In a strong real estate market homes are easy to sell even if they are not in the best of condition or location. A strong market suggests that there are more buyers for houses than houses available. But in a sluggish market where there are more houses than buyers you need to do everything possible to make your property stand out since buyers can afford to be pickier.
There are several ways you can make your home stand out from all the rest. One way is to make sure your home is in the very best condition it can be and that it has curb appeal, drawing the buyer’s attention immediately and making them want to see more. Additionally, you may want to offer some creative terms when selling your homes. Selling houses should be the easiest part of your business if you follow a few important steps.
There are many reasons houses don’t sell quickly. They may not be ready to sell, meaning they are not in good presentable condition. Additionally, the home may be very small, have only one bath or maybe it’s in a poor location. The home may be overpriced compared to other properties in the area in the same condition. These are all items you need address before you put your property on the market for sale.
Other reasons a home may not sell quickly have little to do with the functionality of the home and more to do with the person trying to sell it. Make sure when you are selling a house that the person doing the selling for you is qualified to do so if you are not selling the home yourself. You as the seller need to be flexible and able to listen to what the buyer is telling you about their situation. You or the person who is selling for you needs to be aware of special programs available to buyers. You also need to be flexible with your time and able to show the home at the buyer’s convenience. You need to be knowledgeable about the pre-screening process in order to quickly determine whether or not you are working with a qualified buyer. You need to have a system in place to get your buyers to a mortgage broker and then follow through with the process all the way to the closing table. These are all techniques that will make your homes sell faster.
Here is another idea that will make your home sell more quickly. Provide your prospective buyers with all the information possible about your home. Provide an information box in the yard filled with flyers and make sure the box is kept full at all times. On these flyers provide all the information about the home that you can such as, square footage of the home, year built, construction type, number of bedrooms and baths, garage or carport, laundry room, sizes of rooms, type of flooring, colors of rooms, appliances and amenities such as a pool or a spa. List information about ceiling fans, screen rooms, alarm systems, in-wall vacuum, upgrades you have done, or anything else that makes your home special. Make sure you include photographs or a website address where the buyers can look at photos of the home. If you can provide copies of inspections, termite reports or a survey, include this information as well.
Now let’s talk about what makes a home itself sell more quickly, beginning with the exterior. Does it have good curb appeal? This is the most important aspect of selling a home. You only get one chance to make a good first impression when the buyer is driving by your home. Is the yard mowed and well manicured? Are there plants and flowers to give the exterior some color and warmth? You also need to make sure the home is well painted and the garage door is in good shape as well as any fences the property may have. Make sure the exterior color is pleasing to the eye. Make sure the trim color is attractive. Make sure there is no debris in the yard making it look sloppy and unattractive. Make sure the roof is clean and in good condition. These are the things your buyer will be looking at first. If the exterior of the home is not pleasing to look at, it doesn’t matter how nice the interior looks.
Now let’s talk about the interior of the home. Is it clean and well maintained? Does the home smell pleasing when you walk in? Selling a home that has strong food odors or smells like animals is not going to sell quickly. This is a real turn off to your buyers. Has the interior been freshly painted and are the floors and carpets in good clean condition and are the colors current? If for example, the home has shag carpet, change it out. If the home is freshly painted is it a pleasing color and is there a different trim color to offset the main color? Take a moment to walk in the front door of the home and see what your first impressions are. If something doesn’t feel pleasing, fix it. Make sure ceiling fans are in good shape and running when you show the property. If ceiling fans or appliances are new, leave the stickers on them so your buyer knows they are new. Is the kitchen clean and is it pleasing to look at? Is it functional? This is the first place a buyer is going to look. Make sure there is plenty of cabinet space and make sure the handles on the cabinets are new. If appliances are not in the best condition, replace them. This small expense will make your home sell much more quickly. Are the bathrooms clean and in good condition? The toilet should be new or very clean and the bath and shower area should be in very good condition. You can add an inexpensive shower curtain or curtains in the bath to give it some additional color.
If the home has a fireplace make sure it is clean. Make sure the central heat and air are well maintained. If there is no central heat and air, spend the extra money and get it installed. Not having central heat and air will kill a sale faster than anything I know. If there is an oil burner or furnace, make sure these are clean and have been maintained. Make sure windows are in good condition, that none are broken or cracked and that they all open and close properly. The home needs to be in pristine condition in order to sell in a sluggish market since buyers have the option to be much pickier. Plus it’s a lot easier for you to show a home you are proud of. If you would want to live in this home, so will your prospective buyer.
When selling homes in a sluggish market, there are some other things you can do to make your home sell more quickly. You may want to offer an incentive, such as including a big screen TV or maybe a gift certificate to a home improvement or furniture store with the sale of the property. These are things that will make your property stand out from others in the area. You also may want to offer flexible terms such as offering a lease/option or holding a small second mortgage for your buyer in order to make it easier for them to get their loan in order to purchase your home. You may want to offer owner financing and then work with your buyer to get them cashed out as quickly as possible. Or you could sell the note at the closing for about 90-93% of its value. You have lots of options available to you to sell a home quickly if you are willing to be a little flexible. Make sure you have a really good mortgage broker or lender as part of your dream team. They will know what programs are available to help your buyers close on your homes more quickly.
Hopefully you have gained some insight on the techniques you can use to make your houses sell even more quickly no matter what the market is doing. For more information on finding motivated sellers and selling houses quickly, visit my website at marketingmagiclady.com.
