In today’s real estate market, more houses are sitting on the market than there are available buyers. Still, every day lots of new homes enter the saturated market with home owners trying to sell the homes or banks trying to offload their foreclosed homes.
Selling your house fast can therefore quickly become a challenge. So how can you get your house sold in such tough conditions?
When most home buyers start looking for houses, they start their search on the internet. Most of the times, they are usually able to access houses listed in the MLS like realtor.com and other real estate websites.
Usually this happens long before they call a Realtor. What they do next, such as narrowing down on the right home, driving out to see it, etc, depends on several factors.
1) Price
Once they search their house using the right criteria, such as size, neighborhood, price range, the first thing they look for is the price.
Of course a home buyer is attracted by the lowest priced homes. So it means pricing your house lower than similar houses in the neighborhood will make it sell faster.
Of course price is not the only thing home buyers notice, but it the first thing they notice.
Newly listed houses are more attractive than old ones, so getting it right the first time is important.
Of course you can only price it low if your mortgage balance allows it. Your Realtor should be able to guide you to get the best price for your house.
2) Staging and presentation
Staging seems to get overlooked when selling a house. The pictures posted with the listings can make a big impact with the buyer.
Again, notice this happens long before they drive out with the Realtor to see the house.
Do the pictures make it presentable? Are the most prominent features of the house highlighted by the pictures?
Whenever possible, it is easier to present a house that has furniture than one with no furniture. If no furniture is available, try to cover all angles of the house to present the best features.
Remember, the first impression the home buyer gets will determine if they come take a look at the house.
3) Curb appeal
Once the home buyer decides to drive to your house with their Realtor, the first thing they will notice is how the house looks like on the outside.
How clean does the yard look? Is the roof covered by a tree hanging over it? A simple coat of paint on the outside and the mailbox can drastically improve the curb appeal.
Remember the house must be attractive for them to even take a look inside.
4) Condition of the house
Does the house need repairs? Most buyers are turned off by repairs. Most cannot handle any repairs.
And if they can handle it, they will expect a further price cut to cover it.
Are the main appliances working? If at all possible, fix the house with a new coat of paint and carpet. Do not over-do repairs or you might break the budget.
5) Negotiate
If an interested buyer asks for it, be ready to negotiate. A small price break might be all they need. It can make the difference between selling or not, or even keeping it for months.
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