What Does It Take To Sell My House?

It takes two things working together to sell a house and one will not work without the other. A Fair Price and Exposure.

Price is determined by many factors which include condition of the house, location, market demand, competition nearby, motivation of the buyer and seller, comparable sales, etc. Many sellers think that if they price their house high, that will give them room to negotiate the price down to an amount that they can be happy with. Buyers have a price range in mind and do their searches within that range. If a house that should be in that price range is priced too high, it won’t even be seen. Even if the buyer looks slightly above their price range, they will still only offer what they perceive the value of the house to be. So why not price the house correctly in the first place and take advantage of all those buyers that have a specific price and location in mind. The truth is that the market sets the price, not the seller and not the agent. Remember, it also has to appraise for the sale price and appraisers are very conservative in the current market. Keep in mind that the nicest houses almost always sell fastest.

Exposure is referring to getting the word out to the public. Most home buyers today are computer savvy and do their research and searching on the internet before they ever get into their cars to go look at a house. Newspapers used to be the primary method to expose the public to houses for sale. They are becoming a useless method of advertising because of the decreasing readership, and are being replaced by the internet. If the listing information is not detailed and does not have pictures of the inside rooms as well as the yard, buyers probably will skip right over it, and the house will get limited showings. Brochures should be a part of every listing because they offer the opportunity to give more information about the house and illustrate what the advantages of the house are to the buyer. The brochure can be a hard copy that is available at the house to the public or it can be a part of the listing on the internet. If a house is getting good exposure and potential buyers are looking at it and it still is not selling, you have to take a close look at the price or the condition of the house.

Buyers today are very savvy and are looking for the best value for their money. If you can deliver a good product, at a fair price, it will sell. Remember, you only get one chance to make a good first impression. You have to stand out from the competition.