Last year I was telling sellers in the north Dallas suburbs that selling their home was both a “price war” and a “beauty contest.” Their homes had to be in tip-top condition, properly prepared, and ready to show. Additionally, they had to compete with all the other homes in a “price war” in order to sell.
This year, the local market has rebounded nicely with the buyer’s markets of previous years yielding to a seller’s market in 2012. Properly prepared, staged and show-ready homes are flying off the market in days.
I was out showing homes today and I’m amazed to see how many homes have not been properly prepared and show very poorly. Many of these homes have been on the market for more than 100 days and have still not sold.
If you’re serious about selling your home in the shortest amount of time and at the highest possible price, you simply have to get the home prepared to show.
Take care of any deferred maintenance issues. I’m not talking about remodeling the kitchen, but touch-up painting, caulking, and a good deep-cleaning will go a long ways.
If you’re not comfortable with how to stage your home, hire a stager! While we provide 2 hours of staging consultation for our listing clients, not all agents do. A good stager in our area costs less than $300 for two hours of consultation. This is money well-spent and will be far less than your first price reduction.
Make the most of every showing with a show-ready home. Most sellers know in advance that their home will be showing. When you get that call, it’s almost show time! Have a plan of action to get your home in show-ready shape. Turn on all the lights, open the blinds, and get some soft music playing!
Regardless of the market, It’s still a beauty contest!
Photo Licensed from iStockPhoto
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