What does it take to sell your real estate quickly and for the most money? Believe it or not there are truly only three things that determine when real estate will sell and they are symbiotic. That is one impacts the other either positively or negatively.
The number 1 determining factor is LOCATION - what exactly does this mean - if you are in a great location, good schools, low crime, underground utilities, sidewalks, etc you will be able to get more for your house than an exact duplicate of your house in another location. If your real estate is not in a perfect location - a price adjustment will be needed.
Number 2 - CONDITION Great Condition isn't just in good repair - Your house needs to be clean. White glove inspection clean. This includes ceiling fans, base boards, chair rails, grout, counter tops, floors etc. You also need to stage the property. Most Buyers are visual and really need to be shown what the property can be, not just told. I.e. the Master bedroom will fit a King bed comfortably. You need to not only put a King bed in the room but dress that bed like royalty will be sleeping there.
I know you love the nic nacs but you have to move them anyway so pack them up. They make any space look smaller and you want your space to be as large as possible. Curb appeal falls under condition. You need the yard to be the best it can be. Well groomed with Color by the entrance. If any of this is not true - a price adjustment will need to be made.
Number 3, PRICE - price is the great equalizer. If any of the top two are not perfect it will reflect in the price you are able to get for the property. So the price is KEY.
Price is the 'secret' to selling property fast - it must be priced to reflect location and condition.
This is the most difficult part for all sellers. They look at the house as their home. They don't see it as a business transaction. And as a homeowner over the years you stop seeing some of the things that buyers will see immediately and walk away from your property because of, i.e. smells, clutter, lack of maintenance, etc.
Now you are asking yourself, what is the REALTOR's job in this process? Answer: 1) To provide you with the market data and comparables to price your property competitively. 2) to offer suggestions to improve the chances of a sale. 3) To expose the property to as many buyers as possible through their marketing efforts.
Wait a minute...just where do buyers come from? Open houses? NO - Open houses allow agents to pick up new customers. Most buyers at an open house cannot afford the houses they are looking at - they are day dreaming. How about Newspaper advertising and real estate magazines? NO, according the National Association of REALTORs 2008 survey of buyers less than 1% of buyers looked at print ads to buy a home. So where are the buyer's coming from? 15% com from the yard sign - That number has not changed in decades. It represents the buyer who wants the neighborhood your home is in so they spend a great deal of time driving the neighborhood. The bulk of buyers come from....THE INTERNET! Your house must be listed with the local MLS - which thru IDX downloads to thousands of websites. Not only must the verbiage be good - but the more pictures of your real estate the better! Your agent should also have a really good website and your agent should also provide enhanced listings on Realtor.com.
So that’s the secret. It does not matter if you trying to sell real estate in Panama City Florida or somewhere in Washington the key is price as it is justified by location and condition.
Please feel free to contact to me if you have questions or are ready to buy or sell real estate in Bay County Florida.