Five Steps To Holding A Successful Open House
An open house is one way that REALTORS® attempt to expose a home to multiple buyers at once. Not only is an open house designed to market the home in a way that differs from a simple listing, but it also opens the door for competitive offers as more than one buyer could potentially fall in love with a home on the same day. Step # 1: Make Your Home Shine A successful open house begins with cleanliness, so make sure that your home is ready to be shown. This means the clutter should be removed and the home should be “staged” to allow potential buyers to envision themselves living in a beautifully decorated home. Step # 2: Cross Your T’s & Dot Your I’s Your next step to an open house is making sure that the price is right. If the day is successful, you may be fielding offers within hours, so be ready to make a deal. Most open houses are advertised locally in order to attract buyers looking to move into the area, which means a newspaper ad may have a lot of potential. The advertisement should feature a photo, along with text that outlines all of the unique and positive aspects of the home. The date, time and clear directions should also be given in the ad, along with the REALTOR’S® contact information. Before your ad goes to press, make sure that you have proofread it to ensure accuracy. Step # 3: Spruce Up Your Curb Appeal As buyers begin to show up for your open house, they will want to see attractive landscaping with an inviting atmosphere. This will make them eager to see what’s inside the home. The front yard should feature an Open House sign with colorful balloons, but don’t forget to place signs along the street (with permission, of course) to help potential buyers find you. Make sure the lawn is freshly cut and flower beds are well kept. Any clutter, including bicycles or yard care equipment should be removed to produce a visually pleasing image of the home. Make sure your windows and doors are sparkling clean and free of fingerprints. Nothing should distract buyers from the prize, which is your house. Step # 4: Feed Your Guests It’s customary for every open house to have complimentary coffee or other refreshments and/or cookies. The smell of freshly baked cookies will give buyers the feeling of being at home-exactly the type of reaction you want when trying to sell your home. Step # 5: Reading Material Is Golden Your REALTOR® should provide a business card and/or informational sheet for each potential buyer that tours your home. If this is not a service that they offer, take a few minutes to design your own flyer using a computer and print out some full-color circulars to offer interested parties as they arrive. You should also provide copies of any appraisal, inspection or other information about the home that potential buyers would find interesting.
Marketing Tips: How To Sell Your Home
If you want potential home buyers to fall in love with your house, they first have to know it’s for sale. This is where a strong marketing plan comes into play, which not only publicizes your property but gives people a preview of your home before they get there. A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words Regardless of whether your home is to be featured online, in a REALTOR’S® publication or paid advertisement, quality photos are a must. You must capture your home’s best qualities in each image. Take a photo of the front and back of the home, along with interior photos of every room. Try various angles and lighting situations, which gives you the opportunity to choose the best shots. When photographing any part of your home, make sure that it’s spotless. Home buyers, especially those with children or pets, would love to see a yard. If your house has a lot of room to run, showcase it in photos. If you live in a condominium or townhouse, emphasize nearby activities that offer family fun. This may include a swimming pool, recreation center, tennis court, etc. When you present your photos to the REALTOR®, he/she will use them to pique the interest of potential buyers. If a buyer likes the photos, their next step will be to schedule a tour of the home. Hence, the right photos are invaluable when selling real estate. Sign Here Believe it or not, one of the best marketing strategies is free. By placing a sign in your yard, you will let anyone driving by know that your home is for sale. Even if you live in an area that does not get a lot of traffic, a passerby may notice the sign and tell someone they know who is in the market for a new home. Your REALTOR® will likely provide you with a sign, which should be placed in a visible area of your lawn. You can also place a sign in your window or on your front door. Be sure to check with your local community association, if applicable, regarding placement and permission for this type of sign. Paid Advertisements Many REALTORS® advertise their listings in local real estate publications, their business Web site and even the occasional ad in the newspaper. Depending on the terms of your listing agreement, you may be able to continue advertising the home independently. Check with your REALTOR® about their commission policy if you sell the house yourself. If you decide to advertise yourself, try the local newspaper first. People looking to move into your area will likely be browsing the newspaper for real estate ads. Keep in mind that it’s not just newcomers who may be looking to buy a new home. Perhaps an empty nester is looking for a smaller abode or a growing family is looking to upgrade to a larger house, so don’t discount locals as potential buyers. Hold An Open House If you want potential buyers to fall in love with your home, invite them in to see what it has to offer. An open house allows for anyone to simply drop in, with or without an appointment, to tour the home. In some cases, a successful open house may result in an offer or possibly multiple offers that same day. You can advertise an open house with signs in your yard, posting a notice on local bulletin boards and by utilizing free or paid ads online and/or in your local newspaper. In most cases, your REALTOR® will schedule the open house and will help answer questions from potential buyers. If you are still living in the home, the date and time should be convenient for you, but also a day that would be convenient for others. For most, the weekend is a good time and most open houses are an all-day event. For the best approach at a successful marketing strategy, confer with your REALTOR®. Successful agents know their markets and what will likely be the best approach to selling your home. Don’t be afraid, though, to offer your input and ask questions as you develop your marketing plan.
