Selling Your House and Super Bowl
Monday, January 24, 2011
There is a smart way and a not-so-smart way to get the best price for your home in the new year. Selling is both a price war and a beauty contest, and to win both you should check these nine tips.
1. Time it right
Wait a few more weeks to put that "for sale" sign in front of your home. Few houses sell until after Super Bowl Sunday.
2. Price it at exactly what it’s worth
The most influential factor in selling a home is always price. Don't build "wiggle room" into the asking price. There's a price war out there and you have to win it from the get-go. Shop the competition to see what similar homes are selling for and price your home 10 to 15 percent lower so it's the first house shown. Or you can get price estimates from three good brokers and go with the lowest. If you've overpriced your home, then make one big reduction. The worst thing you can do is make a series of small price reductions along the way — it's the equivalent of chasing the tide as it rolls out.
3. Get your home inspected before you list
Don't wait for the would-be buyer to discover the problems you could have fixed before selling. When they're discovered, buyers will just move to the next house or rack up reasons to expect price cuts.
4. Offer financial incentives up front
Don't wait for the negotiations to throw in extra price incentives — offer them up front. Offer to pre-pay the first year of property taxes, pay closing costs, include free cleaning. If you're moving and have no place to put your money, the best incentive out there today is "seller financing." Make sure to put your incentives front and forward in the listing information.
5. Wage war online
A whopping 89 percent of buyers start their home search online. How your house looks online is the modern equivalent of "curb appeal." Rent a wide-angle lens and good lighting, get rid of your clutter and post at least eight great photos to win the beauty contest. Even better, The White and Weeks Team employs a professional photographer and provides a free personalized website for your home as well as all the hot online sites.
6. Use the best broker
The top 10 percent of sales agents generate 90 percent of the sales and they're the ones most likely to sell your home. Chris White has ranked in the Top 1% in the state for years.
7. Spend money on the three key spaces:
• The front of the house
Buyers decide in the first eight seconds of seeing a home if they're interested in buying it. Get out of your car, walk in their shoes and see what they see within the first eight seconds. Edge your lawn, mulch your flower beds, trim your bushes, steam clean your driveway and paint your door and trim.
• The living room
Get rid of ALL your clutter, including a third of your furniture. Paint the walls a neutral white and add touches of color. If you can afford to stage one room, this is it.
• The kitchen
Invest in cheap expenses like changing the cabinet fronts, new lights and fixtures, new knobs and drawer pulls, installing a chic new backsplash, resurfacing the floors and getting one new, fancy-looking appliance.
8. Lighten your house
After location, light is the second-most cited reason buyers choose a particular house. Paint the inside walls white, clean the windows, trim back shrubs and trees, replace heavy drapery with sheer curtains or shades, put sheer white shades on your lamps and higher-wattage bulbs.
9. Stage your home
The typical cost of staging a house is $1,500. If you can't spend the money, visit more expensive model homes in your area and try to mimic the look. Or use the services of The White and Weeks Team to stage your home which is included at no extra cost.
There is a smart way and a not-so-smart way to get the best price for your home in the new year. Selling is both a price war and a beauty contest, and to win both you should check these eight tips.
1. Time it right
Wait a few more weeks to put that "for sale" sign in front of your home. Few houses sell until after Super Bowl Sunday. But now is the time to get prepared and come out on the offense rather than needing to defend your house.
2. Price it at exactly what it’s worth
The most influential factor in selling a home is always price. Don't build "wiggle room" into the asking price. There's a price war out there and you have to win it from the get-go. Shop the competition to see what similar homes are selling for and price your home 10 to 15 percent lower so it's the first house shown. Or you can get price estimates from three good brokers and go with the lowest. If you've overpriced your home, then make one big reduction. The worst thing you can do is make a series of small price reductions along the way — it's the equivalent of chasing the tide as it rolls out.
3. Get your home inspected before you list
Don't wait for the would-be buyer to discover the problems you could have fixed before selling. When they're discovered, buyers will just move to the next house or rack up reasons to expect price cuts.
4. Offer financial incentives up front
Don't wait for the negotiations to throw in extra price incentives — offer them up front. Offer to pre-pay the first year of property taxes, pay closing costs, include free cleaning. If you're moving and have no place to put your money, the best incentive out there today is "seller financing." Make sure to put your incentives front and forward in the listing information.
5. Wage war online
A whopping 89 percent of buyers start their home search online. How your house looks online is the modern equivalent of "curb appeal." Rent a wide-angle lens and good lighting, get rid of your clutter and post at least eight great photos to win the beauty contest. Even better, The White and Weeks Team employs a professional photographer and provides a free personalized website for your home as well as all the hot online sites.
6. Use the best broker
The top 10 percent of sales agents generate 90 percent of the sales and they're the ones most likely to sell your home. Chris White has ranked in the Top 1% in the state for years.
7. Lighten your house
After location, light is the second-most cited reason buyers choose a particular house. Paint the inside walls white, clean the windows, trim back shrubs and trees, replace heavy drapery with sheer curtains or shades, put sheer white shades on your lamps and higher-wattage bulbs.
8. Stage your home
The typical cost of staging a house is $1,500. If you can't spend the money, visit more expensive model homes in your area and try to mimic the look. Or use the services of The White and Weeks Team to stage your home which is included at no extra cost.
"That is a beautiful shot with very good lighting ." about Women Consider Owning a Home to be a Vital Component of the American Dream
on Sunday, May 12, 2013 @ 9:57 AM
Chris White - Team Leader said
"Unfortunately you are not alone. It's more than an outcry. The powers that be really need to come down harder on Bofa than they already are. Working on these short sale for over 2 years now I've uncovered down right fraud happening on the lenders parts. If they cared more about moving this country forward than protecting their own wallets then they would cut the red tape and approve these short sales in a timely manner. Our team made the wise decision to get BofA loans which were FHA or Freddie Mac backed, approved prior to listing on the market. Then we can list the home as "Price Approved" and close in 30 days. In this instance BofA does a full appraisal, rather than an incompetent "Broker Price Opinion" (nothing against agents but they have no idea how to make adjustments on comparable homes) and then the bank issues an "Approval To Participate" letter which dictates what price we can go on the market and take anything north of 88%. I really do hope your situation improves. " about Congressional Bill to Speed Up Short Sales
on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 @ 9:15 AM
Lisa Zeiner said
"We made an offer 4 months ago to BofA, and have heard nothing. It was a cash offer which is better than the zero money they are collecting now. And since the people don't care they are trashing the place, by the time BofA gets around to it our offer will be gone as the place is a mess!! Septic issues now, garbage being dumnped. All of this could have been avoided if BofA really wanted to correct their cash flow problem and sell these properties in a timely manner. They cry about cash but then do nothing intelligent to fix the problem" about Congressional Bill to Speed Up Short Sales
on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 @ 9:06 AM
Jones Ramirez said
"Thank you for the work you have done into this post, it helps clear up a few questions I had." about How do appraiser’s determine a homes value?
on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 @ 10:07 PM
HollyRobsonf said
"Hey - I am certainly happy to find this. great job!" about Bank of America to Offer Principal Reduction to Underwater Borrowers
on Wednesday, April 13, 2011 @ 6:45 PM