Thinking about selling your home in Puyallup? Selling your home in today’s market is all about two things. It’s a price war and a beauty contest. The best way to sell your house is to think like a buyer. You’ll need to get your home ready for sale with your buyer in mind. Most buyers begin their journey online looking at a picture of the front of house with a price next to it. Hundreds and hundreds of pictures and prices of homes for sale in Pierce County. So many, in fact, that the first thing sellers do is narrow down the list. Which means they are ruthlessly cutting the list down to a manageable size by putting most of what they see into a “NO” pile. You have to do everything possible to make that first cut and stay in the “YES” pile. Once they get their list narrowed down, they look at interior photos, and then start reading the text. Good, right. No – all of this is still in an attempt to put your house into the “NO” pile. When a buyer has narrowed down their list to 5 or 10 out of the hundreds they started with, then -and only then – they are ready to physically view the house. So, what can you do to make sure you get prospective buyers to your front door?
First and foremost – Below Market Price. No one wants to hear this one, but the bottom line is that you have to be the best priced home in the neighborhood for the size and condition that your house is in.
Secondly – Extraordinarily good photo of the front of your house. This is the second thing everyone is going to look at – make it something that grabs their attention. It can be as easy as a pot of flowers or a hanging basket. Make sure that cars don’t show in the photo, you’re selling a house, not a car. No garbage cans against the side of the house either.
Now, once you’ve got their attention, how do you keep it? The more of these things that you can offer, the better chance you have of capturing your buyer.
Owner Financing – Call me on this one - this is not as scary as it sounds. There are ways to be able to put that into play that keep you protected and safe.
Offer a Home Warranty. This can really set a buyer’s mind at ease, especially if the home is older.
Make sure that your house is accessible for showings – nothing is worse than “show only on weekends from 1 to 3pm, must call with 4 hours advance notice, please don’t show if it’s raining outside, and never on the odd days of the month.
Move in condition. There are too many other choices for buyers where they don’t have to bring out the hammer and saw while they are unpacking.
Quick possession – this is part of why short sales sell so cheaply. Very few people want to wait months upon months before they can move into their dream home.
Seller to complete obvious repairs – this sends the subconcious message that the home was well cared for and not neglected.
Appliances included – Really, who WANTS to move a refrigerator?
Lease purchase – This may be an option, but make very certain that you are working with a REALTOR who has experience writing up a lease options. Ask specifically how many lease options they’ve written up.
Post dated price reduction plan – or at the very least have a plan in place for reviewing your position in the marketplace in 30 days, and then again every 30-90 days thereafter.
Odd sales price – This one can work wonders. It sends a message that you have crunched the numbers and this is the lowest you will go.
Seller to pay closing costs – Especially if they are trying to choose between your house and someone else’s. Anything that you can do to limit the out-of-pocket expenses on your buyer’s side will position you better in the marketplace
Will doing all of this guarantee that your house sells? No, it won’t. What it will do is significantly up your odds of selling in this market. Chances are that it will sell, and in less time than whatever the current days on market rate is. It’s all about market position. You can’t control a buyer, and you can’t make them buy your house. But you can control your market condition. A great agent will help you do as many things on this list as possible to make sure that you get in front of as many prospective buyer’s as possible. Today, you’ve got to be so much more than just a sign in the front yard, especially if you want to sell your home quickly. You’ve got to position yourself directly in front of your buyer. This gets you there.
Avg. Sales Price: $253,744
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