A house that lingers on the market often becomes harder to sell as time goes by. Buyers will wonder why it hasn’t been snatched up yet and will speculate that there is something wrong with the property.
You don’t want your listing going stale. Check out these tips for ensuring a speedy home sale:
- Make small but impactful upgrades
Before you even list your home, you can already make it easier to sell by investing in a few small upgrades. Unless it’s warranted, don’t be too ambitious and go for a major renovation. Focus on small improvements in the kitchen and bathroom, such as installing new sinks or light fixtures. Check out our list of some of the best and simplest upgrades that you can do.
- Hire a professional stager
Staging is the art of styling a property to pique the interest of potential buyers. You will want to maximize a home’s best features and this is usually accomplished through rearranging furniture and décor, bringing in new pieces, updating the lighting, and decluttering.
In a study by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), buyers said that staging helps them imagine a home as theirs. A professional stager will have an eye for what makes your home special and what changes to make to emphasize it.
- Remove personal items
Your goal is to make it easier for buyers to imagine themselves in your home, that means hiding away personal things such as photos, mementos, and so on. Don’t let your personal stuff get in the way of a potential buyer’s visualization of living in your home.
- Get a storage unit
When you declutter your home, the rule of thumb is to get rid of a third of your belongings – but don’t try to hide everything in your closets. A lot of buyers like to look inside closets, and discovering that they’re messy and overstuffed is a turnoff. If you really can’t bear to part with some of your things, rent a storage unit instead.
- Up your curb appeal
The exterior of your home is the first thing everyone sees and is often the first photo of your home that will be seen online. Make sure to regularly mow the lawn, trim the hedges, and put in new plants if needed. Clean the doorknob and apply metal polish to the door fixtures.
- Find a good real estate agent
A good real estate agent will know how to market your home properly. They will be able to tell what your property’s strengths and weaknesses are and how it compares to other similar homes your neighborhood.
Because they know your community and the local housing market well, they will be able to help you set the right price. A good real estate agent will also have access to an extensive network of professional contacts who can help facilitate the sale.
- Sell at the right time
Typically, spring to early summer is the best time to put a home up for sale. Families usually wait until the academic year is finished before making a move. According to a study by Zillow, May is the best month to sell a home and is also when most homes sell quicker (at an average days on the market of 18.5 days). But every market will have its own particular trends, so it’s best to consult with your real estate agent.
Sell your home much faster today with help from the Hunter Real Estate Group. Call(713) 572-0824 today or send an email to trace(at)hunterrealestategroup(dotted)com.
