 Selling a house in a slow real estate market can be difficult. (Photo: Flickr user, nicksee) |
Selling in a slow market
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Jun 27, 2009 / 5:00 am
Jun 27, 2009 / 5:00 am
Selling a house in a slow real estate market can be difficult. In times like these, it’s not enough to simply list your home and wait you actually have to sell your home. Here are five tips from a real estate sales rep to get you started.
Know Your Market
Learn your market, the value of your property and your competition. Most sellers operate in the dark, simply offering the property for the price they want, without regard to what other homes have sold for and are currently selling for. Undervaluing or overpricing your home can cost you tens of thousands of dollars.
Price Your Home Right
With homes sales slowing and prices plunging, there’s little doubt that selling for a good price in today’s market is going to be tricky. So if you try to ask as much for your property as your neighbour got a year ago, you’re going to turn off potential buyers. Instead, price your home conservatively by looking at similar houses currently on the market. If you really want to stimulate a sale, you should under price your property by just a little. Trimming the price by a few thousand dollars can generate more foot traffic and create a buzz.
Make Your Home Presentable
Keep your house looking good at all times, repair things that are broken, and replace things that are rundown. Add a fresh coat of paint (neutral colors best), freshen up landscaping, trim trees, clean up clutters and remove personal items, so that prospective buyers can picture themselves in the home rather than seeing you there.
Be Flexible with Showings
It only takes one buyer to get your home sold. Don’t make your Realtor feel as though their request for a showing is an inconvenience.
Offer Flexible Terms
Often, the best way to sell a home more quickly in a buyers market is to adjust the terms of the sale instead of the price. While it may sometimes be necessary to adjust the asking price downward, or to negotiate a lower price with the buyer, sometimes offering an extended closing date will go a lot further.
(Source: Kevin Kittimer, Canwest News Service)
Learn your market, the value of your property and your competition. Most sellers operate in the dark, simply offering the property for the price they want, without regard to what other homes have sold for and are currently selling for. Undervaluing or overpricing your home can cost you tens of thousands of dollars.
With homes sales slowing and prices plunging, there’s little doubt that selling for a good price in today’s market is going to be tricky. So if you try to ask as much for your property as your neighbour got a year ago, you’re going to turn off potential buyers. Instead, price your home conservatively by looking at similar houses currently on the market. If you really want to stimulate a sale, you should under price your property by just a little. Trimming the price by a few thousand dollars can generate more foot traffic and create a buzz.
Keep your house looking good at all times, repair things that are broken, and replace things that are rundown. Add a fresh coat of paint (neutral colors best), freshen up landscaping, trim trees, clean up clutters and remove personal items, so that prospective buyers can picture themselves in the home rather than seeing you there.
It only takes one buyer to get your home sold. Don’t make your Realtor feel as though their request for a showing is an inconvenience.
Often, the best way to sell a home more quickly in a buyers market is to adjust the terms of the sale instead of the price. While it may sometimes be necessary to adjust the asking price downward, or to negotiate a lower price with the buyer, sometimes offering an extended closing date will go a lot further.
(Source: Kevin Kittimer, Canwest News Service)
The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet.
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