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There’s a lot of info out there for first-time buyers, but what about sellers? Selling your home for the first time can be an emotional and often overwhelming process. In light of that, I’ve decided to lay out four things that first-time sellers should know before putting their home on the market. Read them over so that you can go into the selling process feeling informed.
Pricing is everything
Pricing a house is one of the first steps to putting it on the market and it’s also one of the most important. Too often, first-time sellers make the mistake of thinking that if they overprice their home, they’ll be more likely to get a better return on their investment. In fact, however, the opposite is true. Overpricing a home often leads to it sitting on the market. Pricing it fairly, on the other hand, is the best way to get a viable offer.
These days, when buyers shop for their new home, they shop within a certain price range. As the seller, your home is in competition with all the other homes in your price range. When you exaggerate the sale price, you’re essentially setting yourself up to compete against homes that have more to offer, which often leads to it getting passed over for better options. However, pricing it correctly will allow your home’s best features to shine.
As for how to go about pricing your home correctly, your first step should be to call a real estate agent. He or she will be able to prepare a comparative market analysis (CMA) in order to show you what homes have sold for recently in your area and to help you decide where your home fits price-wise.
Staging makes a difference
Once you’ve decided how to price your home, the next step in the process is to get it ready to hit the market. In today’s market, staging your home is a big part of that. In a perfect world, buyers would be able to look past personalized decor and some occasional clutter to see how great your home really is, aesthetics play a big part in how potential buyers perceive your home, both in-person and online.
Your best bet, here, is to hire a professional. They will know how to work with your existing decor to get it to shine in its best light. They will also have an idea of the trends that are currently appealing to buyers and how to incorporate those into your home. However, if you can’t, focus on making your home neutral. Your goal, in this case, is to appeal to as many buyers as possible.
Professional photography is a must
After staging, the next step is to take photographs. This is one situation where it will truly behoove you to hire a professional. The reality is that buyers get their first impression of a property from the photos that are put on the multiple listing service. No matter how your home looks in-person, if it doesn’t look good in photos, there’s a high probability that potential buyers will pass it over for options that are more eye-catching.
Do yourself a favor and call in the pros. Odds are, your real estate agent has someone that they work with regularly. If not, be sure to interview a few people before deciding who to hire. Ask to see samples of their work first so you can get a sense of what your home could look like in the final product.
Make accommodating showings a priority
There’s no denying that it’s hard to get out the door for showings, especially when the requests come through at a moment’s notice. However, when you’re selling your home, you should do your best to accommodate as many as possible. After all, no one can make an offer on your home if they never have a chance to look at it. Conversely, every showing you let through increases your chances of getting an offer.
With that in mind, one of the best things that you can do to help yourself get out the door in a hurry is to create a pre-showing routine. Before you head out the door on each one, take a few minutes to make sure your house is looking its best by sprucing up wherever is needed.