CAMPBELL HOMES GIVE YOU 10 WAYS TO SELL YOUR HOME FASTER
It’s all over the news – Housing Market Recovers! Now is the time to Buy (and Sell)! Home Prices and Low Rates Make Owning a Home Affordable! But what if you own a home and need to get in sold in order to take advantage of the best time in the last 50 years to purchase a brand new home?
Here’s what Real Estate experts and successful home sellers shared with us on the best ways to go from “For Sale” to “Sold” this spring:
1. Pay attention to “curb appeal”: First impressions are critical and homes with inviting landscapes and exteriors tend to sell better. Pay attention that the driveway is in good condition, lawn well-kept, plant some flowers, wash windows, and make sure the house looks freshly painted.
2. Get real about pricing: Buyers are educated on the comparable sales and fair market value for homes in your neighborhood. They also believe that they’re in the driver’s seat. Make your home competitive by having your broker or agent get you the sales prices of the three most similar homes that have sold in your area in the last month or so, then try to go 10-15% below that when you set your home’s list price. The homes that look like a great deal are the ones that get the most visits from buyers and, on occasion even receive multiple offers. (Bidding wars do still exist!)
3. Talk about energy efficiency: Many buyers don’t fully understand “green” homes but they understand savings. Focus on any energy efficient features in your home such as energy-efficient windows or appliances that may save buyers money with utility costs.
4. Get Technical: 92% of homebuyers start their house hunt online, and they will never even get in the car to come see your home if the online listings aren’t compelling. In real estate, compelling means pictures! Realtor.com says that more than 6,300 photos are viewed per minute on listings posted at its site. A study by Trulia.com shows that listings with more than 6 pictures are twice as likely to be viewed by buyers as listings that had fewer than 6 pictures. Bottom-line, good photographs make a home stand-out online and help lure more potential buyers to the front door.
Facebook your home’s listing. Facebook is the great connector of people these days. If you have 200 friends and they each have 200 friends, imagine the power of that network in getting the word out about your house!
Post a video love letter about your home on YouTube. Get a $125 FlipCam and walk through your home AND your neighborhood, telling prospective buyers about the best bits – what your family loved about the house, your favorite bakery or coffee shop that you frequented on Saturday mornings, etc. Buyers like to know that a home was well-loved, and it helps them visualize living a great life there, too.
5. Make it: move-in ready: Fix any needed repairs, such as water stains, creaky doors, and windows that don’t shut. Even relatively minor repairs should be fixed before the home is even listed.
6. De-personalize: Do this – pretend you’re moving out. Take all the things that make your home “your” personal sanctuary (e.g., family photos, religious décor and kitschy memorabilia), pack them up and put them in storage. Buyers want to visualize your house being their house – and it’s difficult for them to do that with all your personal items marking the territory as yours.
7. De-clutter: Keep the faux-moving in motion. Pack up all your “tchotchkes”, anything that is sitting on top of a countertop, table or other flat surfaces. Anything that you haven’t used in at least a year? That goes, too. Give away what you can, throw away as much as possible of what remains, and then pack the rest to get it ready to move.
8. Get Rid of the Pets: To many buyers, pets mean problems! Have your carpets professionally cleaned, put away signs of pets living in your home, and make sure your pets are away from the premises during showings and open houses.
9. Have a Brochure Box: Good photographs make a home stand-out online and also on a brochure. Invest in an expensive brochure box filled with flyers that include color photos of the interior of your home and all pertinent information, including pricing! And, don’t forget to keep the brochure box filled. Nothing is more frustrating to a prospective buyer than to find an empty box.
10. Hire a Professional: You may be a “Do-it-Yourselfer” for home remodeling and repairs but sellers who successfully sold their home in a timely and efficient manner, encourage the use of a qualified, well respected, and knowledgeable Realtor to handle the marketing, staging, and details of getting a home for “For Sale” to “Sold”.
Now that you’ve made the decision that it’s time to move out of your dated, too large, too small, not in the right neighborhood home, consider Campbell Homes in Colorado Springs. Campbell Homes offers incredible pricing on stylish and comfortable new homes in Colorado Springs. Our communities are located in the finest locations and master planned Colorado Springs Communities with excellent community amenities and the best schools in Colorado Springs.
NEW Campbell Homes come standard with peace of mind and a guaranteed move-in date in five Colorado Springs locations. Priced from the low $200s, Campbell Homes’ models are open daily to 6 p.m. Or, for additional information visit our online sales office at www.CampbellHomes.com.