Before you paint, redo any landscaping, or declutter one room, you must make sure your house is priced correctly. Nothing is more important than price! To price your home correctly choose a real estate agent that uses all the research tools available (MLS, tax records, etc…), but don’t necessarily pick the realtor who quotes you the highest listing price, because what good is it to have your home on the market if its overpriced. Base your choice on what they have to offer as a realtor and what they can do to sell your home.
In the current market we have an oversupply of houses and sellers need to be more aggressive on price if they want to sell. According to experts the oversupply of houses is not going away for at-least three to four years. The homes that are selling are the ones that are priced properly.
The value of your home is determined by the homes that have recently sold in your neighborhood and the surrounding areas. The unfortunate fact in today’s market is you have to compete with short sale and foreclosure properties. These properties tend to bring the values down due to the fact that the banks will take less than what the property is actually worth.
To help your property be more appealing to a buyer eliminate any turnoffs. If you have worn out carpet, water stains on ceilings, damaged tile or chipping paint, you must fix these issues or any others that may occur. The next step, now that you have your price and all major issues addressed is to spruce up your property. A nicely landscaped yard, a freshly painted front door, decluttering, and newly painted walls go along way.
Last but not least, When is a good time to list your property? Some Realtors say you should wait until the spring sales season to list your home, but others say it’s not necessary. If your home is priced right it will sell anytime of the year.
