Buying and selling a home are two very different processes. First time home sellers may not know all that goes into successfully selling their house. It takes some work to find a buyer while getting the price you want. There are many moving parts to the process, but there are some things that may help you make your first time selling a home experience easier.
4 best tips for first time home SELLERS!
The Price is Right
You want to get as much money for your house as possible. Who wouldn’t? Many homebuyers make the mistake of being overly ambitious when it comes to the price their house will sell for. The day your house hits the market, it should be priced correctly! Don’t price high and hope to snag a buyer. Your listing will slowly drop down the line and a high price up front will get it overlooked. Plus, potential buyers will be able to see any price changes you make. Continuously dropping the price will make you appear like a desperate seller or as if you don’t know what you’re doing. It can also give the impression something is wrong with the house because you aren’t able to get your asking price. Do your homework, and price the property correctly from day one.
Pack Up Before You Sell
Selling and moving go hand and hand. Do yourself a favor, and pack up before listing your home. Box things up and put them in storage, the basement or even the garage. Removing as many of your personal effects as possible will make potential buyers feel less intrusive when they are viewing your home. In addition, your listing photos should be completely free of clutter. Ads with personal items front and center often get scrolled past. Packing up your non-essential items will save you a ton of work down the road. Getting this out of the way early will make the moving process much easier for you.
Don’t Say No To a Showing
It might seem a little inconvenient having strangers walk through your house at any given moment, but you need to make viewing of your house as easy as possible. If your agent has a buyer who wants to see the house at 9 pm, let them. If your house is all packed up, short notice shouldn’t be too much of a hassle. Do whatever you can to get your house seen. Don’t limit your showings to certain times or alienate potential buyers in any way. You can’t rely on an Open House to sell your home. In fact, the vast majority of houses sell through direct showings. Being hospitable and flexible to potential buyers will set the tone for a positive, future transaction!
Pictures Say A Thousand Words
We can’t stress this one enough. Good photography is one of the most important things you will do when selling your house. Advertisements using bad photography, or with cluttered, messy or highly personalized rooms will likely be looked over. You have only a few seconds to capture someone’s interest when they are looking through listings, and you do this with amazing photography. Your house needs to pop! It has to stand out and make people click on your listing to find out more. You should consider hiring a professional if your listing agent hasn’t already. You might also consider creating an online virtual tour, or using drone photography. Selling your house doesn’t have to be overwhelming or scary. Hiring the right team of professionals to guide you, will ensure you get the price you want in a timely manner.