Sell High or Sell Fast... Which one will put the most $$$ in Your Pocket?

When selling your home, it stands to reason that you want to Maximize Your Profit right? But as a Realtor, the response I often get when presenting a home owner with a market evaluation of their home is "Can't we list it higher? The Buyer is going to try to talk us down anyway." A market evaluation is just that -- the range of prices that buyers are willing to pay for similar homes in that particular area at that particular time.

Pricing your home higer than what the market is willing to pay, is like fishing with 50 feet of fishing line when all of the fish are swimming 60 feet deep. If you don't drop the bait to where the fish are... they just won't take the bait.

Overpricing your home does have consequences. Consider these 'famous last words' of pricing pitfalls:
1. 'Buyers who really like my home will make an offer regardless of the listing price.'
2. 'I can always lower my price when an offer comes in.'
3. 'My home is so much nicer than all of the others. A higher price is justified.'
4. 'I don't have to sell right away.'
5. 'I want to test the market first to see what I can get.'

Overpricing when you list your house can come with clear dangers:
1. The best time to capture a buyer is in the first weeks when Realtor® and buyer interest is the highest. Don't squander this critical marketing period.
2. Sellers who start high and stay high can be branded as unreasonable.
3. Realtors® know which homes are over-priced, and will often use them to educate their buyers, and help them purchase the homes that are well priced. In other words, they'll show your home in order to help sell the home down the street from yours.
4. Advertising and other marketing efforts are neutralized.
5. Sales professionals and buyers tend to overlook and discount aged properties. To prevent your house from being overlooked, price it fairly to keep buyer and Realtor® attention.
6. Aged properties draw lower offers. Early offers tend to be higher, so price carefully initially to get fair offers.

Pricing your home to its fair market value is important. To learn more, or for a free market evaluation of your home in Calgary, Alberta, visit www.YourHomeinCalgary.com

Bernice Dubon in Calgary, Alberta

Royal LePage Solutions