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Ready to sell your Elk Grove, CA home?

By Chris Molina

Real Estate Agent with Cooper & Associates Real Estate

September 09, 2007 06:33 AM

Ready to sell your Elk Grove California home?

Hold on, it may be easier said than done...

Selling your home just got tougher. Remember the time when sellers can simply put a sign up and offers would come pouring in within days not weeks? Or when there were multiple offers on one house? Those times are gone. We all know that Elk Grove CA is a great place to live and raise a family so the old adage of location, location, location is a wash. Now, sellers really need to make their house stand out among the vast selection of existing homes eagerly waiting for a buyer. Below are some key points to selling your home quickly in a soft market.

Sellers need to make a good first impression. Think about when you first bought the home. What attracted you to it? Was it cluttered? Buyers usually look at the space and clutter is never appealing. An over-sized dining room table for example may make the room look smaller than what it really is. Hiring a stager or simply doing a search on Google for decorating tips may give you the edge you need. Also, fix what needs to be fixed. Fixing broken wall plates around outlets and light switches are inexpensive and easy to complete. And, you can never go wrong with neutral paint colors. Painting an accent wall "Smurf blue" seemed like a great idea at the time, but can serve as a real distraction to potential buyers.

Know your competition and price accordingly. The once popular belief of, "My neighbor just sold his house for $400,000 six months ago, I feel that I can get $425,000 for mine" should not be your strategy in today's market. I know that it may be hard to swallow but in the current market if your neighbor sold their home for $400,000 six months ago, you may need to price yours at $375,000 to $390,000 to stay competitive. When you're shopping for a home, would you start at the top and work down or vice versa? Price your home in a way that it seems like a bargain for the Buyer. Also, with all the new construction still going all around Elk Grove CA, you will also need to compete with tempting incentives such as builder credits towards closing costs and upgraded appliances at little or no cost to the buyer.

Aggressive marketing is key to driving traffic to your home and the internet is the biggest piece of the pie when it comes to marketing. Statistics show that buyers are using the internet more and more to look for homes. Is your home on the web? What else are you doing to market your property? Hiring an Elk Grove CA Realtor who is internet savvy, can provide you with massive internet exposure, has the technology in place and understands the current market trends is absolutely necessary in today's market. Internet marketing has become the most effective way to sell your Elk Grove home.

Cooper & Associates Real Estate is your local Elk Grove Real Estate company. We will assist you the Seller in putting your home's "best foot forward" and give you tips to making a good first impression. We can also recommend home inspectors, appraisers, stagers and other professionals that you may need to prepare your home for sale. We will suggest a price range that will maximize your profits while minimizing the time your home stays on the market. We also make it a priority to ensure that the Buyer submitting an offer on your home is qualified and/or their financing has been secured within a timely manner. And lastly, we will formulate an aggressive marketing plan for your home maximizing exposure on the internet as well as all other conventional methods.