The steps you take before your open house can make or break your sale.
But do you know which steps to take that will help you be more successful and more likely to sell your home. Your goal is to make the home as appealing as possible before, during, and after the open house; these tips can help you to show the home for its true beauty and could lead to a successful sale.
1. Hire the Right Agent
You don’t want to hire just any real estate agent off the street, you want one that has experience with the selling process. Talk to friends and family to find a few agents to interview and learn their selling style. Once you’ve received a few recommendations go online and check out their reputation. You should also interview 3 to 5 agents to find the one that will be the best fit for you. Find a reputable real estate agent that will help you write up the listing and sell the home, one that knows the area and the market very well. Keep in mind that 92% of home buyers nowadays look at listings online before they decide to see the home in person so you have to make a quick first impression that lasts, so look for the agent that embraces technology.
2. Set the Right Price
With the internet at their fingertips buyers are very keyed into the current market and comparable home prices in the areas they are interested in, which will influence what they are willing to pay for your home, this means you have to get your price just right. Work closely with your agent to determine your home’s worth and then knock 10-20 percent off of the price, this will draw a large number of bids, even if the market isn’t great at the time. Typically this will naturally create a bidding war that drives the price over what it’s actually worth. While this option comes with some risks it is one of the best strategies in the home buyer market currently.
3. Know the Competition and Be Ready to Show
Since you’re paying your agent to help you sell your home you will likely become very close to them over the course of this process because you will be in contact often. You should work together to make sure that you understand the current market, prices, trends and the overall competition in your town. What are other homes going for in the neighborhood? What comparable properties are up for sale? How will these impact your sale? These are questions you need to be sure you know the answers to, so that you can be more successful in this process.
You also need to be ready to show your home as often as possible, the more homes are seen the more likely they are to sell. Be sure that you and your home are accessible to the agent and potential buyers, try to keep your home as clean and show ready as possible while you’re going through the selling process because you never know when your agent may call to find out if they can show the home. If you stick them with strict time frames they are more likely to put your home on a back burner while they work on the homes that are easier to access with potential buyers.
4. First Impressions Matter
You only have one shot to make a great first impression, often times it’s made from the listing and not from actually seeing the home in person so you have to be sure that your photos and your listing are in tip top shape. You also need to be sure that at the showing everything about your home is welcoming and makes people feel right at home. Your entryway should be the first step, add fresh flowers, a small bench or maybe fresh cookies, this will be the very first room that they see when they walk through the door so it has to speak loudly. You also want to be sure you’ve staged the interior as well as the exterior of your home to give it the most polished look that you can since people will be trying to see themselves in the home it’s important for it to look like a home.
5. Get the Word Out
You want as many people as possible to know that your home is up for sale as possible, this means that you need to really work to get the word out and you don’t have to leave it all up to your agent. Grab a camera and walk through your home and neighborhood telling prospective buyers about the best parts of the area and your home, as well as why you loved both. Buyers are more receptive to properties that they know are well loved and take notice of them first. Once you’ve shot this video post it on social media sites such as Youtube and Facebook to get the word out. Let your neighbors know that you are selling too, that way if they know someone in the market for a house they can pass the information along. You should also invite them to your open house as well, turn it into a block party of sorts that way they can invite people as well and they will get a better sense of the neighborhood as a whole.
Want more helpful tips? Sign up for my newsletter!
OTHER HELPFUL ARTICLES:
RD – Tips for selling your home
HGTV – Selling your home
*Modified sample photo. Property shown, not an actual listing.