Selling a home can be a daunting undertaking, and while you may be helpless to control the state of the market or the number of prospective buyers in your price range, here are a few ways to be proactive against some of sellers’ most common pitfalls:
Problem: Competition. Are there too many homes for sale in your price range? If there are too many options open to buyers in your market, you may not see as many showings as you’d like.
What You Can Do: Unfortunately, the state of the market in your neighborhood or town is pretty much beyond your control. You’ll need to think about how you can make your home a more attractive sale, either by lowering your price or providing attractive terms of sale.
Problem: Your asking price is too high. It’s stating the obvious, but if your asking price is too high, you’ll price yourself right out of a lot of potential showings. Further, even if you do manage to land a buyer at your price, his or her financing is more likely to fall through during the sale if the house will not appraise.
What You Can Do: Working with a trusted real estate agent to come up with a fair asking price is vitally important. Make sure you are educated about the market you’re selling in, and price your home accordingly. Ask yourself whether you’d rather net a little less than you had hoped – or not be able to sell at all.
Problem: Your home lacks curb appeal. The condition of your home inside and out is critically important to making a sale. If your home doesn’t show well, a potential buyer is going to head elsewhere. Most buyers are looking for a house they can move into without a ton of small repairs and cleanup.
What You Can Do: You’ve been meaning to fix that leaky faucet or repaint the fence in the front yard, so now is the time to do it! Of course, this should have been done when you decided to sell, but it’s never too late… De-clutter your rooms and store all personal effects. Consider investing in some new curtains, bath towels and throw rugs. To make sure that you nail that crucial curb appeal, spruce up your yard with new plantings, trim hedges and weed flowerbeds, and keep the lawn short and neat. Those minor repairs that you have been living with will add up in the eyes of a prospective buyer.
Problem: Location. Everyone’s heard that old maxim that real estate is all about “location, location, location!” But what do you do if you’re trying to sell a home on a busy street, or too close to a major highway?
What You Can Do: There are actually a few things you can do to increase your chances of a sale. If your home is on a busier street, highlight any benefits on the flip side—maybe your backyard is fenced in, your taxes are low or you can walk to a school nearby. Make sure you pay extra attention to those highlights. If you are in an area where your home is very close to a major highway, consider some type of privacy hedge or fencing. If you have older windows consider replacing them – the benefit will be two fold, you will have new windows as a selling feature and those new windows will provide a little more sound buffering inside the home. Last, consider selling at a time when the foliage is in full bloom to help naturally block sound or visual effects from nearby highways.
Kristin has been serving her community as a REALTOR® for the last eight years. She is a member of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, MAR, NAR, MLS-PIN, Women’s Council of REALTORS®, and a recipient of The President’s Circle Award.
