If you’re planning to sell your home, and have never been through the process before, this article from Bankrate offers seven tips that experienced sellers would tell you – from pricing and marketing to fixer-upping and decluttering your home.
Memo to first-time home sellers: This is not your father’s housing market.
Today’s buyers are pickier and have more tools in their tool belts. Consequently, sellers may have to spend more time and cash making their homes camera-ready.
One of the most important tips for first-time home sellers is to price your home realistically from the start.
“Your largest number of showings will occur in the first two to three weeks,” says Mark Ramsey, broker with the Ramsey Group/Keller Williams Realty in Charlotte, North Carolina. One reason: “The (multiple listing service) systems and the Internet tend to drive the majority of showings,” he says. Many buyers are plugged in electronically. So the minute something new pops up that meets their criteria, they want to see it.
Take advantage of that sweet spot by pricing the house competitively right out of the gate, he says.
One question to ask yourself and pose as you interview agents: How will you reach the home’s target market?
Don’t neglect the modern version of curb appeal: using lots of photos on real estate listings’ websites. However you market your home, you need a good number of clear, well-lit, professional-quality pictures that show your home at its best.
