One of the questions Sellers ask us when placing their home on the market is, “How much are we going to sell my house for?” Naturally, all Sellers want their home to sell for the most money possible. That’s a great goal to have, and the JS Realty Team @ Samson Properties has some great tips on how to accomplish that goal.
5 Ways to Get Top Dollar For Your Home:
HIRE AN EXPERIENCED LISTING AGENT
This is arguably the single most important step. Your Agent needs to know the market and neighborhood very well. You’ll want to hire an Agent with a lot of experience, but in this industry, experience doesn’t equal years in business. What you want to look for is the number of transactions. Finding an Agent that has sold a lot of homes shows you that the agent is successful in selling homes and knows how to negotiate for you. Transaction Experience is the best way for an Agent to learn negotiating skills. Your Agent should also have an extensive marketing plan that includes professional photos, a virtual tour, social media platforms, and a strong web presence. Another important element of a strong listing Agent is monitoring feedback and communicating with you – the Seller.
PRICE YOUR HOME CORRECTLY
If you over price your home, you will reduce the number of showings with qualified, serious buyers – because they will know the neighborhood and market. Serious Buyers will have been tracking your neighborhood and today’s Buyers are in tune with the market value. We have heard Sellers say “Let’s just try this price and see what happens”. That strategy does not work well because the first two weeks the home is on the market is when the most buzz and excitement for the new listing is happening. If the Seller has overpriced the home, Buyers will look elsewhere and your listing will lose out on the initial enthusiasm. If the Seller stays overpriced for too long, then the listing becomes “stale” and that tends to encourage low ball offers.
GET YOUR HOME IN SHAPE
The old adage “you never get a second chance to make a first impression” is very apropos when selling your home. Make sure the front yard, front door, and surrounding area is in top condition. As the Buyer approaches your home and are waiting to get in, they are feeling their first impressions, so make it shine! If you are going to upgrade, concentrate on kitchens, baths, floors, and walls. These will give you the most bang for your buck. Inexpensive fixes like paint, replacing old drapes, replacing door handles, kitchen and bath hardware, light fixtures, and leaky, rusty faucets can go a long way on a tight budget. For more ideas on sprucing up your home check out last week’s blog!
HAVE AN OPEN DOOR
It seems like everyone these days has a crazy, busy schedule. It can be difficult, but if you make your home available for showings and try not to limit the showing times, that can go a long way towards finding the right Buyer and the right price! The key to getting a great contract is to have as many people as possible seeing your home. If you miss out on a Buyer because of restricted showing times, you could have missed your best offer.
CONTACT THE JS REALTY TEAM @ SAMSON PROPERTIES
With over $200 million in sales, the JS Realty Team @ Samson Properties has the transaction experience, market knowledge and marketing program to help you achieve the goal of selling your home for top dollar. Our web strategy and social media campaign have helped hundreds of Sellers maximize their homes value.
Contact us today! We would be more than happy to show you our program for selling homes.
The JS Realty Team – not only serving Brambleton, serving all of Northern Virginia