1. Price It Right
Its stressful trying to sell your home, so setting the right price for your home is more important than ever. If you really want to stimulate a sale, you should under price your property by just a hair. By shaving just a few dollars you can generate more foot traffic.
2. Make It Inviting
There’s no faster way to turn off a potential buyer than to overwhelm him with a home stuffed with kids’ toys, family knickknacks and a stinky kitty litter. Even stodgy furniture can make a property more difficult to unload. Fortunately, there are some inexpensive things homeowners can do on their own to attract a buyer. Whether you live in a cozy Cape Cod or a 4,000-square-foot McMansion, make your space feel as open and clean as possible. Get rid of clutter, organize the closets and remove all personal items that may make it more difficult for someone to imagine living in your house.
3. Minimize Surprises
A home that’s in good working order will always sell faster than one that needs pricey repairs. That’s why some agents recommend having your property inspected before you put it on the market. The benefits are twofold. First, it’s always cheaper and faster to make your own repairs rather than have a buyer drag out the negotiating process to accommodate any necessary work. Second, you’ll also avoid any nasty last-minute surprises that could derail a deal should the buyer’s inspector discover you need, say, to replace the roof.
4. Get the Word Out
No matter how you sell your home — on your own or with a broker — make sure you have an eye-catching online listing. Some 80 percent of people start their real estate searches online, according to the National Association of Realtors. While it used to be enough to simply slap up one or two blurry photos, buyers now prefer a slew of pictures so that they don’t waste their time touring a home that doesn’t meet their requirements.
What should your listing include? At the very least, take half a dozen or more photos that highlight your home’s best features. Make sure to include a shot of the outside on a sunny day, and one of the kitchen, a bathroom, dining room and a bedroom.
5. Throw In a Little Something Extra
Offer traditional incentives, including paying for closing costs. Such tactics are especially attractive to first-time shoppers who can afford mortgage payments but struggle to come up with the down payment and closing fees. Here are a couple more ideas. If you installed a 40-inch plasma TV with a surround-sound stereo system in the living room, offer to include it with the house. Chances are you won’t be able to take it with you anyway. If you’re selling a second home on the water, throw in the Jet Ski.
Leave a Reply