Do you need to sell a home quick in Raleigh NC? In many cases its best to bring in a professional, but, if you’re a hardcore DIY’er then here are 5 tips for a quick home sale to get you started!
Pricing & Value
The key to determining the value of your property is to find comparable sales in your local area. In other words, finding 3 comparable properties that have sold within the last 6
months. Look for similar home style, square footage, age, and as close to your property as possible. Proper pricing is a crucial element of a quick home sale .In the digital age consumers are very thorough when doing their internet research so you need to be just as diligent.
Remember these points:
- The more recent the sale the better
- Choose homes that are the most similar to yours
- Keep emotional attachment out of the process
How Will You Sell?
Sell By Owner? Agent? Investor?
Have a firm idea of why you are selling and what you expect to accomplish throughout the process. Do you only have a small amount of equity in your home and want to reduce your cost of sale to maximize profit? If so, then selling your home by owner may be a good option.
Do you want to get the highest dollar amount for your home and can afford to wait? Choosing a good may be your best bet.
Do you just need to sell your home quick because of an unfortunate circumstance? Try calling an investor that specializes in quick home sales.
Stage & Prep
Whether you are selling your own home or using an agent, proper staging and presentation will be required.
These are must do’s:
- Thorough cleaning
- Declutter
- Depersonalize
- Fresh coat of paint
- Well manicured landscaping
If you are selling to an investor that specializes in a quick home sale you shouldn’t have to do any of the above. They will buy your house as-is without you having to make any repairs.
Marketing & Sales
These are two critical areas of expertise that cannot be ignored. If you hire an agent this will be done for you (make sure all prospective agents share their marketing strategy with you).
If you are selling your home by owner than a sales and marketing plan is a requirement. For marketing, you’ll need to come up with a budget to determine where to allocate your funds. For those on a shoestring budget I would recommend the following free resources:
Lawn sign with flyer box (check out Vistaprint for affordable high quality flyers)
Post your property on:
- Zillow.com
- Trulia.com
- Craigslist.org
- Postlets.com
If you have a little more money to invest, you can go to ForSaleByOwner.com and check out the different marketing tools that they have. This is a paid site but it is worth looking into as they get a lot of online traffic. Direct mail is another way to let people in your local area know that your home is for sale. Vistaprint and Clicktomail.com have some affordable direct mail options.
Selling homes is a profession and it’s not something that can be thoroughly taught in one article.
Here are some tips to get you started:
Be Patient
You will be answering the same questions over and over again and this can be frustrating. Try and develop a small presentation about the homes key features. Also, remember key attractions in your area like shopping, entertainment and highway access.
Pre-qualify
Your job as a marketer is to drive as many quality prospects to your home as possible. You then have to screen your prospects to see if they have met with a lender and have financing in place.
There will be times when people call you with a grouchy tone. Be nice even when you think people are wasting your time
Negotiation
Don’t fall into the trap of waiting for the perfect buyer to burst through the door and exclaim: “I’ll take it at full price!” You’ll have to be prepared to negotiate. Do so calmly and take into consideration the needs of the buyer. Generally, you should never “jump” at the first offer. You also don’t want to be too hard-nosed or the buyer will become frustrated and walk away.
If they give you full price will you be willing to pay some closing costs? Buying a house can be very expensive for the first time home buyer. Keep in mind there are plenty of new home builders that are offering huge incentives to new buyers. You are in competition with them to sell your house so be a little flexible.
Happy selling!