Home Sellers Now is the Time to Make a Change

The mechanics of selling a house is on the road to change. In Southern California, specifically the Inland Empire of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, sellers are beginning to feel the change in buyers attitudes.

Buyers are now expecting to pay a little less for a home then they did about a year ago.

Todays prospective buyer is spending a lot more time looking on the internet even before they contact a real estate agent to see what housing prices are like and what interest rates to buy those homes are doing.

Today, for a Seller to sell their home in a timely manner, the price must now be within the actual market prices or below.

The days of putting your house on the market and have it sell almost immediately are gone. There is a lot more to getting the house sold now.

1. There are many listing agents making sure that the commission offered to a selling agent is high enough that an agent who is looking for a property for a client will show and sell that particular home. I have seen several offerings above the typical commission rates, plus a bonus to the selling agent and sellers are willing to help with buyer closing costs.

2. The next obstacle to overcome is how the home shows to prospective buyers. You need to remember that now there are more homes on the market, giving buyers a lot more choices. You, the seller, want your home to show at its best possible price.

3. This leads us to the "Staging" of a home.
Less is always better. If your home needs painting, paint it. If your carpets need to be cleaned, clean them.

Set your dining room table with nice tablecloths and nice dinner ware. Take most everything on your kitchen counter tops off.

If your living room or family room looks like there is too much furniture, make it disappear. Rent a storage space if necessary.

Even closets and pantries need to be neat and tidy. Buyers tend to look everywhere.

There are still many new homes being built, go and check them out. See how a professional stages a model home.

4. A First Impression is Everything.
Your agent will normally take photos of your home and the one that goes on the Multiple Listing Service, Realtor.com, etc., is the front of your house.

Water the lawn, clean up by the front door, put potted plants if you can, and make sure when your agent takes pictures that no cars are in the way.

This first photo will also have a bearing on what the agent thinks. Will that agent even tell a prospective buyer that your house is for sale?

5. Landscaping
I have seen some properties offered that because the seller has no landscaping in the back yard, the seller will give an allowance at closing.

If you can, and have the time, put down some fertilizer and grass seed and put in your own back yard. This can really make a difference.

Always keep in the back of your mind, you’re the seller who wants their house sold for the most you can get.

A Buyer has lots more choices today and would probably go on to the next house if they felt they had to put several thousand dollars into a back yard that they wouldn’t have to spend with another house.

First and foremost, buyers are just as conscious of money and how much they spend as you are on how much you can actually get for your house and move on to the next one.

For further information about getting your home ready to sell, contact me at: http://www.realestateandloans4you.com

My views and comments are based on my personal research and should not be construed as anything else.