3 Most Important Goals When Selling Your Home (Part Three)

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The three most important goals when selling your home are: selling your home for the most amount of money in the least amount of time with the least amount of inconvenience to your lifestyle. The following are some important tips to help you achieve these goals:

Part Three – Selling Your Home with the Least Amount of Inconvenience to your Lifestyle.

If you haven’t already I’d suggest reading part one of my series to get some tips on how to prepare your home for showings that – once done – will save you from a lot of inconvenience in the long run.

To recap my previous post, remember you’re selling your space and not your things. If you have a fair amount of decorations, kids toys, or other things that aren’t used on a daily basis then put them away in the extra bedroom or storage space. You’ll find yourself having a much easier time getting your home in order for a showing because there will simply be less around to clean and put away. It’s better to have one room clearly used as a storage space than to have things spread throughout the house.

Kids Bedroom

This childs room feels spacious and easy to clean because there is no clutter.

If you have children the rule of thumb is…10, collect your 10 favorite toys, 10 favorite games, 10 favorite stuffed animals, 10 favorite videos, and then pack everything else. Your children will have everything that they enjoy most – and you will have everything else out of the way.

When you’re getting ready to list your house it’s a good time to think of potential questions buyers may have about the condition of the home. Any relevant information you can collect and present to your selling agent beforehand will inevitably make your experience selling your home much less stressful. If there are any association dues then make sure you communicate that to your agent. Calculate what your average utility bills are for the year so that information is available for your Realtor to answer those questions on your behalf. Again, getting this information organized before you list your home will smooth the process for your family because, there will be less “back and forth” over details about your home. Your days will be less interrupted and much more enjoyable while your home is on the market.

Calculator

Calculate your association dues and average utilities in advance.

In short, to sell your home with the least amount of inconvenience to your lifestyle you need to take the steps necessary to have your home and your family prepared before you list your home. Doing this will take the majority of the stress and disruption to your daily life out of the equation.

As a Realtor my first priority is making sure seller’s get the most money out of their home as possible. If you’re thinking of selling your home please contact me and I will perform a free market analysis (CMA) to help you determine the best strategy to price your home correctly and achieve your goals of the most amount of money in the least amount of time.

3 Most Important Goals When Selling Your Home (Part Two)

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The three most important goals when selling your home are: selling your home for the most amount of money in the least amount of time with the least amount of inconvenience to your lifestyle. The following are some important tips to help you achieve these goals:

Part Two – Selling Your Home in the Least Amount of Time

Before we get into all the details about how to sell your home quickly I think it’s important to discuss what a seller controls and what they can’t.
A Seller has Control Over: the condition of the property, the availability for showings, the price of the home, and whether  to offer a  home warranty.
A Sell has No control Over: the competition, the condition of the market, interest rates, and when the perfect buyer walks through your door.It’s important to keep this in mind because if you understand what you have control over – you can make wise decisions or adjustments to your strategy.

Every seller, understandably, wants to get the very most money out of their home when they decide to put it on the market. Sometimes the temptation is to set your price as high as you feel the market will bear and hope for the best. This is often the first mistake a seller will make.

There are many reasons why this can lengthen the time your home sits on the market. A potential buyer may not even look at the home thinking they simply can’t afford it. An overpriced home will help other homes in your neighborhood or area appear to be the better value. If a home sits on the market too long it will become “shop worn” causing people to assume something is wrong with the condition of the home. Overpricing tends to make it less likely that a buyer’s agent will show it.

Overpricing inevitably lengthens the marketing time resulting in a lower selling price than would normally otherwise be obtained. Today’s home buyer has endless tools to shop and compare homes. Lastly, because nearly every buyer needs to obtain financing through a bank, it’s futile to overprice a home.

So what sells a home faster? The right price, and the right condition.

To get your home sold for the most money in the least amount of time you have to price it “in the market.” In a market where the home values are rising, if a seller wants to get a price that is ahead of market values, you’re essentially betting that the market values will rise enough to make your home value attractive. It’s important to balance out how much time you want to have your home on the market vs. the amount of money you’re hoping to get from the sale of your home.

In a buyer’s market – like many agree we are in now – it’s important to price your home realistically so that you aren’t chasing after lowering home values because home values tend to drop faster than price reductions. Price your home competitively and there is a much greater likelihood that your home will sell faster.

Setting your home price “in the market” is important because a property generates the most interest when it firsts hits the market. Also, the number of showings is greatest during the first 30 days if it is priced at a realistic value. Starting too high and dropping the price later misses the excitement and will fail to generate strong activity. Many homes that start too high end up actually selling below market value.

Pricing your home competitively will generate the most activity from agents and buyers. Pricing your property too high will make it seem like less of a value against newer, well-priced listings. Ultimately, the value of your property is determined by what the buyer is willing to pay and a seller is willing to accept in today’s market. Buyers make their pricing decisions based on comparing your property to other SOL D properties in your area. Historically, the first offer a seller gets is usually the best.

As a Realtor my first priority is making sure seller’s get the most money out of their home as possible. If you’re thinking of selling your home please contact me and I will perform a free market analysis (CMA) to help you determine the best strategy to price your home correctly and achieve your goals of the most amount of money in the least amount of time.

3 Most Important Goals When Selling Your Home (Part One)

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The three most important goals when selling your home are: selling your home for the most amount of money in the least amount of time, with the least amount of inconvenience to your lifestyle. The following are some important tips to help you achieve these goals:

Part One – Getting the Most Amount of Money for your Home:

When selling your home you have to “re-wire” your thinking. Selling a home can be an emotional process. Being as objective about your home as possible and evaluating your home from the perspective of a potential buyer will go a long way towards communicating the value of your home. Making sure that your first impression is a memorable one is key.

Kitchen

This smaller galley kitchen feels spacious because of good staging techniques

This is often referred to as staging. You don’t have to have high-end furniture or appliances to make a home appear memorable. The most important thing to remember is that your selling your space…not your things. Therefore putting away unnecessary decorations, nick-knacks, and personal pictures will make your spaces and living areas appear less cluttered and easier for a potential buyer to imagine how they would use your space. Always remember less is more… to you your home might feel empty after you put your things away but, to a buyer it will make the living areas feel spacious.

You may love the lime-green kitchen or the dark blue color of your dining room but, your tastes are uniquely yours and aren’t necessarily shared by others. Re-painting some rooms with a more neutral color palette will ensure that buyers aren’t distracted by strong color choices. It’s a very affordable and quick way to update the feel of a living space. Lastly, don’t be afraid to remove a few pieces of furniture or re-organize how your furniture is arranged in a living area to make a room feel larger or easy to walk within.

It’s important to fix issues before your house goes on the market. The leaky faucet or the foggy window pane may not be a big issue for you at the time. However, when buyers go through your home they always notice the things not working and never the things that are. Most of the time these fixes are rather easy and affordable to take care of and will instill confidence in the buyer that they are viewing a well maintained, quality home.

Well Maintained Home

This home has excellent curb appeal because the landscape has been paid attention to.

Curb appeal counts! After all, the very first impression a buyer will have of your home is from the outside as they walk in. You don’t have to try and be like Martha Stewart in the garden… You do need to make sure that the grass is cut, the sidewalks are clear, and any bushes or perennials are trimmed. Take the same approach to the outside of your home as the inside by putting away lawn equipment, children’s toys, and additional seating for patio sets not often used.

The time spent addressing these issues will make your home appear well maintained, spacious, and desirable for potential buyers of your home.

Look for Part Two next week when I discuss “Selling your Home in the Least Amount of Time.” To schedule a consultation on how I can help sell your home please contact me by clicking on the link here.