. You want the external appearance, or curb appeal, to dazzle any buyers as they drive up. Things like painting the front door, planting flowers, laying down fresh mulch are proven ways to make the first and best impression you can.
Juicy financial incentives vary both in type and how much they help seal the deal. Still it’s not uncommon to pay the closing costs, throw in an HDTV, lawn care or maid service to win over buyers. Although I feel if your house is priced right, you likely won’t need to resort to such tactics to close the deal.
Experience counts when it comes to real estate agents. Especially in a market glutted with houses for sale. So find a full time Realtor who knows the area. One who’s been in the business during both boom and bust times. And don’t be suckered in by any who promise to get more for your house than you know it’s worth.
These six strategies, if applied right, can be effective in clinching the deal. So don’t look to sell any house without having checked each of these off your list.
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