This morning my latest article was posted over at Basking Ridge Patch. I think the key points are the bullets in the middle of the article – it’s not easy to sell a house in today’s market. I do whatever I can to increase the chances that your home will sell but I need some help… so, take a minute to review the points and then click here so I can help you determine the value of your home in today’s market.
- Price your house right. Houses that are priced right sell within 30 days. In August, I wrote about the Multiple Listing Search research I did to support that statement. I still believe it’s true. And buyers need to realize that a house that’s priced right will sell. It might even spark competition among potential buyers — even in today’s market and especially in a desirable neighborhood such as Basking Ridge.
- Ensure that first impressions are perfect. This is critical — it’s critical that your photos are perfect and show a realistic picture of the home. And it’s critical that whatever the buyer sees first when he or she walks into the home, or even drives up the driveway and walks up the walk, there isn’t something that might cause a buyer to stop and think, “Hey, what else is wrong?” A buyer makes a decision to consider a home (not whether to buy it, but whether it makes the potential list at all) within the first few minutes of being there. Make that first impression count.
- Be flexible with showings. Don’t make it hard for a buyer to see your home. I understand that you still live there and that it’s hard to keep it neat and to skedaddle at the whim of every buyer…but you never know who is going to be “the one.”
- Keep the house clean and clutter free. And make sure it smells nice and is brightly lit. Some buyers can see past these things — but why take the chance?
- Neutralize décor. Remember, you are selling a house that will be someone’s home. You want to keep the pool of potential buyers as large as possible. Why allow the right buyer to rule out your home because they don’t like the wallpaper?
The hardest thing to do is to step out of your role of homeowner and put yourself into the role of the buyer. Walk through your house as if you don’t live there.
Try to think about it this way – you aren’t selling your home, you are selling a house that is going to be someone else’s home. I do not subscribe to the theory that you have to remove all personal belongings. I don’t like to show homes that are completely sterile, but I do believe that people need to be able to see themselves in the home! And that might mean that you need to change some things in ways that you won’t be comfortable with.
Contact me, I will try to make it easy!
