Ten Tips for Selling Your House
A big mistake people make when selling a house, is not understanding
real estate value. It's irrelevant what you think your home is
worth. The value of your home, and any improvements you have
made to it, is determined by buyers. What you enjoyed about your
house isn't important when it's time to sell. Think in terms
of what buyers want, and use some of the following tips.
House Selling Tips
1. Know the market. Find out what similar houses have sold
for, and have those examples ready to show potential buyers.
2. Decide on a minimum price - the price below which you just
won't move. Don't tell your agent what this minimum is, but work
with any buyers who make an offer at or above it.
3. Clean the visible things first. Maybe buy a new mailbox.
When buyers fall in love with the house before they even enter
it, they forgive a lot of problems.
4. Clean the neighborhood. If there's a neighbor who's yard
is messy, pay their kids $10 to pick it up. The spend $20 to
put flowers in any common-areas, and buyers will have a better
first impression of the neighborhood.
5. If you or your agent don't getting many calls, find out
why. Is more advertising necessary, or is the price too high?
Drop the price fast, if that's the problem.
6. Listen prospects' comments. They'll be more objective than
you. If you hear twice that the kitchen is dark, get out the
white paint.
7. Find the average sales time is in your area. If your house
takes longer than average to sell, there's a problem. Usually
it's the price.
8. Ask your real estate agent what they plan to do - before
you sign a listing agreement. Write down what he tells you, and
hold him to his promises.
9. If there are known problems, such as an old roof, get an
estimate for repairs. The sellers may want a $7,000 allowance
- until you show them your $4,000 estimate.
10. Do improvements that can realistically get you a two-to-one
return on investment. If $200 to seal the driveway is likely
to add $400 to the sales price of the home, do it. Do first those
things that are most visible.
There are dozens of things you can do to sell your house faster,
and to get a better price for it. If you really don't have much
time, start with the ones that will get the most "bang for
your buck." Or take a day off work and use all the house
selling tips you can.
P.S. To make selling your house faster and more profitable,
you can also make it easy for the buyer. For more on that, read
the page on offering seller financing.
Another page to check out:
How to Sell a House -
Free e-book now on the pages of this site!
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