Tips for sellers in today’s hot housing market
While it’s a seller’s market, sellers should still take a few important steps to fetch top dollar for their home and sell their property quickly.
Here are some tips:
Don’t overprice your home. Even though the market is superheated, you have to be careful about how you price your home.
“I’ve seen sellers who get too ambitious with their list price, and then their home just sits on the market for weeks without receiving a single offer,” says Mark J. Schmidt, a real estate broker at RE/MAX Country in central New Jersey.
The best approach is to list your home at market value based on comparable properties, says Christopher McGuire, a real estate agent at Compass in Dallas. “If there aren’t a lot of other options in your area, you can price a bit higher,” he says.
Then, let the market provide feedback. “If you get 30 showings in the first week but don’t receive an offer, there’s something fundamentally wrong with either your property or your list price,” he adds.
Make your listing photos shine. Staging helps buyers visualize your house as their future home. It can also make your home’s listing photos more appealing, which is important in today’s digital home-buying age, when many buyers start their home search by looking at properties online. Staging usually helps you sell your home faster and for more money.
Decluttering is a must. “Buyers don’t want to walk around your home and see a dozen photos of you and your spouse kissing on your wedding day,” McGuire says.
You may need to rent a storage unit to hold your belongings while your home is being sold. Storage units cost $100 to $300 per month, depending on size and availability, according to Move.org.
When your home is camera-ready, hire a professional photographer to take pictures for your listing. Real estate photographers know the tricks of the trade, such as where to position the camera for the best lighting.
Amp up your marketing. Before your home hits the market, your agent should be spreading the word about your property to other agents in their sphere. That will help build buzz and may even lead to requests for private showings before your house is listed.
Marketing your home on social media, including Facebook and Instagram, can increase your listing’s exposure.
Want to maximize your home’s exposure to first-time buyers? Try TikTok. Because TikTok lends itself well to short video clips, Schmidt suggests recording a video that highlights one or two unique features about your home instead of filming a walkthrough of the entire place.
Consider including a 3-D walking tour of your home with your online listing.