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Getting Top Dollar In Any Market

John R. Wilkinson

Real Estate Broker

New Visions™
/Prestige Real Estate
PO Box 4304
Oceanside, CA 92052  USA
(760) 754-2425 tel
(760) 754-6875 fax
 
broker @ newvisionsrealestate.com
(copy and remove spaces around "@")

The best chance for selling your property is within the first seven weeks. Studies show that the longer a property stays on the market, the less the seller will net. These are the key elements to get the most for your property.

Price

It is very important to price your property at a competitive market value right when you list it. The market is so competitive that even over-pricing by a few thousand dollars could mean that your house will not sell. It’s interesting, but your first offer is usually your best offer. Here are reasons for pricing your property at the market value right from the start in order to net you the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time.

An overpriced home:
   Minimizes offers
    Lowers showings
    Lowers agent response
    Limits financing
    Limits qualified buyers
    Nets less for the seller

80% of the marketing is done when deciding on what price to list your home. If you are unwilling to list at current market value, you would be better off not putting it on the market in the first place.

Clean

Next to price, cleanliness is one of the most important factors. Most people are turned off by even the smallest amount of uncleanness or odor when buying a home. Sellers lose thousands of dollars because they do not adequately clean. If your house is squeaky clean, you will be able to sell your home faster and net hundreds, if not thousands of dollars more.

If you are planning on moving, get rid of that old junk now so that your house will appear larger. Make more space. Odors must be eliminated especially if you have dogs, cats, or young children in diapers or if you are a smoker. You may not notice the smell, but the buyers do! Most agents have a difficult time communicating to their sellers about odor. If you employ an agent to get the most amount of money for you, please don’t take offense if he must confront you about odor problems.

Access And Availability

Top selling agents will not show your home if both the key and access are not readily available. You can not believe the number of times an agent is told by the seller who doesn’t want a lockbox with a key, "I’m home all the time", and then miss buyer showings when they are not around. Agents do not have time to run around town all day picking up and dropping off keys. They want to sell homes! The greatest way to show a house is to have a key!

When your home is being shown, please do the following:
    Keep all lights on
    Keep all drapes and shutters open
    Keep all doors unlocked
    Leave soft music playing
    Take a short walk with your children and pets
    Let the buyer be at ease and let the agents do their job

Paint & Carpet

Paint is your best improvement investment for getting a greater return on your money. Paint makes the whole house smell clean and neat. If your house has chipped paint, exposed wood, or the paint looks faded, it is time to paint. If your carpet is worn, dirty, outdated, or an unusual color, you may need to seriously consider replacing it. Many houses do not sell because of this problem. Don’t think that buyers have more money than you have to replace carpet. They don’t. They simply buy elsewhere.

Front Yard Appearance

Your front yard immediately reflects the inside condition of your house to the buyer. People enjoy their yards. Make certain that the trees are trimmed so the house can be seen from the street. Have the grass mowed, trimmed and edged. Walkways should be swept. Clean away debris. Remove parked cars. This all adds to curb appeal. If a buyer doesn’t like the outside, they may not stop to see the inside.

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