If you are selling your house or getting ready to sell your house, there are things that often get overlooked that can cause serious delays or completely inhibit your property from ever selling. It’s amazing that a house can sit on the market for months without selling, then get listed with a new realtor and sell quickly! Although there are lots of factors why, there are definitely some that are in your control and if you follow this advice it will help you in the long run.
1. Get good pictures- they will sell your house. I can’t tell you how often I see terrible pictures of beautiful houses. They could
have bad lighting, be fuzzy shots, or not be staged properly. It blows my mind that there’s not more emphasis put on pictures. This is what will sell your house. Tell me a buyer who doesn’t look online for pictures of homes nowadays or email the link to their family and friends, I’d like to meet that person! The fact is everyone does and by hiring a professional photographer, your investment will be returned tenfold. It’s also very smart to make a slideshow video or virtual tour of the house. The easier it is for a person to get a sense and feel of your house online, the better and quicker it will attract the right buyer.
2. Price it right – it’s half the battle! If you overprice your house it won’t sell, it’s as simple as that. By pricing it in line with market values, you’ll have the best chance of attracting the most buyers – and quickly. You attract the most buyers when your home is new to the market, so overpricing it in the beginning will ruin your chances of getting a buyer in the door. I recommend reviewing every 3 to 4 weeks to see how many showings and/or contracts you’ve received. If you’re not getting any showings, you could be 10% or more overpriced. If you’re getting showings but no contracts, you are probably 5% to 10% overpriced. Make adjustments quickly; the longer your house sits on the market the more stale the listing becomes and harder it will be to sell.
Of course, there are several factors why a house sells or sits: the time of the year, the economy, or if the right buyer is in your neighborhood at the same time your house is listed for sale. Overall, pictures and price are more important than all of the other factors. If you put your focus there, I’m confident you will get your house sold!
Gabe Mellein was voted a Top Real Estate Agent – Exceptional in Service and Overall Satisfaction by Gulfshore Life Magazine in 2012. He is the broker of Gulf Pointe Properties, Inc and has over 9 years experience in the SW Florida Real Estate Market. He is a member of The Naples Area Board of Realtors, Bonita Springs – Estero Association of Realtors, Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, The Florida Association of Realtors, The National Association of Realtors, and is nationally certified in Feng Shui for Real Estate. Need real estate help? Please contact Gabe at: 239.825.2234, Gabe@GulfPointeProperties.com or www.GulfPointeProperties.com
