What do you want when selling your home? Most people want to get their asking price in a reasonable amount of time and for the process to be relatively smooth. That’s the ideal scenario and unfortunately selling your home or property may not go exactly as you expected. However there are some things you can do to ensure you get most of what you want when selling.
Tips for Selling your Vancouver House:
1) Take the emotion out of it
This is your home, so I know this can be difficult. You’ve likely made a lot of memories here, but by looking at the transaction from a purely financial perspective, you’ll distance yourself from the emotional aspects of selling the place. Where emotions can work in your favor is if you use them to connect with potential buyers. What I mean by this is recognizing that buyers are often in an emotional state when shopping for a home. If you can harness the idea that you are selling a dream or a lifestyle rather than just a house then use this to your advantage. De-personalize your home by removing family photos and replacing them with more generic artwork- you want the buyer to be able to picture themselves in the space.
2) Don’t just list your home—market it.
Gorgeous photos, staging, exposure on social media – stop thinking about selling your home and start thinking about marketing it. Staging and making sure your home presents to potential buyers in the best possible light is critical. Sellers who do not clean and stage their homes are throwing money down the drain. If you can’t afford to hire a professional, that’s OK – there are many things you can do on your own. De-cluttering is absolutely essential. Also remember a picture speaks a thousand words so make sure you have good quality photography for your listing. Leverage social media to get your listing in front of more people. Exposing your home to more potential buyers unequivocally brings in more money.
3) Fix what’s broken
Never try to hide major problems as buyers will either see through you or it will come back to bite you in the end. Hire a home inspector to get a fresh pair of eyes to point out areas of your home that need work – because of your familiarity with the home, you may have become immune to its trouble spots. If you don’t fix the problem in advance, you may turn away a fair number of buyers who want a turnkey home. If you’re not willing (or able) to invest in repairs pre-sale, you can always price the property below market value to account for the problem, or list the property at a normal price but offer the buyer a credit to fix the problem.
4) Accessibility is key
Be available. Homes that don’t get shown don’t get sold. Buyers want access to your house when it works for them, they don’t want to wait for the open house; baking cookies won’t cut it anymore. Buyers are typically shopping after 5pm and on weekends, so be open to scheduling appointments within this time frame. Don’t make it difficult for agents to get their clients into your home, you want to make access easy and convenient so you have even more chance of getting your home in front of it’s potential new owner.
5) Be willing to negotiate
Your agent should be able to show you how much your property is worth and why. Over-priced properties sit on the market longer and generally sell for less than they would have had they been accurately priced in the first place. Any smart buyer will negotiate, and if you want to sell, you’ll have to play ball. One strategy is to set your price a little on the low side to generate multiple offers that will bid the house up to its true market value. Most people want to list their homes at a price that will attract buyers while still leaving some breathing room for negotiations.
I hope these tips will help give you an idea on how to get what you want when selling your home. Remember, working with a professional realtor is going to make all the difference.
Comment below or contact your Vancouver Real Estate expert to get started with selling your home. I will do everything I can to help you through the process.
For more information on real estate market in Vancouver, current trends, buying a home or selling a home, contact Leo Wilk – Your Top Vancouver Realtor.
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