Trying to sell a property is like fishing: you want to cast a wide net and use the right bait. When you’re selling a home, you want to make sure that you get the highest sale price by attracting as many potential buyers as possible. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to find a buyer quickly and put the money from the sale towards a new home.
With the help of this guide, you can learn a few crucial techniques to get the most buyers and be in a better position when negotiating the home price.
- Know Your Market
You’d want to make sure that your selling points are tailored to the right audience when you’re trying to attract someone to purchase a home. For example, if you’re selling to a family in the suburbs of Marysville, you’ll want to stress the size of the garage so that they can fit their cars and extra belongings. If you’re selling a house in New York, people want to know how far the bus and train stations are. If you’re in Kingsport, you might end up selling to a group of students who plan to attend King’s College and want to share a home. In this case, it would be wise to talk about nearby Kingsport TN storage units so the buyers know they can easily move their belongings.
- Take the Right Photographs
Before contacting you, most buyers will look at your listings online, so make sure your photographs highlight the house’s best attributes. If you hire a professional interior photographer, they can help you rearrange your rooms in the most flattering way possible. It can be as simple as getting rid of excess furniture to make a room look more spacious or hanging mirrors in narrow hallways to make them seem more expansive. Keep personal items like family photos out of the picture. Your items should not break the illusion of a place the buyer can imagine themselves in. Although you can decorate the house yourself, professional photographers know how to make it feel more inviting, brighter, and warmer.
- Emphasize the Amenities
When marketing your home for sale, be sure to list all the amenities your home offers compared to other listings nearby, so buyers will know what they can expect. Providing the information in bullet points makes it easier for buyers to process the information quickly. Eco-friendly installations, such as a high-quality HVAC system, can make your home more appealing to potential buyers. Similarly, the smart home market is growing rapidly, and you’d want to let buyers know if your house offers any automation. Even something as simple as smart lighting fixtures could make you stand out.
- Make Your Listing Descriptive
Your property can sound more appealing if you have a way with words. Give a sense of realism to your description of the amenities. Just mentioning solar panels isn’t enough. Tell the buyers how the solar panels can help keep costs down while running the heating system in the winter. Avoid generic sayings like “scenic home” or “hidden gem.” However, steer clear of overselling it and be careful not to overdo it in the description. If you describe something that isn’t there, or if you make it sound better than it is, the buyer will be disappointed when they visit the property. The best approach is to be straightforward and describe the amenities as useful and practical.
- Hire a Good Real Estate Agent
The right real estate agent can make your life much easier. They can take the burden of marketing the home off your hands, so you can focus on other tasks like moving your belongings or decorating your new house. But, of course, not all real estate agents are equal, so you want to find the right one. Feel free to ask questions like “How long was your last home on the market for?” or ask for a list of properties the estate agent has sold already. You can check the agent’s credentials to ensure they’ve dealt with properties like yours before. It’s also a good idea to see how long the agent has been in the real estate business if they’ve won any awards, and how good they are at closing deals. You can also consider hiring an online broker. Offline agents usually ask for an upfront payment, while online agents take a percentage of the sale when the home is sold.
- Be a Welcoming Host
You want visitors to feel as comfortable as possible in your home. On your listing, avoid phrases such as “by appointment only,” as this can cause potential buyers to feel hesitant about contacting you. As you show off your home, offer them tea or coffee—a simple way to stand out in a buyer’s mind and earn some extra brownie points.
Don’t ask the buyers to remove their shoes. It’s crucial that the place feels like their home, not someone else’s old home, so let them come in and go out in the way they feel most comfortable. Put a welcome mat at the entrance if you are concerned about germs or dirt coming in from the street. It will keep you and them both comfortable.
- Go On the Market at the Right Time
Most states experience a peak in real estate sales during the spring. Many people suggest waiting until March before publishing your property listing, but that’s not a good idea. The best time to list your house for sale is in January, so you can meet with more potential buyers and have the house sold by the end of the peak season. As a result, you’ll get the best price while avoiding the competition of a saturated market.
Final Thoughts Selling a home is a lot of work, but you should have the right tricks to make your property stand out with this guide. Your house will have a greater chance of selling if the pictures make it look spacious, if you create an open and warm environment for your buyers and if you choose the right real estate agent.
