How to sell a home in a Buyer's Market in Modesto or Your Area!

I have had the great fortune lately of being in the middle of a tremendous bidding war for houses. Buyers have a wonderful opportunity to buy in this market.  They are all looking for a deal and many people are looking for an all out steal.  With home prices changing fairly quickly in this market, how do you sell a listing.  I have tons of people that are calling me wanting to purchase a home.  The problem is that there is a 13 month inventory of houses that are out there, and it seems like many of those are in bad shape and will stay on the market for another 13 months. How do you move these properties?

The solutions to this problem is very easy. There are a few things that I do to ensure that a home sells.

1.  Staging:  Make sure that the house is clean and that it is staged to sell. Make sure that it smells clean and that stuff is not stuffed into cupboards. The cleaner the better.  If necessary, hire a cleaning service to do it. In addition make sure that all the rooms are not cluttered with too much furniture or furniture that does not match the room.

2.  Curb Appeal:  Make sure that the front is appealing to buyers.  As we all know buyers will make up their decision in 10-15 seconds whether or not to purchase a property.

3.  Lighting:  The appropriate use of lighting will help to ensure that rooms do not look like caves and will create a good atmosphere.

4.  Paint:  The use of neutral paint will be helpful in selling the home.  Bright colors do not appeal to everyone and you want to target to as many people as possible.

5.  Pricing:  Make sure that the home is priced appropriately.  A home too high will not generate hits or viewings, and a home priced too low will also achieve the same result. Make sure that the home is priced 5-10% below comparables in that area and you will generate a buzz of interest.

6.  Marketing:  Plaster the listing everywhere. My wife helps me with this and puts it on every conceivable website and listing service possible. The more people that see it, the better chance it has to sell. Make sure that your photographs are good quality and show the highlights of your home.  The use of a wide-angled lens helps make rooms look bigger than they actually are.

I hope this helps people out.  What do you suggest Realtors or agents do to sell a home?  I look forward to your comments.


Matthew Zgonc
www.buysellmodesto.com