Some home sellers needlessly struggle like a duck in the desert to find a buyer for their property. While a neighbor two doors up sells their house quickly and easily.
Maybe you can chalk it up to salesmanship. Or the fact some do all they can to produce a faster sale for more money – even ins a soft real estate market. Which might include generating curb appeal, home staging, proper pricing, pre sale inspection, sales incentives and working with a knowledgeable Realtor. Using all or at least most of these tips should produce a sales contract faster.
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.
Hire a professional to help you stage your house to make it stand out. Getting rid of unwanted clutter, painting and depersonalization should be obvious. But having a brutally honest third party to advise and guide you with such things as creating more walkable space inside your house or advising you to replace any carpet past it’s prime falls under the heading of staging. Once you put the “for sale” sign up, the house becomes the product. Go for the ‘Wow’ effect by staging it properly.
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.
Some turn to financial perks or incentives to help seal the deal. It’s not uncommon to offer to pay closing costs, throw in maid service or a huge HDTV. Just don’t expect such spiffs to compensate for a house that’s over priced. They won’t.
Finally selling in a down market is no time to be working with part timers. You want a Realtor who knows your subdivision and has a solid track record of moving houses. In both up and down markets. They can work with you to find a good price, develop a marketing plan and ease your through the process. For sure you won’t want some one who will over promise and under deliver either.
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.
About the Author: Irish E Danner contributes articles on selling and buying Las Vegas condos, foreclosed property and Las Vegas houses to the popular site, TakeMeHomeToVegas.com. Make a quick visit and you’ll find helpful articles on related topics of interest there.