4 Ways To Sell Your Home — and Fast!
I’ve gotten a good glimpse of the home seller’s life in 2022, and how it’s incredibly possible to sell your home fast, for top dollar, and not have to watch your home sit on the market for months!
Whether you are a home seller that is moving out of necessity or pleasure, but you haven’t gotten a single buyer to look at it, I’ve compiled some tips that will help with getting your home up and ready for success.
HOME SELLING TIPS:
Tip #1: Clean, declutter, style!
They say that less is more. And it’s true. Nobody wants to walk inside a cluttered house with clothes stashed atop the washer, or kids’ toys all over the floor. Declutter the home, and also remove any personal belongings, such as family photos from the wall and the refrigerator.
Buyers don’t want to be reminded that they’re looking at somebody else's home. They want to envision themselves living in the homes they enter.
Once you’re done with tidying up the home for show, consider styling the home with neutral-colored artwork, and place a bowl of lemons or limes on the countertop. Styling your home to sell(aka staging, or house fluffing), works in ANY Real Estate economy — people are moving constantly and for the same fifty reasons… People relocate because of:
- A bigger home
- Marriage
- Divorce
- New baby
- Job transfer, etc.
People are always looking to buy!
If it’s been weeks or even months since your home has been posted to the market, it’s probably because it’s over-priced for what it looks like. The home seller would need to look into hiring a professional home stager.
Tip #2: Don’t invest in a ton of furniture
If your home is vacant, Do NOT buy your own furniture inventory — it’s expensive & risky! In fact, you don’t have to own as much as a throw pillow. Instead, just look around for a furniture rental company.
They specialize in placing the furniture in the home.
If somehow, they bang up your doorway, they will have to pay for it. Otherwise, you will have this whole heap of furniture that you just bought, to stage your home. What will you do with it?
Tip #3: Get exceptional photos
Let’s face it. There are a ton of realtors who don’t have a solid marketing program. Many of them have a “set it and forget it” mindset. So you want to make sure you do your due diligence of looking to see who the top performers are, whether they hire professional photographers for their clients, and if they do marketing outside of the Multiple Listing Service.
There are some realtors that take their own photos. Beware of that. You want professional-looking photos to show potential buyers exactly what they’re buying. You also want the description of your home to be accurate and appealing. Don’t just hire a realtor just because they live a block down the road.
Tip #4: Consider having your home staged
If you’re working with a Realtor, and they don’t advise of any home-stylist tips, then ask them if they know a reputable home stager. But don’t forget to do your due diligence by researching what’s out there(home staging companies, reviews, etc.)
With home staging, you are ultimately setting your home apart from other homes currently on the market. Statistically, staged homes sell for 17% MORE than the asking price and 87% faster than a non-staged home.
Because real estate agents are busy, they can’t be held responsible to know it all — So if your home isn’t selling or doesn’t have anyone calling to look at it, your realtor will suggest dropping the price.
Why?
Because the realtor is not affected by a huge drop in commission. However, you, as the seller, are at risk of losing up to $10k. That’s $10,000 out of your pocket.
According to the internationally recognized Debra Gould of StagingDiva.com, to realtors, a price decrease of $10,000 is just a loss of $100-$150 in commission.
“Instead of focusing all of your energy on what real estate agents think, put some energy into educating the home sellers about the benefits of home staging and you’ll be much better off.”
Frankly, $10,000 is a huge reduction of money right from your pocket as a home seller — because that’s the easiest thing for a realtor to do, is to reduce the price.
Let that sink in for a minute….
And Tip #5
I know I mentioned there are only four tips in this blog post, but this one occurred to me, and could be the root cause of what keeps you up at night. It happened with me, and also with my parents.
So, if you’re not a home renovator, house flipper, or owner agent, please do your due diligence in hiring a reputable realtor, who actually invests his/her time in their sellers. I know of too many real estate agents who think they just need to toss your home on the MLS and call it a day.
No!
You need a broker who has an outstanding marketing strategy — a broker that not only specializes in helping their sellers by doing all the dirty work and behind-the-scenes stuff(i.e., exchange documents with the title company, prepare CMA’s, etc.), but also has a comprehensive marketing strategy to help you sell your home faster.
You are signing their contract that states they are working for YOU. They expect you to hefty amount of money on the table as their real estate commission. It is your realtor’s duty to execute the work that is required to sell your home.
Don’t be afraid to ask for:
- A revised product description of your house
- Better photography images
- A solid marketing strategy
- Recommendations for a professional home stylist
- The listing to be removed, then reposted with the above suggestions
Our homes are often our biggest assets, and we need to take care of them as such. We all buy and sell for emotional reasons, and the last thing anyone wants is for a home to sit on the market with not so much as a phone call.
Your new home near the beach or wherever it may be, is waiting for you. You deserve for your home to fly off the market and not have to watch it sit for months on end.
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