Planning on selling your house? These thirteen tips can help you sell your house in today’s real estate climate
We’ve all heard about how “bad” the real estate market is. But what’s bad for sellers can
be good for buyers, and these days, savvy buyers are out in spades trying to take advantage of the buyer’s market. Here are 13 thing you can do to help sell your house.
1. Online Marketing – Use Pictures!. Around 92% of people looking for houses start their search online, and they won’t even get in the car to come see your home if the online listings aren’t compelling. In real estate, compelling means pictures! Listings with more than 6 pictures are twice as likely to be viewed by buyers as listings that had less than 6 pictures.
2. Online Marketing – Youtube! Use a phone or video camera and walk through your home AND your local area, telling possible buyers about the key points and facts about the area – The number of rooms, the size of the house, the type of people, local shops, restaurants, cafés and even a personal touch such as why you loved the house and area. Buyers like to know that a home was well-loved, and it helps them visualize their future life in that house.
3. Use your neighbours! If you feel you are an integrated part of your neighbourhood, use online message boards or email lists, send a link to your home’s online listing to your neighbours. Also, invite your neighbours to your open house. Having your neighbours at the open house can encourage potential to move in by introducing them to the local community.
4. Use Facebook! Facebook is the world’s largest social networking site used for both social and business purposes. Use it to your advantage. 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!
5. Use your belongings! Often what can make a property stand out is the knowledge that some of the belongings in the home will be left behind. As well as adding a personal touch to your sale, as well as giving the family appliances they may not be able to afford such as Smart TVs, refrigerators, etc.
6. Beat the competition with condition! As a homeowner, one of the best ways to 
compete is the condition of your home; ensuring the interior is clean with everything in its place, floors and bathroom appliances are clean,
7. Don’t forget about the exterior! Ensure the outside of your home is appealing. When selling a house, a fresh coat of paint and a maintained garden go a long way!
8. Accessibility! Do not make it difficult for your agents to show your house. Short list bookings can happen at any time and if a person is rejected a short term viewing, when on a limited schedule they may often cross the home off the list
9. Get real about pricing! Buyers nowadays are very educated in the market and are unlikely to buy a house for irrational prices. In reality, when it comes to the final sale it is the customer who is in control. A nice house with a reasonable price may even get multiple offers.
10. Know your comptetition! Work with your broker or agent to get educated about the price, type of sale and condition of the other homes your home is up against. Visit some open houses in your area, view other houses and do a real estate reality check: know that buyers that see your home will see those homes, too – therefore it is key to ensure the condition of your home is above par to the other houses.
11. De-personalize! Do this – pretend you’re moving out. Take all the things that make your house a home (e.g., family photos, religious décor etc), 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.
12. De-clutter! Keep the faux-moving in motion. Papers, kids toys, anything you haven’t used in the last year, it all needs to be stored away to give the house a clean, liveable impression.
13. Listen to your agent! Try finding a successful estate agent with a track record of selling homes and follow his advice to the letter. After all, it’s his job to sell the house!
Recently sold your home? Have advice for others? Let us know at 4pm.