Spring has arrived, and that means more and more people are getting their homes ready to sell. But with recent shifts in real estate, this year’s spring housing market will be different from the frenzy of the past several years. To sell your house quickly, without hassles, and for the most money, be sure to follow these four simple tips:
1. Make Sure You Give Buyers Access
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when selling your house is limiting the days and times when buyers have access to view your home. In any market, if you want to maximize the sale of your house, you can’t limit potential buyers’ access to view it. If it’s not accessible, it could cost you by sitting on the market longer and ultimately selling for a lower price. It is not always easy to keep your house so tidy that it is always ready to be viewed by buyers, but believe me it pays off to provide access when the buyer has time to view it. If not, they will view the homes that are accessible, likely with every intention to return to view yours during the next Open House, or an agreed upon time for a private viewing. This is risky however, because what if they love the home that they move on to see because they could not get in to yours…yikes! When selling your house, make sure that it is on a lock box that only your agent has a code to so that they can bring buyers who want to see it “right now”!
2. Make Your Home Look as Good as Possible on the Inside
For anything to sell, especially when selling your house, it must look inviting. Your real estate agent can give you expert advice on ideal staging for your home. Even updating a room with fresh paint, steam cleaning carpets, or removing clutter from the garage can make a big impact. I cannot stress this one point enough – dark paint colors turn buyers off. I don’t know if it is simply subliminal but I have seen so many cases where potential buyers like a home, the location, and other important aspects but a dark blue or red or orange color on walls turns them right off. I know that the owners may love the colors that they have chosen, and even though changing a paint color is a simple thing for a buyer to do once they move in – it turns them right off. I had a home for sale last year that was a lovely one level home on a large lot in a great town with a top school system. I strongly recommended to the homeowner that we paint the walls in two rooms – one was a dark blue, the other was orange and yellow. She loved the colors and did not agree to update to a more neutral color. Sure enough every single buyer who walked through commented on the colors as the single thing that they did not like about the house. When you are selling your house it is so important to use neutral colors. It makes a room look brighter, larger, and gives buyers a feeling of comfort (i.e. they can see themselves in the house).
3. First Impressions Matter
The old saying “you never get a second chance to make a first impression” matters when selling your house. Often, the first impression a buyer gets is what they see as they walk up to the front door. Putting in the work in on the exterior of your home is just as important as what you stage inside. Freshen up your landscaping to improve your home’s curb appeal so you can make an impact with potential buyers. Cleaning up outside, adding plantings and mulch makes a HUGE difference when selling your house. Always view your entry and landscaping as if you are the buyer seeing it the first time. It gets buyers excited to get inside of the house if the outside looks pretty and well cared for – if it looks that lovely outside then imagine how lovely the inside is!!
A simple guide that includes checklists for things that you may not even have thought about when selling your house, but I have included them here because they are all important. Download it today and call me anytime …I am happy to help!
4. Price It Right
This is probably the most important aspect of selling your house in today’s real estate market. If a house is priced competitively, it’s going to sell. Period. To do this, you have to know what’s happening with home prices in your area and understand the factors that are affecting the market right now. That’s why it’s best to work with a trusted real estate professional who can ensure you list your house at the right price. Do not look at your neighbor’s home that sold in 2021 for $100,000 over asking price and think that you should price yours around that amount. The housing market has normalized, you are doing yourself a disservice if you do not price based on the current market when selling your house. I keep up with what is going on in the market every single day. I monitor the data for my local town in Bedford, MA and every town in the Middlesex and Essex Counties. I have tools that provide insight so that I am as educated and up to date as I possibly can be. If you are selling your home with me, we don’t want to just list it and see what happens, we want it to SELL!!
If you are thinking about selling your house this season, or anytime in the future, lets get together and talk about it. My goal is to see a smile on your face and feel the excitement that you have knowing that you are moving on to your next chapter!
