This article was originally published in The News Tribune May 2nd 2014.
Are you one of thousands of people in Pierce County planning to put your house on the market this Spring or Summer? Perhaps your house is already out there, but it’s not getting offers at the price you’d hoped. Showing your property in the best light to the largest number of possible buyers is the key to getting the most money for your home. Unfortunately, not all sellers (or even real estate agents) are aware of what it REALLY takes to get top dollar for a home with this new generation of buyers.
The Data Doesn’t Lie
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) research study in 2013, 92% of U.S. home buyers included the Internet in their search for their ideal home. A full 42% of these searches began online. For first time buyers, (average age 31) that number climbs to 96% percent using the internet to find their home.
Your home will be viewed HUNDREDS of times on people’s phones, tablets, and laptops for every showing you eventually get. Here are four things you can do to ensure more people add your home to their favorites and ask their agent to take them to see your house:
- CLEAN – Your house should be scrubbed and shining while it’s on the market. This can be inconvenient, but as someone who has looked at thousands of houses with buyers if the house is dirty, has pet hair, or has any kind of strong odor they will not want to pay top dollar.
- CLEAR THE CLUTTER – This is especially important in the internet age. Grab your phone and walk through your house taking pictures. Tell the truth. Can you see the walls? The floors? The rooms? The VIEW? The way we live in a home is DIFFERENT than the way we live when we are SELLING a home, and all those extra chairs, bookshelves, surfaces with papers and magazines stacked on them are making your rooms look smaller and losing you money. If you have a lot of stuff it is worth putting it in storage so people can see your house.
- READY FOR YOUR CLOSE UP – Grab your phone and walk through your house taking pictures. Then be honest. Really honest. Do you need to paint? Remove more furniture? Can you see the rooms or just your stuff? With the majority of first buyer showings taking place on tiny mobile phones high quality professional photography is becoming a REQUIREMENT.
- TAKE IT OUTSIDE – What is the feeling people get when they pull up to your house? Are the parking spaces defined? Is the yard looking great? Trimming shrubs, keeping the grass cut, and making sure the front porch is freshly painted and maintained is the absolute LEAST you must do to make sure buyers have a good feeling when they walk up to your front door.
Once you’ve completed these steps your home will look better than 90% of the other homes on the market. While the process of prepping and marketing your home for sale online might seem intimidating at first, it is essential if you want to earn top dollar for your house. Partnering with a real estate agent who understands 21st century home selling techniques will make the process easier and more fun!
