The Best Home Selling Advice

The Best Home Selling Advice
Selling a house is one of the top three most stressful events in life.  Sellers are often overwhelmed thinking about the best time to sell in the market, how to stage for maximum results, which repairs will gain the biggest return….so we are here to give you the quick version!
Here is the best home selling advice from the years of experience in real estate and selling thousands of homes.  Learn when is the best time to put your house on the market, how to price your home to sell, and the best way to present your home so buyers will make an offer.
Investing in Repairs & Maintenance Before will save you money in the long run.
If the Buyer walks in and sees the carpet is stained, most buyers will leave without making an offer. They often cannot see beyond the flaws. If the carpet is that bad, what else did this homeowner not maintain? I don’t want to purchase a new home and have a list of expenses as soon as I move in.  For the buyer that decides, “ok I am willing to take on the new carpet projects, BUT I am going to offer $10,000 less.”  The cost of fixing the issues is often much less than the amount of money you lose in a reduced offer, so replace the flooring before you list your house on the market.  This applies to other obvious repairs and maintenance, like dirty air filters and torn weather stripping in the doorway.  Tidy up, invest in these obvious maintenance items, and you will see higher offers.
Spend your dollars wisely.
Prioritize your repair budget and start with the items that Buyers care most about.  Paint the scuffed interior walls before you paint the wooden fence in the back yard.  Replace the cracked window before you install additional shelves in the closet.
Price Wisely
Pricing high so you can negotiate the price down is the number one mistake Sellers make.  Every house has a price range determined by location, size and upgrades.  If you price way out of your price range, Buyers will skip your home only focus on the homes that are priced correctly instead.  You have now lost the Buyers you were planning to negotiate with.  Listen to your real estate agent! We work in this market and know it well- you may even be surprised to receive multiple offers quickly.
The best Time to Sell
 Ask your local REALTOR how many months of inventory are currently on the market.  If there is less than 5 months of inventory available, it  is a SELLERS MARKET- meaning, you have more Buyers than Sellers, so it is YOUR time to sell!  If you have priced within market value, you will often see multiple offers and offers above list price.
Where do buyers look first
Buyers look online first before viewing a home.  Hire a real estate agent with a wonderful  photographer to showcase your home online.  This is where Buyers determine which homes make the list and which ones are cut.
Staging is a must
Vacant homes take longer to sell.  Photographs are empty and lifeless, buyers are unable to make a connection.  Staging the home will show the Buyer how they will experience every day life in their new home.  You can hire a REALTOR that will include professional staging in their listing package (spoiler alert: we offer home staging!!)  When the Buyer experiences more then just an empty home, they get that “THIS IS IT” feeling and make an offer quickly.  If you are still living in your home, do what you can to store things and move excess into boxes. Just think of it as getting a head start on the packing!  Remove as much of your personal items, like photographs, counter decor, and knick knacks, as possible.  You want to show the Buyer how they can live in THEIR new home, not how you live in the home.  Ask a local professional REALTOR for suggestions that will make your home stand out.
If your thinking of selling, find the value of your home now.

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About the Author

The Best Home Selling Advice

Lisa Duke Realty, LLC

I began buying and selling real estate in 1995 for personal investments in Jacksonville, Florida. I enjoyed the business and I obtained a real estate license in 2002 to help others buy and sell homes on a part time basis. My part time efforts quickly grew into a full time real estate consulting business. Lisa Duke Realty, LLC opened in 2012 and in the first two years, our experience and staff have grown and flourished.