In the real estate market, the number of active listings increases dramatically every week. As a seller, how do you plan to highlight your property among thousands of others available on the market? Don't become one of those sellers whose properties stay on the market forever! Follow these tips and you will have the sale price you want!
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Clean and Fix the House
Step 1. Make your home look good
If your property doesn't make a good first impression, many potential buyers won't even cross the threshold. The front of the building is key. The front garden should be well maintained and all doors and windows should be freshly painted as needed. Hanging baskets and planters always serve to make a house facade more presentable.
Even if you have tidied up the front of the property, don't forget about the back. In a competitive market, the back garden can be the determining factor in closing the deal. If you are not a gardening expert, now is the time to become one - at least as long as your home is up for sale. If you don't have enough time or energy to take care of the garden, hire someone to take care of it. It will be money well spent once you manage to sell
Step 2. Fix the interior of the house - even small improvements make a difference
Buyers are nosy - and they have a right to be after all - because they are about to spend their savings and take out a long-term mortgage to buy a house. The last thing they want to face is a dirty kitchen cupboard or a dusty carpet. Remember they are trying to imagine themselves living in that house. So make sure it's clean.
Take the time to replace a broken mosquito net, paint the walls again, or add some colorful flowers to the living room. Simple touches like these can drive up the value of the property by thousands of dollars
Step 3. Make the environments neutral
The home that buyers typically look for is like a blank canvas where they can paint their personality. If, on the other hand, the house reflects your personality, especially in the form of super-bright colors, potential buyers will see nothing but extra work to do. Make rooms neutral with colors like white and cream to be able to offer that blank canvas that buyers are looking for.
Step 4. Tidy up
Clutter discourages potential buyers because it makes rooms look smaller and less appealing. Again, it's hard for buyers to imagine their belongings on your property when faced with a mountain of confusion.
Remove traces of your personality. Items such as family photos or personal collections should be removed. As much as these things add warmth to a gray room, it's actually the gray room that will help you sell faster
Step 5. When you're ready, set the mood.
Creating the right atmosphere can be very important to speed up sales times. Play some neutral background music, like classical or jazz music. Let the scent of freshly baked cookies or scented candles linger in the air. Pay particular attention to the kitchen and bathrooms - the "added value" here can have more effect on the price a buyer is willing to pay.
Part 2 of 3: Determine the Price of the House
Step 1. Don't ask too high a price
It seems everyone tends to value their home more than its market value. If you want to sell fast, try to be realistic. Compare with other properties in the area and seek the advice of a real estate expert. Be prepared to lower your expectations if you really want to sell quickly.
Sometimes, a lower than expected price can come in handy. In fact, a low starting price can spark a bidding war, thus causing the house price to rise. This is not guaranteed to happen, but it is certainly more likely if the price is low
Step 2. Compare with similar properties to determine the price
The comparison must be made with the prices of similar houses that are for sale in the same area. If your house has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, for example, compare the cost of a house nearby that has more or less the same rooms, so you will get an idea of the price to set to be able to sell in. short time.
Step 3. Be thorough in determining a specific figure
What will your final figure be? There are some strategies for calculating the price. Here are two important things to keep in mind in order to establish the right amount:
- Take into account the psychological impact of prices and choose figures "under a hundred". Instead of listing your property for $ 307,000, for example, consider selling it for $ 299,000, so it's just below the all-important psychological limit of hundreds. Retailers use this pricing strategy all the time and for a good reason: customers prefer these figures because they feel like they are not overstepping a certain budget limit they have in mind. Saying "€ 299.000" sounds much more tempting than "€ 300.000", even if in reality the price does not change much.
- Use price ranges to make your property stand out. With this method you separate your house from the pile by choosing a selling price that stands out from the others. For example, if you find that one group of houses is being sold in the € 260,000-270,000 price range, while another group is sold in the € 290,000-299,000 range, you should set a price in the middle range between the € 270,000 and € 290,000, so that it stands out from the others and immediately catches the eye.
Step 4. Put your property up for sale in the spring or fall
These are the most favorable seasons for buyers. It is still hot, the children are about to finish school or are starting it and people have not left for the holidays yet or have already returned. Putting your home on the market in the right season allows you to have good timing and avoid bad times during the rest of the year. (In the summer, for example, many go on vacation. In the winter, however, sales slow due to the often too cold weather.)
Step 5. Give yourself a deadline to decide when it's time to lower the price if you haven't received any offers
Often, owners stubbornly fixate on a price that is perhaps too high and refuse to lower it. In these cases it takes months, sometimes even years to be able to sell. Before setting your selling price, you should set a date on the calendar by which you commit to lower the price if you have not yet found a buyer. This will help you keep the emotional aspects out of the pricing strategy and therefore sell faster.
Part 3 of 3: Offer that Something More
Step 1. Have the house inspected
Pre-sale inspections are not very common, but they are the best way to show buyers that the property is in great shape, especially if the final inspection report is made public while the property is being visited. On the other hand, finding out about any problems in advance will allow you to deal with them without giving negative impressions to potential buyers.
Step 2. Use the Internet
The internet has changed the way people buy and sell real estate. Potential buyers no longer need to physically go to see a house to know what it is like. Nowadays, many potential buyers view advertisements online to save time, discard the ones they don't care about and only go to see for themselves the ones that catch their attention. Promoting a property online is a great way to generate more leads and reach more potential customers.
If you can, borrow a nice DSLR or rent a cheap wide-angle camera for a couple of days. It should cost between $ 20 and $ 50. Photograph your house on a beautiful sunny day, after all you have tidied up so the clutter is gone. Photographs of a bright room on a sunny day will make the house look more spacious and more appealing
Step 3. If you decide to rely on a real estate agent, choose the right one
Ask friends, family, and colleagues if they have anyone to recommend you. Do your research, including on the Internet, and select the real estate agents who know your area best. The real estate agent you choose to contact should not only have extensive knowledge of the market, but should also be an honest and pleasant person.
Step 4. Offer a little something extra to the buyer
Everyone likes little extras. They make us feel special and reassured that the seller is taking care of us. Above all, it is a relatively simple thing to do. Here are some ideas of little things you can offer as extras to incentivize buyers:
- Offer to partially cover the closing costs or - even better - pay them in full. Closing costs generally amount to a few thousand euros in taxes, which is no small feat.
- Transfer your appliance warranty to the buyer. The relief that comes with knowing that you don't have to pay the cost of repairing a faulty washer or dryer may play a bigger role than you think.
- Offer the possibility to move in a shorter time than usual. If you can guarantee the accelerated closure of the sale, thus allowing the new owner to move into the newly purchased home within a period of 30 to 60 days, this can make a difference. Buyers who find their dream home generally want to move there as soon as possible.
Step 5. Don't hesitate to spread the word
Even if you've hired a real estate agent, it certainly doesn't get the word out personally, even if it seems embarrassing to go and tell people you know that you're putting your house up for sale. Post the news on Facebook, spread the word with your acquaintances and ask your friends to do the same. These little things can make a big difference once the house is finally sold.
