Oh, Lyn there you go again talking about 'staging' and preparing my home for sale. Do I really have to spend all this time and energy?
YES .... YOU DO. What sellers don't seem to understand is the competition out there in the marketplace. Buyers have a lot of choices when they search for homes and why should they choose yours? Well ..... I'll wait why you think about it.
As a buyer, there are endless choices you could make on your home search and you want your home to stand out ('spot on' as we say) because you only get once chance for a good first impression!
This is great advice from a successful stager, Sharon Tara from New Hampshire. Enjoy her advice and perspective.
Today's buyer is doing their research online. It's more important than ever to be an informed and prepared seller. Doing your homework and strategically marketing your house, with help from the right professionals, is the fastest way to a successful sale.
It takes five keys to unlock the secret to a successful sale:
This, in my opinion, is the most important key. Listing before the house is 100% ready is a mistake that you will regret. Many sellers are talked into premature signing by realtors who are afraid of losing the listing. Repeat after me: "You don't get a second chance to make a great first impression."
Do your homework! Do they have an online presence? What marketing tools do they bring to the table? Check out websites and ask for references. Check the references. Look at their current listings online. Pictures are worth a thousand words...do not hire a realtor with poor MLS photos! Don't make your selection based on commission - you may just get what you pay for.
A home staging consultation will arm you with the information you need to make your house more appealing to buyers. Home staging increases perceived value and will help to justify your asking price. Home staging is not decorating, it's marketing.
Almost all buyers start their search online. The photos of your house will determine whether you get calls for showings or potential buyers pass by your listing. Your photos are your greatest marketing tool. Do not underestimate their power!
Once your house is ready, it needs to stay in a constant state of readiness, and be available for showing at a moment's notice. Sure, it's inconvenient and requires some extra work on your part...but the alternative, being comfortable and lazy, means staying on the market for a much longer period of time. Every day on the market costs you money.
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Good list, I am currently having issues with a seller not having the house in show ready condidition. Of course they have 4 kids in small house, thats why they are selling
Great post, Lyn. Will be sharing with the sales staff in our office.
Jan
Great great list Lyn!!
I don't think you have issues with the seller, or scold them about how they don't get it. They have a life, kids, health problems or whatever to deal with too. Do the best with what you have to work with. As for not listing until everything ready, not a set black and white situation. In rural areas for say a waterfront lake place, don't wait until summer when everyone else gets in to gear as the grass is green, thinking only folks buy in summer. Now is the time with summer images, aerials of the lake, and the best shots you can get inside, video clips and as you go along, improve and add to the marketing. But get the spotlight on the property knowing the buyer will not be here until later when the loose ends are tied up. The longer the marketing, the great the audience, price you receive.
Richard: House too small and Mom not cleaning up enough. Some people just don't seem to get that the buyers will just go elsewhere!
Jan: Great advice that I reblogged. Couldn't have said it better myself.
Thanks Jared, but Sharon should get the credit.
Andrew: Nope, I'm not buying it or preaching it. The 'I have a life thing' really has to get thrown in the trash can - it's a big excuse for a childish 'I don't wanna'. You don't wanna? Well your house is going to sit on the market until you get it - period! Obviously we are not talking about a presentation based on a summer cottage - no, it's not best to sell it in the winter.
So far in my Midwest market, the longer on the market theory has not culminated in the seller getting more $$.
Five great ideas here. I'm certainly going to try my best to make sure the photography is stellar on my listings. I agree with Lyn that the longer on the market is not a recipe for better results. In our area, anything over 180 days is going to be selling at around 80% of the original list price. Think stale, not gracefully aged.
Dave, good point about not aging gracefully! Homes languishing at a bad price is not good marketing! 360 days on the market is not a strategy! Condition is also an essential component of the price - the buyers not making an offer on the home really says it all, no thanks for the price Mr. Seller!
I didn;t see this the first time around so kudos for making it available for more of us. Great points all the way around.
Michael
Michael: Really good advice.