Dress for Success
Well prepared homes that are priced right will sell in any market. That’s not me over-simplifying a situation. That’s just the way it is. So what does that mean to you? Where do you start? You start out by sprucing your house up as if you were preparing it for a beauty contest. Buyers are picky and you need to stand out from the crowd. This is one of those times where you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Under prepared homes can be sales disasters. Your home will never get as much attention from potential buyers as when it is first listed, so clearing clutter, cleaning, making repairs, and putting your home’s best foot forward is essential. You want to be noticed. Make your house the shiny penny on the block - That will get you noticed!
Pricing Your House Right
While you’re sprucing the house up you can be giving some thought to price. What kind of competition you have right now amongst the homes currently listed? Do a search for homes similar to yours to see what they’re priced at. Call a Realtor and ask them to prepare a CMA (comparative market analysis) of homes sold in your neighborhood recently. An impartial opinion based on data is what you need right now. A real estate professional will be able to help you analyze broader aspects of the market. What buyers are likely to pay for and what doesn’t hold too much weight with them. Real estate agents live and breathe this stuff. We are an excellent resource. Oh, and it’s a good idea to put your “buyers hat on.” Look at the houses you see on the market and be objective about how they fair up against yours. If you’re serious about selling and not just “testing the water” it’s best if you try to disengage yourself from your home and start thinking about it as a house. (There is a difference as I’m sure you know).
You’re All Set – Time to list Your Home
So your house is priced right, looks amazing and you’re all set to list your home on the Iowa City MLS. You’ve gone to a lot of trouble to prepare your home for sale. All you need to do now is make sure your house gets the attention it deserves. As a tech-savvy agent who believes that the Internet has changed the way we do business, I believe the agent you choose to work with needs to be on top of their game. 90% of buyers are online looking for homes. You want to make sure your house pops up wherever they are looking. You also want to make sure your agent has lots of quality photos showing your home in it’s best light. Good photos and online exposure will go a long way to getting a good response for your listing. Once you’ve chosen the right agent to take care of that for you all that’s left is for you is to sit back and wait for a buyer to come along and make an offer.
Of course I know that is a lot easier said than done. This is the part of the process where patience is what you need. (Don’t worry, I know this is a tough one, I’m not that patient either). Let me rinse and repeat. Well prepared homes that are priced right will sell. Period. Prior planning IS the key to success. If you have those things covered AND your house is all over the internet for all those buyers to see, then it’s just a matter of time until you change the “For Sale” sign to a “Sale Pending” sign!
Now about that Marketing Plan…
