Scott Ingraham Real Estate Blog
Selling Your Home in a Slow Market
September 30, 2009
Despite a recent market slowdown, experts say there are still plenty of enthusiastic homebuyers looking to make a purchase.How can you facilitate a sale?By making sure your home outshines all the others.
Start by making sure the home is priced right!Try to be very realistic about what homes similar to yours are selling for in your area and price yours accordingly.Forget about last years prices; pricing within 2% of conservative market value will maximize interest and the chance of an offer.
Make sure the house is move-in ready.If the window screens are torn, or hardware and fixtures are missing or broken, go ahead and fix them.These types of repairs are inexpensive and easy to do on your own.Wood rot, cracked tiles and fogged windows are also turn-offs for buyers.You may have to pay a handyman to fix these items, but again, it could lead to better offers.Buyers often believe that if little things are neglected, the big ones are too.
Once you have all the cosmetic items tidied up, consider having your home staged by a professional.An accredited home stager can help you clear up clutter and depersonalize so your home is showroom ready.You want the Buyers to focus on the home, not your stuff.
Making the home accessible for showings is where many sellers make their biggest mistakes.Using a lockbox and cooperating with showing requests will assure that if the right buyer is only in town for one day that you won’t miss out.Also, keep the pets contained during showings and always make sure the cat’s litter box is clean.Nothing turns a potential buyer off quicker than bad odors in a home.
Last, but not least, hire a seasoned real estate agent to sell your home.Look for an agent with a marketing plan and ask to see it.It is a proven fact that your home will sell faster when exposed to the networking capabilities that an agent can provide.Let the real estate professionals do all the work so you can concentrate on packing and getting ready for your big move.
- NUMBER1EXPERTS™ 
