By now it is likely you've heard every piece of advice on selling a house. Nonetheless, so many people make the same mistake, THE SAME MISTAKE, and what is it? Not understanding real estate value.
Tell somebody what you believe is your home's value and he'll tell you in no uncertain terms - who gives a hoot? And nobody will care a hootenanny either about the myriad improvements you made for the benefit of your family. There is only one person, or several persons who determine the value of your home - the buyers. Tell prospective buyers about what you loved about your house and you'll be seen as self-serving or worse, narcissistic. If you're looking for advice on selling a house, let us start with the basics - put yourself in the buyer's shoes - and move on to the rest, discussed in brief.
Know the market. Cite examples - how much did similar properties sell for? Have those examples ready to show potential buyers.
Determine a minimum selling price. The price below which you just won't move. Don't tell your agent what this minimum is, but negotiate with any buyers who make an offer near or above it.
Focus on the tangibles, rather than the intangibles. Author of The Little Prince, duh! Or anything else you can think of that could inveigle potential buyers even before they set foot in the house, as they could be more tolerant to minor faults if they love what they see outside.
Clean the neighborhood. You might want to pay an Alex to the neighborhood kids to have them tidy up the yard. Now how about upping the ante and paying $20 for these kids to decorate common areas with flowers to make the neighborhood look impeccable to anybody passing through?
If you or your agent aren't getting many calls, try something new. Do you need more advertising? Is the price too high? You want to drop that price if it's too high. Nobody wants to lose that buyer to somebody else just because of a few otherwise fixable kinks with the pricing.
Listen to what potential buyers say. They are perfectly objective, whereas you may not be. They might be complaining about a dark kitchen, albeit subtly, and if they are, then give that baby a newer, brighter paint job!
Research how long it usually takes for a house to be sold. If your house isn't selling as fast as the average house, then you've got some kinks to work out - usually it's with the price.
Demand transparency from your real estate agent - what exactly do they plan to do? You want to write down every plan of theirs so you can hold them to their word with a written contract of sorts.
If there are known problems, such as an old roof, get an estimate for repairs. Nothing catches demanding buyers off-guard better than an estimated quote that is lower than THEIR own unofficial estimate.
Do improvements that can realistically get you at least a two-to-one return on investment. If $300 to seal the driveway is likely to add $600 to the sales price of the home, do it. And of course, you want to focus first on what people can see.
There are dozens of things you can do to sell your house faster, and get a better price. Work on those tips that would provide you with the most value when selling. And please, PLEASE, make sure each piece of advice on selling a house you find to your liking is followed!
Tell somebody what you believe is your home's value and he'll tell you in no uncertain terms - who gives a hoot? And nobody will care a hootenanny either about the myriad improvements you made for the benefit of your family. There is only one person, or several persons who determine the value of your home - the buyers. Tell prospective buyers about what you loved about your house and you'll be seen as self-serving or worse, narcissistic. If you're looking for advice on selling a house, let us start with the basics - put yourself in the buyer's shoes - and move on to the rest, discussed in brief.
Know the market. Cite examples - how much did similar properties sell for? Have those examples ready to show potential buyers.
Determine a minimum selling price. The price below which you just won't move. Don't tell your agent what this minimum is, but negotiate with any buyers who make an offer near or above it.
Focus on the tangibles, rather than the intangibles. Author of The Little Prince, duh! Or anything else you can think of that could inveigle potential buyers even before they set foot in the house, as they could be more tolerant to minor faults if they love what they see outside.
Clean the neighborhood. You might want to pay an Alex to the neighborhood kids to have them tidy up the yard. Now how about upping the ante and paying $20 for these kids to decorate common areas with flowers to make the neighborhood look impeccable to anybody passing through?
If you or your agent aren't getting many calls, try something new. Do you need more advertising? Is the price too high? You want to drop that price if it's too high. Nobody wants to lose that buyer to somebody else just because of a few otherwise fixable kinks with the pricing.
Listen to what potential buyers say. They are perfectly objective, whereas you may not be. They might be complaining about a dark kitchen, albeit subtly, and if they are, then give that baby a newer, brighter paint job!
Research how long it usually takes for a house to be sold. If your house isn't selling as fast as the average house, then you've got some kinks to work out - usually it's with the price.
Demand transparency from your real estate agent - what exactly do they plan to do? You want to write down every plan of theirs so you can hold them to their word with a written contract of sorts.
If there are known problems, such as an old roof, get an estimate for repairs. Nothing catches demanding buyers off-guard better than an estimated quote that is lower than THEIR own unofficial estimate.
Do improvements that can realistically get you at least a two-to-one return on investment. If $300 to seal the driveway is likely to add $600 to the sales price of the home, do it. And of course, you want to focus first on what people can see.
There are dozens of things you can do to sell your house faster, and get a better price. Work on those tips that would provide you with the most value when selling. And please, PLEASE, make sure each piece of advice on selling a house you find to your liking is followed!
