Seller Tips

As a real estate professional I often tour through homes where I find that sellers are unknowingly leaving money on the table, whether it’s through their lack of planning or their lack of professional advice. There are things you can do in advance of the For Sale sign going up that will fetch you more money.

  • First impression

     

  • Take the time to make sure your home looks fresh when the first potential buyers show up. Repaint, repair, touch up landscaping, change lightbulbs, declutter and if it’s in your budget invest in some home staging.Presenting your home in the best possible light will increase the amount you can fetch for it and decrease the amount of time it sits on the market. Most potential buyers don’t want a “make work” project and if it looks messy, dark, and unkempt you will open yourself up to low offers that will be more of a challenge to counter.

  • Photography

     

  • Make sure you get high quality photos of your home. These photos will be the first thing people see and they need to be great in order to attract your ideal buyer. You will want to make sure your home is ready for the photographer and that it is clean and tidy. Try and let in as much natural light as possible to keep the photos bright. If you can work with a stager on the day the photographer comes. It will pay off in the way of showings.

  • Overpricing

     

  • You never want to start high and go lower in real estate. Instead you will want to take advice from your agent on where to set the price in order for your home to sell faster, and for the most amount of money that the current real estate market conditions will bear. I work with buyers and sellers every day and I have access to statistics and data that allows me to calculate the correct selling price for your home. Throwing out an arbitrarily high number will cause your property to sit on the market for an extended period and will reduce the sense of urgency from buyers and buyer’s agents to view your home. When they finally do come to see it, they will feel as though they have leverage to make a low offer. Pricing it right to begin with is a more efficient strategy.

  • Hanging Out

     

  • Don’t stick around during showings. It’s one thing to let an agent into your home and lock up afterwards, but following potential buyers from room to room is almost always a deal breaker. Potential buyers need to feel at ease when they picture your house as potentially becoming theirs. People will generally feel uncomfortable if they feel as though they are being watched or timed. If you are worried about personal effects or valuables store them at a family or friend’s house until you have sold. This is also true for pets. You will want to make sure dogs and cats are out of the home during a showing.

  • FSBO

     

  • If there’s one major thing to avoid it’s this one – For Sale By Owner or FSBO. Trying to sell your home on your own is daunting. You will want to work with a local professional in order to market your home effectively and so that you can receive sound professional advice. I have a network of other agents that I work with to trade listing information – not to mention the marketing channels and mediums that are available to me to push your home to thousands of potential viewers. Selling your home on your own will delay the process and could potentially leave more than my commission on the table.