It is a great time to sell a property. The prices are growing, and the demand for real estate hasn’t been higher in years.
However, although selling a house is easy these days, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to make the best out of it. Here is some professional’s advice to help you take full advantage of your selling experience.
Think Well About the Price
Yes, it is possible to get very good prices in today’s real estate market. But do you really want to start too high?
Experts say that putting too high prices immediately can have the opposite effect. If they think it is overpriced, most buyers will just walk away without even considering it.
Therefore, a better strategy is to start with an average or slightly higher price. A more realistic price will attract many more buyers, and give you much more space for negotiation.
Additionally, once people come and see the place, they might become even more interested. In turn, when they hear that you are having a lot of offers, they might propose bigger amounts than what you initially asked for.
Think About Terms
Now, knowing the market prices is one thing, but don’t forget that payment terms are very important as well.
Are you planning to accept only cash? Or are you open to a contract that would define the terms of the purchase?
The advantages of cash transactions are many:
- ⬥ it is faster
- ⬥ less paperwork
- ⬥ reduced fees and other processing costs
However, people paying in cash are much better aware of the cost, so they might bargain more.
On the other hand, a contract might be more complicated, but it could ensure that both sides respect certain contingencies. Allowing such an opportunity could be of utmost importance for some buyers. At the same time, a contract reduces the chances of you ending up with an unreliable buyer.
Think About the Wider Picture
In a market that has a high demand, buyers have various strategies to get what they want. Therefore, they can make multiple offers, which can be tricky if two sellers accept their offer at the same time. It means that one of the sellers will stay empty-handed.
Therefore, it is best to take it easy and think everything through. Ultimately, the best way to sell a property is to hire an agent or an attorney. A professional’s help can come in handy in times when you feel overwhelmed by the offers and options.
Do the Little Fixes
Make sure that you are selling a fully functional property. A kitchen sink not draining or a dripping pipe in the bathroom leaves a bad impression on your buyers.
Therefore, selling a home is a good time to get your toolkit and do all the little fixes we tend to postpone for months or even years. Again, you don’t have to do it all by yourself. If you aren’t skilled in that type of work, hire a trusted handyman to do the job instead.
Get a Professional Photographer
According to the US census bureau, almost half of real estate professionals believe keeping up with technology is one of the greatest challenges for sellers. Therefore, you can’t have just any photos of your property.
Potential buyers will most probably see your property online for the first time. And the first impression is, of course, essential.
So, you want to make your property as visually appealing as possible. A professional photographer will not only make HD images that will show your property at its best. Moreover, they can make the space look even slightly better, potentially attracting more buyers.
Home Staging Always Works
And of course, no matter how beautiful your property already is, don’t skip the staging step. It is probably the most interesting and most important phase of selling a property.
Here are the basic steps of home staging:
- ⬥ Declutter. If you are selling your home, make sure to get rid of objects that your buyers don’t want to see. That means family photos, broken furniture, children and pet toys, etc. You can move the stuff to the place you are planning to move to. Or, if you want to get rid of them entirely, you can even give away furniture or whatever you no longer wish to use.
- ⬥ Clean up. Although buyers are aware that the dust doesn’t have anything to do with the value of the property, it affects their impression of the place. Therefore, make sure to clean everything thoroughly. Even better, hire a professional house cleaner.
- ⬥ Remove old carpets.
- ⬥ Paint the walls.
- ⬥ Add neutral details. Although you want to remove personal stuff, you could leave the plants and some nice lamps, for example. Even if you plan to take these with you when you move out, it boosts the atmosphere.
- ⬥ Take care of the smells. Putting a scented candle just before potential buyers visit is a nice and easy hack to make the mood within the property. Also, if you are planning to sell a home, avoid preparing food with strong smells, such as fish.
Conclusion
As you might guess from the above, getting your property ready for sale can require a certain amount of cost. You will need to pay for the paint, the handymen, perhaps the cleaning ladies, etc.
However, look at it as an investment. You want to polish the thing you are selling, in order to get the best possible price.
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