Top Ten Home Showing Tips
Showing your home is essential in the real estate business. After all, who would purchase a property sight unseen? When a potential buyer stops in, here are ten recommended tips to follow when showing your home: Tip # 1: Welcome Your Buyers If you are still living in the home while it’s being shown, graciously greet your potential home buyers and invite them to look around. Make sure that you instruct them to take their time and to ask any questions that they may have. It may be a good idea if you leave the home for a short time to allow the buyer to look without feeling restricted by your presence. A potential buyer is less likely to voice any concerns in front of the current owner, which is why it’s better to leave your buyers with the REALTOR® and announce that you will be returning in 30 minutes. This should allow plenty of time for your potential buyer to speak candidly with the REALTOR®. Tip # 2: Be Flexible Many home buyers are on a tight schedule, whether it be work, school or other commitments. Time is tough to come by, so try to be flexible about allowing potential buyers to tour your home. If you are still living on the premises, it’s especially important that you be ready for last-minute visits. Tip # 3: Climate Control When a buyer comes into your home, they do not want to feel cold in the winter or overly stuffy in the summer. If you know that your REALTOR® is bringing a potential buyer to tour the home, make sure that the temperature is comfortable. Otherwise, your buyer may not spend as much time in the home as necessary in order to form an accurate opinion. The last thing you want is a buyer who’s in a hurry to leave. Tip # 4: Quick Cleaning If you have enough time before the buyer shows up, run the vacuum over the floors and make sure that any clutter is cleaned up. A clean home appears larger, while a cluttered one gives the appearance of being too small. If you really want to impress your potential buyers, place a plate of freshly baked cookies on the dining room table. When they walk into your home, they will be greeted by the wonderful smell. Tip # 5: Animal Control If you have pets, remove them from the home temporarily or place them in a contained space, such as a kennel, exercise pen or carrier. This will allow buyers to tour the home without being distracted by a nervous animal which could result in a nervous buyer. Tip # 6: Light The Way Your home should appear open and bright, even if it’s a winter day, so open the curtains and turn on the lights throughout the home. Buyers will not likely be drawn to a dark, dimly-lit house. Tip # 7: Educate Your Buyers When someone is looking for a home, they are looking for more than the perfect floor plan. If you have recently had the home appraised or inspected, place copies of each report on the dining room table. Purchasing a home is a big step, and buyers will be drawn to a home that has everything out on the table, so to speak. Tip # 8: Communicate With Your REALTOR® If you want certain aspects to be pointed out during the home tour, tell your REALTOR® what they are. For instance, good neighbors are a big plus to any home, but it’s not something that potential home buyers will see simply by looking at the rooms in your house. If you have wonderful neighbors, ask your REALTOR® to point this out. If you live in a family-oriented neighborhood, let it be known. Tip # 9: Curb Appeal An important part of showing your home is making sure that the outside looks just as appealing as the inside. When a potential buyer drives up, you want them to be eager to see what else is in store for them. You can do this by paying close attention to your curb appeal. In addition to having a freshly cut lawn and properly maintained flower beds (if applicable), the outside of your home should be free of any clutter and any shrubs should be groomed. Tip # 10: Ask For Feedback Once the potential buyer has completed their tour, invite their feedback by placing comment cards in the home. The information provided could be potentially helpful during your next home showing, and it will make the potential buyer feel as though you value their opinion.
