Selling your home can be stressful, especially if you’re in a seller’s market with high competition. Relax! With a few clever tactics, you’ll outsmart the competition and have offers on the table faster than you can say, “Sold!” You are a first-time seller, seasoned real estate agent, or just weighing your choices. These tips will have you selling your home fast and effective.

Start with the Proper Pricing Strategy

It is vital to price correctly from the start. Overpricing will scare away prospective buyers, and underpricing can leave profits on the table. To price correctly:

  • Learn your neighborhood market – Find out what comparable properties have sold at in your area. Zillow or the actual MLS data are a good place to start.
  • Get a professional appraisal – Having an appraiser who is local will be useful so your price will be in line with market prices.
  • Be prepared to make changes – If your home is not attracting interest after a few weeks, you might need to re-price it.

Optimize Curb Appeal

Make a positive first impression. The outside of your home is the first impression that people will get, and it’s what will set the tone for the rest of their time there.

  • Freshen landscaping by mowing grass, adding flowers, and trimming bushes.
  • Paint your front door or replace worn hardware like light fixtures or mailboxes.
  • Power wash your driveway, patio, or siding to appear sparkling clean and tidy.

Potential buyers usually have an instant sense of whether they will like a home or not the second they pull up to the house—make it worth it!

Stage and Declutter Your Home

Potential buyers must be able to see themselves in the home, and it is hard to do that when the home is filled with personal photographs or knick-knacks.

  • Declutter rooms by removing excess furniture, papers, and personal items like family photos.
  • Stage carefully by placing furniture to highlight the greatest strengths of your house, e.g., a cozy living area or expansive kitchen.
  • Don’t forget closets! The majority of shoppers will look inside to decide on storage room—neat, tidy closets are an asset.

If you are new to home staging, resources like Houzz can assist in finding expert staging experts.

Professional Photography Matters

Scrap shaky cell phone photos—a listing’s kiss of death is decent photography. Pretty photos will not only make more clicks on your site, but will differentiate your home from a sea of listings.

  • Enlist the services of a professional real estate photographer who understands angles, lighting, and composition.
  • Capture wide images of principal rooms like the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom.
  • Capture pretty details like a gorgeous back patio or sunny reading nook.

Remember that the majority of home buyers begin their hunt online—quality photos are your best sales aid.

Highlight What Sets Your Home Apart

Why will a potential buyer choose your home over another? Highlight its best features in your listing and marketing.

  • Being close to local amenities or high-performing schools.
  • New upgrades like a new kitchen, updated hardware, or energy-efficient windows.
  • Unique characteristics, like a functional fireplace, big yard, or finished basement.

Use descriptive, sensory words to create the “image” of your home. Do not write “large kitchen”; write “open kitchen perfect for entertaining.”

Sell Aggressively Across Media

Those are over with now; those times we simply placed a “For Sale” sign in the lawn. To sell yourself in today’s busy housing market, you’re going to have to have an aggressive marketing strategy.

  • List your house on major websites like Zillow, Realtor.com, and Redfin.
  • Advertise your listing on social media, and encourage your friends and family to share it with their friends.
  • Utilize targeted online advertising to reach targeted buyer groups.

If you’re working with a real estate agent, ask about strategies like virtual tours or 3D walkthroughs that can give potential buyers a better look at your property.

Be Flexible with Showings

Having your home prepared for showings—on short notice, if possible—is the secret to getting an offer over losing a prospective buyer. Buyers adore accommodating sellers!

  • Employ several open house dates to create traffic.
  • Prepare your home “show-ready” with regular vacuuming, clean counters, and a pleasant odor.
  • Where feasible, step outside during showings to allow buyers to feel more comfortable browsing through.

Work With the Right Real Estate Agent

A quality agent doesn’t merely list your home—they strategize, negotiate, and market along the way.

  • Find someone with repeat success in your area.
  • Check agent reviews on sites such as RealEstate.com.
  • Check their list of stagers, contractors, and buyers to determine if they have leads that will be beneficial to your sale.

Closing the Deal

As you begin to receive offers, read neatly so it is clean at the close.  Plow through contingencies (inspection, financing, etc.) and negotiate as a last measure.  Don’t be afraid to make a counteroffer if it will get you where you want.  Anticipate surprises — everything from issues on appraisals to repairs that have to be done because of inspection reports.

It is advisable to have a professional attorney or real estate agent with you when negotiating for you in your interest protection.

Conclusion

You are very likely to sell your home quickly when there is competition in the market with optimal strategy. Pricing accurately, marketing, and curb appeal, everything that you do is taking you towards success.

Ready to get started? Take that first step by learning about your home market, cleaning up your home, and consulting with a pro—because “For Sale” soon means “Sold” when you do it right.

Need a little help? Call a professional real estate agent today and maximize your sale.