The following general steps of the home-selling process are mentioned here with the purpose of helping sellers avoid some of the more common oversights.
Staging the Property for Sale
This is the step where the most common oversights are made. If a home needs cosmetic work, the owner should be professionally assisted in improving its general appearance in an efficient and cost-effective manner. If this is not done, the property may not receive offers nearly as quickly, and may attract people looking for a “good deal”. The time and minimal effort necessary to improve the overall appeal of a home is well worth it in almost every case.
Let Your Home be Welcoming To Buyers
Here are some specific suggestions:
- First impressions are lasting. The front door greets the prospect. Make sure it is fresh, clean, and scrubbed looking. Keep lawn trimmed and edged, and the yard free of refuse.
- Decorate for a quick sale. Faded walls and worn woodwork reduce appeal. Why try to tell the prospect how your home could look, when you can show him by redecorating? A quicker sale at a higher price will result. An investment in new kitchen wallpaper may pay dividends.
- Let the sun shine in. Open draperies and curtains and let the prospect see how cheerful your home can be. (Dark rooms do not appeal.)
- Fix that faucet! Dripping water discolors sinks and suggests faulty plumbing.
- Repairs can make a big difference. Loose knobs, sticking doors and windows, warped cabinet drawers and other minor flaws detract from home value. Have them fixed.
- From top to bottom. Display the full value of your attic and other utility space by removing all unnecessary articles.
- Safety first. Keep stairways clear. Avoid cluttered appearances and possible injuries.
- Make closets look bigger. Neat well-ordered closets show that space is ample.
- Bathrooms help sell homes. Check and repair caulking in bathtubs and showers. Make this room sparkle.
- Arrange bedrooms neatly. Remove excess furniture. Use attractive bedspreads and freshly laundered curtains.
- Can you see the light? Illumination is like a welcome sign. The potential buyer will feel a glowing warmth when you turn on all your lights for an evening inspection.
- Three’s a crowd. Avoid having too many people present during inspections. The potential buyer will feel like an intruder and will hurry through the house.
Choosing an Appropriate Agent
Most people find that employing a well-selected agent is a far more effective way of selling property than attempting to handle the marketing privately. However, the selection of an inappropriate agent can be frustrating and time-consuming.
Therefore the selection process should be approached carefully, taking into account many different factors, such as whether or not the agent has a positive mental attitude.
Pricing the Home
Price and the condition of the home are the main two factors the seller can control in the selling process. While deciding at what price to begin marketing a property is not an exact science and can be challenging, if more than one agent provides the seller with a comparative market analysis it can help immeasurably in arriving at a good decision.
Responding to Offers and Negotiating
It has frequently been said that the first offer received is from the best buyer and this is often quite true. The “seasoned buyer” who has been looking for long time will frequently make an offer that does not initially seem to be good, and thus the seller doesn’t respond. Often, in retrospect, the seller wishes he had pursued negotiations with that first buyer.
In the market we have experienced for the last five years it could be said that any offer might be a good one! A “good” offer is one from a pre-qualified buyer who is willing to pay above a minimum acceptable price and who is able to close escrow in a time frame that works well for the seller.
There are a lot of factors that can be considered in deciding how to respond to such a buyer, but definitely the seller would do well to make a very sincere and serious attempt to arrive at an agreement with the buyer.