Eight Things To Consider Before Listing
So you have decided that you are going to sell your home. While your home may work just as it is for you and your family and you don’t want to invest any more time or money into your property, there are a few necessary steps that every homeowner should take in order to ensure that their home will sell quickly and at the highest price possible. Contact A Real Estate Expert-A REALTOR® can give you advice on what your property’s potential value may be, what improvements your home needs to get the best price, and the best strategy to use to market your home. Have Your Home Professionally Cleaned-While this may seem like an unnecessary expense, it can give your home that fresh appearance that really appeals to potential buyers. Make All Necessary Minor Repairs-This is an inexpensive way to give your home a finished look and will convince potential buyers that the home is in good repair. This includes fixing any damage to walls and ceilings, installing new faucets or lighting fixtures, and making any cosmetic changes to the kitchen and bathrooms that will give your property a modern appearance. Clear The Clutter-Giving your home an open and clean appearance can definitely make a huge difference in attracting buyers. Be sure you tidy any messy areas of the home, and depersonalize it by removing most photos and any items or collections that may distract buyers during open houses or while looking at pictures of your home. Look At Your Home From A Buyer’s Perspective-Because you are use to it, sometimes you may not notice small imperfections or areas of your home that seem not to flow with the rest of the house. Try to take a walk through your home and on your property with fresh eyes, and be as critical as you would be if you were looking to buy your home again. Make Repairs To The Exterior-Don’t forget the front and back yards, as well as the roof and brick or siding of your home, when making repairs to your property. Your investment is always worth it, and creating curb appeal can really make a difference in attracting buyers. Have Professional Photographs Of Your Property Taken-Photographs are very important tools for home sales in today’s housing market, and having a complete set of high quality photos that best accentuate the features of your home is critical to the success of your marketing campaign. Consider More Major Renovations If Necessary-If your kitchen or bathroom is very outdated or in bad repair, or you have electrical, plumbing, or mold problems in your home, these are all issues that can really stall the sale of your property. Fixing these problems will usually not only make your home sell more quickly, but will also increase the value of your home far beyond the expense associated with making the repairs in the first place.
Sell Your Home Fast: Five Tips To Get A Fast Sale!
The process of selling your home can be a stressful and time-consuming event. Getting a quick sale at the right price is the goal of any homeowner. Here are a few simple tips to getting that sale fast and at the price you want. Hire A Real Estate Expert-This may be obvious, but many people still need to be convinced that hiring a professional to handle the sale of their most valuable asset is important. Get The Price Right-Knowing the fair market value of your home and getting advice on pricing it right will pique buyers’ interest will net you a faster sale. Again, a qualified agent can help make this determination. Have A Marketing Plan-Knowing how to effectively market your property means more people will see your home, and so you increase the potential of attracting that perfect buyer. Consider Offering Incentives-Offering incentives can be just the drive a potential buyer needs to select your property over the competition. Incentives may include major appliances, an allowance for worn carpet or paint, or paying some of the buyer’s closing costs. Clear the Clutter-A neat, tidy, and well-presented home is always more appealing to buyers. It is also a great way to get rid of items you don’t want to take with you to your new home. These simple tips can get your home sold quickly, easily, and at the right price. A real estate professional can help you with each one of these tips and can make the process of selling your home a more pleasurable one.
Ten Tips To Successfully Market Your Home
There is a lot more to putting your home up for sale than placing a sign on the front lawn. Selling your home quickly and getting the best price possible requires marketing your property and using the services of an experienced agent. Here are some of the strategies you can use to market your home. Hire A Professional REALTOR®-The ability to market your home is always best served by hiring a real estate expert. They have access to resources that you as an individual do not, and their experience and knowledge are certainly worth the commission. Photograph The Exterior Of Your Home-Good high quality photographs of the entire exterior of your home can really spark the interest of potential buyers. These photographs can be used in a variety of online and print marketing campaigns. Photograph The Interior Of Your Home-Be sure you also have good quality photos of every major room in your home, especially the kitchen, bathrooms, and master bedroom. Also ensure that these pictures are taken in good light, and from angles that best highlight the space they are to represent. Purchase A Virtual Tour-Virtual tours are one of the latest and most effective marketing methods in the real estate industry. Essentially a virtual tour allows potential viewers to get a 360-degree perspective of your property from the comfort of their home or office. This method is also a great way to assure that only interested buyers show up at an open house. Your agent can have these tours put on multiple listing websites as well as on their own pages. Print Advertising-While this may seem to be a costly and outdated marketing method, there are still a considerable number of potential buyers who use print resources to find prospective properties. Signage-Be sure you have clear, visible signage on your property that indicates it is for sale. Also, be sure your agent’s contact information can be seen from a distance so that those passing by can take down their name and number. Direct Mail-Again, this may seem like an outdated method of advertising, but it is still effective, especially if your home may appeal to an older demographic. Open Houses-This is still the most effective way to get a sale. Be sure your home is in clean and presentable condition before hosting an open house, and ask your REALTOR® for advice about preparing your home for such an opening. Agent Tours-These tours can give agents a better look at your home without having the general public in your house, and can assist them in matching your home with their clients. Your agent can arrange these tours. E-marketing-Like print advertising, this is a fairly inexpensive and effective method of marketing your home that your REALTOR® can offer to you as part of their services.
