Yes … Your House Can Still Sell In This Buyer’s Market!

I can officially say that summer is over. I just dropped our oldest daughter at the airport; she is on her way back to New York City for her second year of law school. My younger daughter has already started her sophomore year in college in Arizona. Once again my husband and I are ‘empty nesters’ and our house is quiet. I don’t know about you, but generally it takes us about a week to get used to being by ourselves. I can tell you however, that we don’t miss the mad dash to the stores over Labor Day weekend to buy the latest back-to-school fashions or school supplies for the kids. Good Luck to those of you who are dashing around this weekend.

 The summer’s end generally means that the home selling season is over! But in today’s crazy real estate market with interest rates at their lowest level in 30 years I don’t believe that statement is true.  The fact that we are now in a buyer’s market has been in the news a great deal lately; but if you are a seller, your home can still sell!  As a La Jolla Realtor, I just listed a home last week and put it into escrow (under contract) in three days because my sellers followed my advice on preparing their home for sale. Some of my seller’s hard work included removing 40 boxes of personal items to un-clutter her home.  The end result was well worth it as she sold her home and quickly!

Here are three tips on selling your home fast.

1. Have your home Professionally Staged: Let an expert with an impersonal eye help you make the tough decisions on what to keep or stow away to make your home ready to show .  And keep it “show ready” at all times. I find when I first introduce a stager to my clients, usually the number one suggestion is to de-cluttered.  This helps the rooms feel more spacious.  Personal pictures are removed from the walls allowing a buyer to see themselves in the house.  This translates to a faster sell.
2. Hire a professional Landscaper to spruce up the front and back yards. It’s time to remove the dead or over-grown plants and replace them with colorful seasonal flowers. Curb appeal is very important.  The first impression that a buyer will have upon viewing your home is a lasting impression. Just like meeting a person for the first time you only have 8 seconds to make that first impression. That same philosophy holds when a buyer first sees your home.
3. Most importantly, Price your home right! The first three weeks on the market is a critical time. If your home isn’t priced correctly, there will be no showings. But if your home is priced right you will have showings immediately and offers will follow. A seller that has priced their home too high will end up chasing the market down. The final sales price of their home will generally be less than if theyhad priced it correctly at the beginning.

If you are thinking of selling your home and need additional help in making your home ready to sell give me a call  at 619-980-2738 as  I would be very happy to help.  Visit my website for additional real estate information.