Seller Tips
Making a Good First Impression
Benefits of Proper Pricing
Choosing Your Realtor
Moving Checklist
Making a Good First Impression
In
today's age of consumerism, every buyer is comparative shopping. Make a
small investment in time, money and effort to give your home a solid
advantage over competing properties.
Pay attention to
detail now because first impressions count with buyers. You only have
one chance and it starts with what often referred to as "curb appeal". Some tips to create a better curb appeal are:
Create A Buying Mood.
Exterior Appearance
Maintenance
Squeaky Clean
At The Front Door
Benefits of Proper Pricing
When
your home sells faster, you save carrying costs, mortgage payments and
other ownership costs. A quicker sale creates less inconvenience for
you. If you've moved before, you know the energy it takes to prepare
for showings: keeping the home clean, making childcare arrangements,
and altering your lifestyle. Proper pricing reduces these demands on
you, by helping your home sell faster. At market value your home will
gain exposure to more prospects that can afford the price.
Sellers who list at a
high price are looking for that one buyer who will pay it, often not
realizing that they have discouraged many potential buyers who could
have afforded the home. The final sales price is probably one that will
be affordable by more purchasers. This is because sellers many times
accept a much lower price at a much later date since that one buyer
willing to pay the higher price never comes.
When salespeople are
excited about a home and its price, they make special efforts to
contact all of their potential buyers. Knowing that it is priced
properly for its market, they expect it to sell soon and encourage
their prospects to act quickly. Their excitement is contagious!
Ad calls and sign
calls to REALTORS® turn into showings when price is not a deterrent.
Most serious prospects are well educated about asking prices in the
areas they are seeking. They will not waste their time on a home they
consider overpriced.
Buyers fear they
might lose out on a good home when it is priced right. They are less
likely to make "low ball offers." Better pricing attracts multiple
offers!
Bottom line, if a
home is priced right, the excitement of the market produces higher sale
prices. You net more both in terms of actual sale price and in less
carrying costs.
Choosing Your Realtor
The
most important decision you will make in the sale of your home is the
REALTOR® you choose. Be sure to find someone you feel comfortable with.
If you don't feel you can ask questions or go to your REALTOR®, you
have the wrong person. Your REALTOR® should show you research to back
up any recommendations. This includes information about recent sales,
current listings, and recently expired listings in your neighborhood.
Choose a local
REALTOR®. He or she will know your area better than an outsider, will
be seen as a source for people looking to relocate in your
neighborhood, and will get better co-operation from other agents. It is
likely that any amount you might save by having a friend or relative
from outside the area serve as your REALTOR® will be lost in their lack
of knowledge about your specific local market.
Don't forget to ask
for references from the REALTOR®. He or she should be willing to give
you names of previous clients. Ask your friends and acquaintances for
recommendations, but make your final choice based on your needs. Ask
the REALTOR® to show you what will be done to market your home.
Consider the office and company support available to him or her as well
as the initiative and professionalism shown by the individual.
Look for a REALTOR®
who tells you what he or she knows from experience in the market, and
not what they think you want to hear. Flattery may sometimes get the
listing, but it doesn't sell the home!
