Unfortunately, selling a house isn’t as easy as sticking a “For Sale” Sign in the front yard and calling it a day. The times have changed and for right now “the odds are ever in your favor.” Right now we are undeniably in a seller’s market. Which means, buyers are demanding homes but the inventory is low nationwide. On top of that, buyers are choosing to act now to get those low-interest rates that are slowly climbing.
All of this put seller’s in the driver’s seat, which can be a lot of pressure. So with the help of one of our amazing agents, and this crash course of getting your home sold fast, you should have no trouble getting the offers to roll in.
The Price is Right…From the Start
Conventional wisdom might suggest that is a good idea to list your house above market value to make a little extra coin. However, this isn’t such a good idea because, in today’s fast-paced market, this would put your house at risk of sitting on the market for a long time. If your house sits for too long people will start to assume that there is something wrong with it.
So if you list your home at market price, which your agent will help you determine, your house will sell faster. If you really want to sell fast you could even consider listing your home a bit lower which could start a bidding war and drive the price up.
Marketing is Key
While professional photographs are a must, many sellers and S&D Real Estate Agents are going a step further to include video tours and drone photos & video. These videos give buyers a sense that they’re walking through the house without leaving their couch. It could even enable you to sell your house “unseen,” which is actually how 1 out of 5 buyers does it these days.
Social media is another key component to the marketing game. Luckily for you, S&D Agents are all over social media and are constantly blasting your property out to thousands of people.
Splurge on Staging
Presentation is EVERYTHING! Even if that means hitting up the local Kirklands or even hiring a professional home stager. On average, staged homes sell 88% faster and for 20% more. This is particularly important if you have already moved out because bare rooms look sad and empty. By adding furniture you can actually make a room look bigger and give the buyer an idea if their furniture will fit.
Stagers charge $300-$600 for an initial consultation and up to $500 to $600 per month per room. If you can’t afford to stage the entire house, at least make sure you include the living room and kitchen. This is because according to the National Association of Realtors, the kitchen and living room are the most important rooms in the house.
Plan for Multiple Offers
With how tight inventory is today, there is a good chance you will receive multiple offers, which is a good problem to have. To ease the pressure, create a plan for how you would respond if you receive multiple offers.
For starters, there is no one-size-fits-all rule on how you should act. The decisions depend on what is important to the seller. For example, some sellers are just looking to accept the best offer they receive and move out fast. Other sellers might be interested in learning how to spark a bidding war to drive up their home’s price. that being said, sometimes the highest offer is not always the best offer. Plus, you will need to consider each offers full terms, including contingencies, closing window, and the buyer’s financing.
By determining exactly what is important to you in advance, you will be able to make an easier decision if you get multiple offers.
