Author: Lonisa   March 19, 2015

A home owner can make their home easier to sell by taking care of the property, updating things like plumbing, electric, perhaps the roof.  A good real estate agent also knows what is takes to help sell a property. The truth is though, what comprises a salable property depends on the buyers’ needs. It’s ultimately matching your property with a buyers needs that can make selling a home very fast.

So we have arranged what we call highly salable factors of a real estate property that you should know for a faster sale close.

Paperwork – It’s no secret that buying, selling, and closing on a house entails on tons of paperwork to follow.  But this is where the agent gets their hands dirty.  They should be verifying everything like property’s title, assessments, mortgage and so on before you even advertise to sell.  The agent will also be ready to answer any other questions about the legal side of the selling process.

The MLS or Multiple Listings Service – This is another step having a fantastic agent on your team who knows the MLS system.  The agent should in a way should know the property like the back of thier hand so they can answer anything that buyers may ask about the property and its neighborhood. The agent should be highlighting the best features so the property can match the right right buyer. Possibly even more importantly, connect with prospective buyers and put themselves in their shoes.

Property Maintenance – This is largely controlled by the seller, the property needs to be staged in the best possible light not only to sell the property, but also to increase its value. Lighting and color of a room can make huge difference in the feel of the room.  Even if the homeowner cannot afford a major overhaul, making an effort to fix pressing structural problems that buyers can readily see, such as faulty wiring and plumbing can go a long way… Things like that can lead many buyers away.

The Yard, Kitchen, & Foyer – It’s not longer a remodeling project, buyers want to see stainless steel appliances, and fairly new cabinets. Look if your kitchen isn’t spotless then you will turn off buyers quicker than a light switch.  That reminds me, also make sure all the light fixutures inside and outside of your home are working properly.. There is no point in having an outside flood light w/ motion sensor if the lightbulb is burnt out.  No matter what season you are selling your home in, your landscaping must at least look attractive.

Don’t Trust the Zillow Property Value – Probably the leading cause of all headaches between the seller and their agent.  While Zillow can be used a reference it is NOT and shouldn’t ever be used as the solo determining factor for pricing your property. Assess the property’s market value, and based on that, suggest a range with optimistic, break-even and pessimistic selling prices. Financing is also crucial in a buyer’s affordability.

 

Overall – As you can see there are alot of things that can determine the “salable” factor of your property.  There are things the agent will have responsibilty for, but then are also things the sell is responsible for. The selling price can be very short: If the two parties can work together, make the the home as attractive, and get out in front of the right buyer.

 

Have you read the latest local real estate market report for Feb. 2015?