Selling your home involves much more than just placing a "For Sale" sign in your yard and going to the closing. As a REALTOR®, we are here to help you prepare your home for sale, market your home, and guide you through the sale process to ensure you sell your home within your time frame and get the best price possible.
We, as your REALTOR®, will determine the correct price range for your home, point out things you should do to make your home more appealing to buyers, and devise the most effective plan of action. Here are some of the steps we will take to sell your home:
Just Listed cards to neighborhood
Broker's open house tour at your request
http://www.longandfoster.com website
My personal website that will have your home featured
Home Book for presenting your property
Picture flyer(s) to agents
Full page ad in local newspaper each Sunday on our listings
Advertising locally through The Daily Advance Newspaper, The Real Estate Showcase Magazine, and The N.C. Homes Magazine
Advertising in Virginia through Harmon Homes Real Estate magazine and the Virginia Pilot newspaper
Worldwide advertising via the Internet on REALTOR.com®, Craigslist, Coastie2Coastie, Most Referred, Zillow.com and many others
Links from many websites
Factors That Affect Your Home's Sale
There are three main factors that determine how marketable your home is -- price, financing, and time.
Price
If your home is priced too high, you must be willing to wait much longer for your home to sell. Either it will take that much longer to find someone to pay more than the home is worth, or the market will eventually catch up to the asking price of the home through inflation.
Financing
You may not realize it, but the financing of your buyer can have a tremendous impact on the success of selling your home. Try to offer very attractive financing options. Consider carrying the financing yourself at a below-market interest rate or preparing your home for government financing. This could open the door for many buyers that otherwise wouldn't even consider your home.
Time
If your time frame is important then you must be willing to lower the price
How Much Should You Ask for Your Home?
Of course you want to get the full market value for your home. The first step to getting the best price is to determine your home's value. Your REALTOR® can help you set an asking price by taking the following factors into consideration:
Your home's value may depend on recent selling prices of comparable homes in your area. After reviewing the selling prices for such homes, the price is adjusted according to current market trends.
Buyers most likely look in the price range determined by their monthly payment ability and down payment. Buyers are often very knowledgeable in their price range and purchase by comparison. Unreasonable asking prices are an immediate turn-off.
Inviting a potential buyer to make an offer shows that you are willing to bargain. However, if your asking price is outrageous, the buyer's offer will most likely also be unreasonable.
It's necessary to offer pricing, terms and conditions that are competitive in your market. This will help you sell faster and get the full market value.
Of course you want to get the full market value for your home. The first step to getting the best price is to determine your home's value. Your REALTOR® can help you set an asking price by taking the following factors into consideration:
Your home's value may depend on recent selling prices of comparable homes in your area. After reviewing the selling prices for such homes, the price is adjusted according to current market trends.
Buyers most likely look in the price range determined by their monthly payment ability and down payment. Buyers are often very knowledgeable in their price range and purchase by comparison. Unreasonable asking prices are an immediate turn-off.
Inviting a potential buyer to make an offer shows that you are willing to bargain. However, if your asking price is outrageous, the buyer's offer will most likely also be unreasonable.
It's necessary to offer pricing, terms and conditions that are competitive in your market. This will help you sell faster and get the full market value.
The "Curb Appeal" Factor
The old saying, you never get a second chance to make a first impression never holds more true than in home selling. Buyers may never know what it was that drew them to look further at your property, but one of the things we, as experienced realtors in northeast North Carolina, can strongly suggest is to increase your home’s “curb appeal”. Every mother believes their child is the most handsome or brilliant and homeowners tend to feel the same way about their homes. A fresh perspective and some minor work can draw them into your home and help your buyer see your home with the same eyes that you do. It very seldom requires major structural work, often one or two small things can make a big difference. To begin with, let's assume that your yard and house are already well maintained and in order. That is the least homebuyers can expect from a seller. Next, subtract the flaws, add character, and enhance those good things you already love. You want your house to have a fantastic overall appearance.
Trim the vegetation around your home, particularly those bushes that hide windows. Be sure your landscaping looks great. Clean your gutters, etc.
