Tips for selling your home in 2011Even though the winter weather is affecting the real estate market, the buyers are gearing up for the spring. Now is the time to get your home ready to sell. Here are a few steps that can help you through the process.
Put your home on the market in early spring so you can catch all those buyers that have been casually browsing either online or with their realtor through the winter. They have been waiting around for the snow to melt and are anxious to get out and start looking. The spring market also provides someone the opportunity to purchase a home before the new school year.
Pricing your house right is the biggest hurdle that some homeowners need to conquer. If your home is not priced right from the beginning then you may miss the market. Your professional Realtor should be able to provide you with comparables for your home in order to get the closest value possible. Unfortunately in today’s market short sales and foreclosures affect your value. You need to be realistic with the price because if your agent needs to keep reducing then people may assume that there is something wrong with the house.
Stage your home the best you can with some guidance from your Realtor or hire a professional stager to help you. Get rid of all the unnecessary furniture, knickknacks, and clutter. Fix what you can, clean every room until it sparkles, paint in neutral colors, clean out the closets, basement and garage, cut the grass and check the landscaping. First impressions go a long way in getting a potential buyer to make an offer that you will be happy with.
Make your house easy to show. You need to make sure you home is available to show when a Realtor calls to set an appointment. Provide as much information you can in regards to all the improvements that have been done, the plot plan if you have it and what your utility costs are. This information is always something that a potential buyer will ask for. Having this ready shows the buyer that you mean business and are serious and well prepared to sell your home.
Advertising also plays a big role to selling your home. Your Realtor should give you a marketing plan on how your home will be advertised. The biggest form of advertising today is over the internet. Locally the Realtors Consolidated Multiple Listing service is the best way to get the word out to other agents that your home is for sale followed by Realtor.com which allows the public to see your home on the internet.
Close the deal. Your realtor’s job is to keep you informed as to what offers have come in for your home. They will present them to you and guide you through the negotiating process. In today’s market buyers are in the driver’s seat so you need to be flexible enough to not scare them away.
By choosing the right Realtor and following these simple steps you are on your way to successful transaction.
Betty Bondi
Bondi Realty Group LLC
203-899-9990