In Virginia, real estate and related industries (home inspection, appraisals, termite inspections, and contractors, etc) are considered essential. Buyers can still go house hunting with their local Realtor®.
How to SELL your home during these chaotic times with shelter in place Pandemic?
Dress your home up: This is the time to catch up with Marie Kondo episodes to declutter. Irrespective of the market condition homes that show like a model home or a page out of home & garden magazines always attracted buyers. If you have too much stuff go out and rent a storage unit. Hire a stager to help you rearrange your own furniture. For your vacant homes, you can hire a stager to stage key rooms.
Botox you home: With the increasing inventory and shrinking buyer pool to make your home attractive add those updates you wish you had in your home. Simple things like a fresh coat of paint, updating kitchen appliances, bathrooms and/or flooring. Anything that resonates with the buyer as a turn-key condition home will help you leverage your home in the real estate market place. Discuss with your Realtor what's the features to update before listing your home.
Pricing: You can put a circus in front of your home. Nothing will attract a buyer if they think you are way over the market valuation of the home. The right priced home will attract serious homebuyers in any market. Understand your competition and seek your Realtor® advice. Longer your home stays on the market AKA stale listing buyers consider as an opportunity to low ball.
Marketing Strategy: With the revised Virginia state guidelines for COVID-19 as a Realtor we have adapted and revised our marketing strategies. From my OUT OF POCKET expenses, I have added tools like a 3D tour of your home, Virtual open houses and virtual showings I am doing everything to get attract buyers that are searching online. Current buyers who are working from a home sense the need for extra space and/or downsizing needs. If a buyer is looking for a long term they will explore house hunting irrespective of the market challenges. Giving them virtual tools may help your home be a front runner over an old outdated marketing strategy listing.
Hiring Real Estate Professional: Not to toot my horn; gone are the days when you can snap a picture, list your home on the market and bingo its Sold! You now need a real estate professional that will stand behind you and help you achieve your goal to sell your home.
I have added virtual listing presentations and meetings to set up with my potential home sellers. Interview your agents, ask about their marketing strategy and how they are adapting to this uncharted territory to sell your home. Don't just fall for a large team you don't want to be another sale number for that team. This is the time for you to team up with a seasoned agent that can guide and navigate you to sell your home. Looking out for your best interest and working harder than before!
Showings: We all request flexibility to show the home. If you are still living in your home discuss with your Realtor on how you plan to allow showings while taking safety precautions. If you have a tenant-occupied home, young ones, pets or working from home it could sound impossible to sell your home. Where there is a problem there is a solution. Your Realtor can help you create a plan to set up time slots that can allow showings during those hours. Providing sanitizing wipes, shoe booties and hand gloves can help you buyers feel comfortable browsing your home. Remember we don't have lookie-lookie buyers house hunting. If someone is getting out to see a home they are SERIOUS BUYERS!!
Bottom line:
Tough times don't last tough people do! We will all get through this sooner or later. Communication with your Realtor and being realistic will be a key to get your home SOLD!!
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