Five Things You Should Put In Storage While Selling Your Home
When your home is on the market but you are still living there, you can’t very well make it a model show home. Still, there are a few things you should think about putting in storage while your home is for sale in order to make it as appealing as possible to buyers. Here are the top five things you should consider putting out of sight. Excess Family Photos Buyers want to picture themselves in the house, and a slew of family photos hung all over the place can make that difficult. If all they can see is you and your family, they won’t be able to easily envision their own family there. Your Liquor Cabinet A nice wine rack or a few bottles displayed near the wet bar are fine, but if you keep a lot of liquor in the house put it somewhere out of sight. While it may seem illogical, buyers who share different lifestyle views might be put off by it. Your Pet’s Toys Chewed up tennis balls, smelly stuffed animals, and half-digested bones are part of life with a dog, but people coming to see your house will find it unattractive. It will also tell them your pet has the run of the house, and they will wonder what damage might have been done. Signs Of Repairs Put away the plunger and similar items when you are selling. It will prevent buyers from wondering if something is wrong with the plumbing, even if you only keep it around as a precaution. Anything That Clutters A Room So the extra bedroom is used as an office/exercise room/guest bedroom? Versatility is great, but all that stuff in there will just look like there isn’t enough space in the house for everything you-or a buyer-needs. Get rid of the exercise equipment and the desk, and leave the guest bed. Extra bedrooms are more of a selling point than an office or exercise room. It might be annoying to have to put some of your personal items away while you sell your home, but it can mean a faster sale and a larger profit. Buyers need to see a home as a place where they can live, not the place where you live.
Simple Ideas To Make Your Home More Welcoming To Buyers
It may seem obvious, but many sellers fail to recognize that a home that feels, looks, and smells welcoming and homey will more likely raise a buyer’s interest when they come for a showing. Of course, you think your home is pretty comfortable and welcoming already, but there are a few things you can do to make buyers feel right at home from the moment they walk in the door. Lead With The Nose If your home smells good, it will make buyers want to stick around longer. The sense of smell is the strongest of all the five senses in its connection to our emotions. Certain smells simply make us feel comfortable and at home no matter where we are. There are a few smells that are almost universal. Try a flameless scented burner that is safe but releases a wonderful fragrance in your home. Choose scents like vanilla or spices, smells that remind people of home cooking and sweet treats. Be sure your fragrance isn’t overwhelming, however, and don’t use it to mask other odors like cat litter or food smells. Buyers will know right away you are trying to hide something! Let The Light Shine In Clean your windows and open all of the blinds and curtains to let the sunshine into the home. The warm feeling will make your buyers want to settle in and bask in the glow. A brightly lit home looks bigger, too, while a dark home will appear smaller. Be sure you replace burnt out light bulbs so your home will be fully lit and have a welcoming glow even in the evening or on a cloudy day. Set The Table It may seem odd, but a table set as though a family is about to sit down to a meal makes the home feel lived in and comfortable without being cluttered or too personal. Set the table with matching dishes and a nice but simple centerpiece, to give the dining room that ready to sit down feel. Making buyers see your house as a home is important in getting them really interested in making it their home. With just a few simple adjustments, you can create a feeling that welcomes buyers to settle in-they will want to make an offer so they never have to leave!
Home Staging: Create Appeal By Maximizing Space And Minimizing Clutter
It’s a good idea to start by storing personal pictures, knickknacks, boxes, piles of mail, and any other eye-catching distractions. Expert organizers suggest sorting through collections of books, magazines, CDs and newspapers, and getting rid of those you no longer want or use. Choose containers that are as practical as they are pretty to organize magazines, toys, kitchen utensils, and other items that can’t be stored away. Don’t forget to organize closets and drawers-buyers look everywhere! Consider buying or renting a bookshelf, armoire or entertainment center from a furniture rental store to organize everything from electronic equipment to seasonal clothes.
Home Staging: Curb Appeal-Make The Best First Impression!
Manicure the yard. Clean the windows, doors, and front entry. Plant flowers-tastefully, and abundantly! Pressure clean the exterior. Enhance and beautify with lighting. Reseal the driveways. Paint your house. Focus on the front door. Don’t forget the shutters.