Your front porch should welcome your new buyer with open arms. Is it freshly cleaned or painted? Paint or replace that front door with a new one. Upgrading light fixtures, house numbers, hardware, and your mailbox can have the same effect as a much needed haircut.
Replace or update your garage doors. Like it or not, garage doors are often so prominent that they either add or subtract from initial appearances. At the very least, be sure they are well painted and in good working order. You might consider upgrading to more appealing designs, i.e., ones with windows or with the old fashioned carriage-house look.
If there is BBQ and patio furniture or children’s playground equipment, make sure it is in good repair and visually attractive. Remember, less is more when it comes to yard clutter.
Can you write “wash me” on your dingy siding? Pressure wash!
Paint tells its own story. Make sure everything is freshly painted in pleasing hues and keep the body and trim close in color. You want a friendly, inviting look, not one that shouts annoyingly for attention.
You want any decking to be inviting. A simple cleaning, removing the old finish with a deck stripper and pressure washer, then scrubbing it with a deck cleaning solution gives a great new look.
Edge the sidewalks and driveway and fill cracks in your sidewalk or driveway to prevent erosion and freeze/thaw damage. Buyers want to know you have taken care of what could be their next home.
Plan ahead with a year round flower show. Many plants only bloom in the Spring, but houses are sold year round. A little preplanning in the flowerbeds will make your house a standout.
Your storage buildings can attract or detract from your property and need to be in great repair, removed, or replaced. And, speaking of storage, clean out that garage! You are moving, …you don’t want to haul all that stuff to your next house, anyway! Remove any cars from the garage when the house is being shown.
REMEMBER, more appealing homes get more offers! If these outdoor tips don’t help, we can advise you to consider doing more expensive things.
The old saying, you never get a second chance to make a first impression never holds more true than in home selling. Buyers may never know what it was that drew them to look further at your property, but one of the things we, as experienced realtors in northeast North Carolina, can strongly suggest is to increase your home’s “curb appeal”. Every mother believes their child is the most handsome or brilliant and homeowners tend to feel the same way about their homes. A fresh perspective and some minor work can draw them into your home and help your buyer see your home with the same eyes that you do. It very seldom requires major structural work, often one or two small things can make a big difference. To begin with, let's assume that your yard and house are already well maintained and in order. That is the least homebuyers can expect from a seller. Next, subtract the flaws, add character, and enhance those good things you already love. You want your house to have a fantastic overall appearance.
Trim the vegetation around your home, particularly those bushes that hide windows. Be sure your landscaping looks great. Clean your gutters, etc.
Your front porch should welcome your new buyer with open arms. Is it freshly cleaned or painted? Paint or replace that front door with a new one. Upgrading light fixtures, house numbers, hardware, and your mailbox can have the same effect as a much needed haircut.
Replace or update your garage doors. Like it or not, garage doors are often so prominent that they either add or subtract from initial appearances. At the very least, be sure they are well painted and in good working order. You might consider upgrading to more appealing designs, i.e., ones with windows or with the old fashioned carriage-house look.
If there is BBQ and patio furniture or children’s playground equipment, make sure it is in good repair and visually attractive. Remember, less is more when it comes to yard clutter.
Can you write “wash me” on your dingy siding? Pressure wash!
Paint tells its own story. Make sure everything is freshly painted in pleasing hues and keep the body and trim close in color. You want a friendly, inviting look, not one that shouts annoyingly for attention.
You want any decking to be inviting. A simple cleaning, removing the old finish with a deck stripper and pressure washer, then scrubbing it with a deck cleaning solution gives a great new look.
Edge the sidewalks and driveway and fill cracks in your sidewalk or driveway to prevent erosion and freeze/thaw damage. Buyers want to know you have taken care of what could be their next home.
Plan ahead with a year round flower show. Many plants only bloom in the Spring, but houses are sold year round. A little preplanning in the flowerbeds will make your house a standout.
Your storage buildings can attract or detract from your property and need to be in great repair, removed, or replaced. And, speaking of storage, clean out that garage! You are moving, …you don’t want to haul all that stuff to your next house, anyway! Remove any cars from the garage when the house is being shown.
REMEMBER, more appealing homes get more offers! If these outdoor tips don’t help, we can advise you to consider doing more expensive things.
