Every seller needs to be aware of the five facts that determine if you house sits or sells. Ignoring these could mean staying in your current house longer than you intended.
1. Price
The best chance for selling your property is within the first seven weeks of the listing. Studies show that the longer the property stays on the market, the less the seller will net. It is very important to price your property at a competitive market value at the signing of the listing agreement. Even being a few thousand dollars over market value could mean your house will not sell.
An overprice home will suffer from:
- Minimized offers
- Lower Agent Responses
- Limited Amount of Quality Buyers
- Lower Showings
- Lower Prospects
- Limits Financing Available to Buyers
- Wastes Advertising Dollars and Efforts
- Less netted for the Seller because this house will be on the market longer.
2. Clean
Most buyers are turned off by even the smallest amount of uncleanliness or odor when buying a home. Sellers lose thousands of dollars because they do not adequately clean. If your house is adequately clean, you will be able to sell it faster and net hundreds, if not thousands of dollars more. If you are planning on moving, why not get rid of the old junk now so that your house will appear larger. Make more space. Odors must be eliminated, especially if you have dogs, cats, or young children in diapers. Also if you’re a smoker that can greatly reduce offers if your home smells like cigarettes. You may not notice the smell but the home buyers will.
Need Advice on How to Clean to Stage Your Home? Check out This Blog Post
3. Access and Showing
Top selling REALTORS® will not show your home if both the key and the access are not readily available. They do not have the time to run around town all day picking up and dropping off keys. They want to focus on selling homes. The best way to show a house is to have your REALTOR® install an electronic lockbox for easy access to the property.
When your home is being shown, please do the following:
- Keep all lights on
- Keep all drapes and shutters open
- Leave soft music playing
- Take a short walk with your children and pets – leave the house!
- Leet the buyer be at east and let the REALTOR® do their job
4. Paint and Carpet
Paint is your best improvement for getting a return on your money. A freshly painted home smells clean and looks neat. If you house has chipped paint, exposed wood, or the paint looks faded, it is time to paint.
If your carpet is worn, dirty, outdated, or an unusual color, you need to consider replacing it. Many houses do not sell because of this problem. Don’t think that a carpet allowance is enough because buyers often can’t look past the bad carpet. They won’t pay top dollar for possibilities – instead they’ll look elsewhere.
5. Yard
92% of homes are sold based on the curb appeal alone. Your front yard reflects the inside condition of the house to buyers. Make certain that trees and bushes are trimmed so the house can be seen from the street. Have the grass regularly mowed, trimmed, and edged. Plant flowers to give the yard some color. Walkways should be swept and debris cleared. Remove parked cars, boats, and trailers. If the buyer doesn’t like the outside, that person may choose to skip your house.
