Tips for Sellers
Noelle Knox
USA Today
Jim Gillespie
CEO of Coldwell Banker
*Price it right. The most important thing is to get the price right from the get-go. When homes are on the market for a long time, they get stale in the eyes of the consumer and in the eyes of the agents.
You should have your Realtor show you comparable properties that have sold in the past two to four weeks. You need to look at the most recent "comps" you have -- very similar homes in your neighborhood.
Second, have your Realtor show you listing sheets of properties that have been taken off the market because they were priced too high.
*Home inspection. Have a full home inspection and report on the dining room table.
Get fixed what needs fixing. The invoice that is paid to the contractors who performed the work should be there, too.
*If you're in a buyer's market, think incentives. Examples would be to help lower the buyer's interest rate, offer to pay six months or a year of real estate taxes or offer to pay a portion of the buyer's closing costs.
If it's a condo or a town house, offer to pay six months or a year of the homeowner's dues. If the buyer is stretched for the loan amount, offer to pay off some of their bills so they qualify. It's good to put a deadline on your incentives.
*Curb appeal. Make sure that the shrubs are trimmed, the house looks good from the outside, that there's curb appeal, and then that there are neutral colors inside. Store clutter in the basement or a storage locker.
Ron Peltier
CEO of HomeServices of America
*Pricing power. If you are selling a home characterized as a first-time-buyer home, you have an opportunity still today to price it at the high end of the range in most markets. We don't have excess inventory at the low end, so sellers could think about holding firm to that price.
As you move up the scale for discretionary buyers -- the first trade-up home -- you still have the opportunity to price your home at the upper quartile of the market, based on comparable sales.
Even in hot markets, sellers need to be patient given the timing. It is the lowest point of the cycle because of the holidays.
*Dress it up. Make your home extremely attractive relative to the competition, by dressing up the home and making sure it's not cluttered. People really, truly buy homes on emotion. Ten feet outside the home and 10 feet inside the home, what they call curb appeal and eye appeal are really important. Making certain there is no clutter inside or outside the home will help you realize the highest value. Turn on lots of lights, play soft music, showcase the house in the most positive light.
*The open house. Make certain the home is available for showing. Oftentimes, people put in so many restrictions, it's not easy to sell. If you've got buyers who are serious, buyers this time of year, you want to accommodate them within reason.