Home Sales Tips

In a recent newspaper article the Star Tribune reported that home prices were expected to rise 4% for the year, and home prices had risen in the Twin Cities 7 county area by 2% for the year. Statistics can be used to show a favorable light on just about anything. How is it that we have low inflation every year and yet the price of everything seems to keep heading higher? The truth is in most housing markets prices are headed lower, and if you want to sell your home in this market there are a few tricks you can use that I haven’t seen everyone try just yet.

If you want to sell your home and get the highest price for it you need to be extremely aggressive from the onset. Do not have a plan B or start with a price that is higher and move lower if that doesn’t work. Act as if you are a store owner and its one week before Christmas and if you don’t sell your merchandise this week it is not going to sell until next year. Here are the home selling tips.

1. Offer your best price right away. I could go on with a long explanation, but its plain and simple just do it!

2. Offer a bonus to the Realtor that represents the buyers. I recently had a listing in the worst selling and most crime infested area in town. Only one or two people would call for showings for a few months. Many of those showing never happened (once they realized where the home was they didn’t stop to look at it). As soon as we offered to almost double the normal commission agents came out of the woodwork and the home sold within a couple of weeks. As Michael Douglas’ character Gordon Gecco (Wall Street) once said “Greed, for a lack of better terms, is good”. Agents will be much more likely to show your property if you pay them more than anyone else.

3. Hire a stager. The small cost that they charge will generally pay huge dividends. Homes sell quicker and for more money when they’ve been staged.

4. Don’t think that the buyer can put in new carpet, paint, or do improvements after they purchase your home. There are so many homes on the market in most areas that they will find someone that has already done the improvements and they will buy that home.

5. Hire someone to clean your home. Once again a small expenditure will go a long way in selling your home. I have found that no matter if my clients are neat freaks or complete slobs they usually notice other people’s messes and they like the cleanest homes the best.

Once again, do all of the above BEFORE you list the home not during the process. Your best buyers are usually have looked at a number of homes already and they are waiting to see your home in the first few days that it is on the market they won’t come back for a second look a few weeks down the road when you scramble to make changes.

Do it Now and your chances of a successful sale will skyrocket!

Technorati Tags: