5 Factors You Control During Your Home Sale
Although you’ve heard the term location, location, location, when you are selling your home, there is nothing you can do about where the house is located. Nor can you change the size and layout, or the current market. However, there are six factors that affect your home sale that you can control. Let’s look at each of these.
1. Price It Right
Having the right price on your home will help you receive the most amount of offers. If you price too high, fewer people will look at your home and it will sit on the market for longer periods of time. If you price it too long, potential buyers will assume that something is wrong with the house.
Action Plan: Your real estate agent will provide a comparative market analysis to help you determine the best selling price for your home. Listen to their advice as you plan your home sale!
2. Fix It Up Before the Home Sale
Homes in better condition sell faster because most buyers are looking for a home in move-in condition. They do not want to buy a home that seems to require them to do too much before moving in.
Action Plan: Make repairs before putting the house on the market. If needed, consider having the home inspected and fix what is found on the report.
3. A Bit of Renovation
The more your home resembles a new home, the faster it will sell. Consider renovating the kitchen and baths, updating flooring, and painting the walls before the home sale. You might also consider adding some newer technology to your home to attract millennials.
Action Plan: Check out homes in your area to determine what you need to do to upgrade. Be sure that you do not upgrade beyond the value of the neighborhood.
4. Stage Your Home
Home staging is the art of making a home look like a model home. It often begins with simple cleaning, as well as ridding the home of clutter. Homestaging also suggests neutral colors for the walls and floors. Finally, homestaging will help you determine which pieces of furniture stay and which go, and where each piece will be placed. By the time your home is staged, it often no longer looks like you live there, but that is the point. Instead, you want the buyer to feel like they can easily live in the home.
Action Plan: Clean out everything, including closets and cupboards. Be ruthless in throwing away or packing away items. Consider renting a storage unit to keep things you still want but that will not show well. Finally, if your real estate agent does not offer homestaging services, consider hiring a homestaging profesional.
5. Think About the Timing of Your Home Sale
There are definitely better times to sell a home. This often includes the late spring and early summer as parents think about moves between school years. This is also a time when most homes show well due to the natural beauty of the season. The next best season is early fall, which is when those without children often begin looking for a new home.
Action Plan: If you don’t have a specific reason for moving during an off-season time, consider putting your home on the market in April or May for the best chances of selling quickly. If you must sell during the off-season, be sure to price it well and keep the yard free from leaves or snow.
Following these action plans will help you sell your home more quickly and for more money. If you’d like to know more about selling your home, please call us today.