10 Ways to Get Your Listing to Sell

 

 

For all the non video people-Here is a written version: 

Can you say competition??  These days there are so so so many houses on the market.  Getting yours sold or even shown can be a tall order.  So what can you do to help get those showings and eventually a buyer?  Here's 10 proven (by me) ideas to get you started.

 1.  Price it right- This is THE most important thing you can do.  Don't start $50K high, assuming you're going to get lowballed.  The truth is, that you probably aren't going to get your asking price, but listing too high, can completely eliminate showings.  Thinking of starting high then reducing it later? It may be too late by then as the pricing trend points lower and lower, you're competition will beat you to the punch, leaving you STILL too high, months later.  This brings us to #2

2.  Check out your competition - It's time to forget about what Joe and Mary's house down the street sold for.  Sold listings are only a starting point.  The real important comps you need to look at are the current ACTIVE listings.  That's what buyers are looking at.  They'll see yours, then they'll see the other ones down the street.  Put yourself in their shoes...  How does yours compare.  Be honest with yourself. 

3.  Declutter - This is very very important.  Head over to a mini storage facility and spend a few dollar per month on a storage unit.  Then go through your home with boxes and garbage bags.  THROW AWAY anything that you haven't used in a while and pack up anything that you can live without for the next few months.  This will make your space look much larger and help buyers imagine themselves with THEIR things in the house. 

4.  Depersonalize - All those pictures of you and your friends are awesome.  To you.  And all those trophies...  Great memories, right?  For you.  Buyers can feel a little awkward walking through your house with all those personal items staring back at them.  They feel like they are in YOUR house.  It's hard to picture it as THEIRS.  Make your house as generic as possible. 

5. Neutralize Colors-Speaking of being generic, it's time to tone down those colorful walls.  Sure that pink room is so perfect for your little one.  She loves it!  But a future buyer might not like it.  In fact they may hate it!  And that's the first thing they will think about when they enter that room.  "I hate this!"  Not the kind of emotion you want potential buyers to feel in your home...

6.  Make Those Repairs - I know you've been putting it off and cash is limited these days, but you're going to be a lot better off, making those repairs and updates before you list your home.  Buyer's are going to be looking at a lot of houses and they are going to want one that is ready to go.  Buying a house and moving is enough of a pain in the you-know-what.  The last thing they want to do, it have to make repairs or updates right after closing.  They either expect it to be turn-key or they expect it to be cheap.  You're going to be much better off spending the dough up front, and recouping it after the sale.  Those old pitted brass faucets, that hole in the wall, that loose door knob....  Get it all fixed  and updated asap.  Don't give buyers any reasons to feel like they need a discount!

7.  Open the Blinds and Turn on the Lights-Nothing makes a space feel smaller, more dated, creepier or less appealing like the dark.  Open every single blind, and turn on every single light in the house before the showing.  This can make a GIANT difference in perception. 

8.  CLEAN - This is super critical.  First impressions are extremely important and a potential buyer is going to form their first impression within three seconds of walking in to your home.  If it doesn't smell quite right, or if they can see dust everywhere or dog hair, etc, it could be over before it even starts. 

9.  Get Professional Quality Photos - Make sure that your Real Estate agent either hires a professional photographer or uses a professional 8+ Mega Pixel camera with proper lighting.  Almost everyone begins their search online now and listings with quality photos have been PROVEN to get more showings.  Also, make sure there are LOTS of detailed photos.  Don't settle for one shot of the kitchen.  Get a few great shots including close ups of the range, sink, etc.  (If they look nice) 

10.  Get a Video Tour - Virtual 360 deg tours are sooo yesterday.  A professionally produced and narrated video tour can cost in the $400+ range but is very much worth it.  With gas prices sky high, and the number of listed houses, buyers are going online and picking the listings that "jump out" at them.  A professional video tour will jump out and buyers will be more apt to come see your home.  A video tour can also be uploaded to YouTube.com, one of the worlds most popular websites.  From there you can link to it from email, Craigslist.org, your Facebook accout, etc. 

So there you have it!  Now how many of these things have you and your Real Estate agent been doing?