Looking for a simple formula for a successful sale? Our clients who follow these 6 steps have tremendous success getting their properties sold quickly and for top-dollar. Preparation, planning, and teamwork make the home-selling process go smoothly. Your home stager, photographer and listing agent are 3 key partners in your sale.
Six Steps for a Successful Sale
1) Meet proactively with a professional home stager and begin working on your staging plan several months before you need to sell. We recommend Debbie Lea from Showcase Home Stagers. She's the best in the business.
2) Implement low-cost, high-impact cosmetic improvements that dramatically improve your home's mass appeal. Your stager and your real estate agent can offer guidance on the most effective improvements to make. Fresh paint, updated light fixtures, and new carpet typically offer a great return on investment.
3) Price your home properly for the market. Your real estate agent can help you understand the market in your area by showing you the months of inventory, recent sales, current accepted offers, and listings without accepted offers. Once you have a solid understanding of the market in your neighborhood, select a price point that is likely to attract multiple offers. With multiple offers in hand you will have the negotiating advantage.
4) Use "coming soon" marketing that maximizes your listing's exposure to the market. Obtain a professional photo of your home's featured space, and make that photo the centerpiece of your marketing. For example, this sun room photo has driven a tremendous amount of traffic to our newest listing at 6713 Old Sauk Rd.
5) Allow several days to a week for showings. Give buyers some time to view your home, get their questions answered, and submit their offer. Hold an open house and expose your home to as many buyers as possible during this window of time.
6) Begin negotiations once several offers are in hand. Now you have the negotiating advantage. You'll get the best terms and the best price because you've allowed enough time for multiple offers to come in.
For More Home-Selling Tips
Check out our latest articles on the home-selling process or contact us with your questions. We're always available to talk real estate.
