Tips for Selling Your Home Quickly

 

Price Your House Right!- The best chance for selling your property is within the first seven weeks. Studies show that the longer a property stays on the market, the less the seller will net.

It is very important to price your property at a competitive market value at the signing of the listing agreement. The market is so competitive that even overpricing by a few thousand could mean that your house will not sell. Interestingly, your first offer is usually your best offer. Here are reasons for pricing your property at the market value right from the start in order to net you the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time.

An overpriced home:

• Minimizes offers.
• Lowers agent response.
• Limits qualified buyers.
• Lowers showings.
• Lowers prospects.
• Limits financing.
• Wastes advertising dollars.
• Nets less for the seller.

Clean Your House!- Most people are turned off by uncleanliness or odor When buying a home. Sellers lose thousands of dollars because they do not adequately clean.

If your house is squeaky clean, you will be able to sell your home faster and net hundreds if not thousands more. If you are planning on moving, why not get rid of that old junk now so that your house will appear larger? Odors must be eliminated especially if you smoke, own pets, or have young children in diapers. You may not notice the smell, but buyers do!

Make Your Home Accessible!- Top selling agents will not show your home if both the key and access are not readily available. They do not have time to run around town all day picking up and dropping off keys. They want to sell homes!

The greatest way to show a house is to have a key! When your house is being shown, please do the following:

• Keep all lights on.
• Keep all drapes and shutters open.
• Keep all doors unlocked.
• Leave soft music playing.
• Leave the premises.
• Take a short walk with your children and pets.
• Let the buyer be at ease and let the agents do their job.

Condition of Paint and Carpet- Paint is your best improvement investment for getting greater return on your money.

Paint makes the whole house clean and neat. If your house has chipped paint, exposed wood or the paint looks faded, it is time to paint.

If your carpet is worn, dirty, outdated, or an unusual color; you may need to seriously consider replacing it. Many houses do not sell because of this problem. Don’t think that buyers have more money than you to replace carpet. They don’t. They will simply buy elsewhere.

Create Curb Appeal- Your front yard immediately reflects the inside condition of your house to the buyer.

People enjoy their yards. Make certain that the trees are trimmed so the house can be seen from the street. Have the grass mowed, trimmed, and edged.  Walkways should be swept. Clean away debris. Remove parked cars. If a buyer does not like the outside, that person simply drives on.

Leslie
The Martin Success Team
(888) 511-8946
Your Home Sold in 90 Days or Less, Guaranteed!

What to Look for When Hiring a REALTOR®

There are hundreds of real estate licensees in our area. Choosing the right agent for your home can be confusing. It is especially difficult when you speak with several different agents, and they all seem so convincing.

Will just any Realtor® do?  Not if you are serious about buying or selling a home.  You will have the best experience if you interview at least two Realtors® at the minimum. (More would be great)!  Trust me- taking the time to interview a potential agent can save you a lot of grief and make your home selling experience a good one.

The interview process will help you find an agent who will most likely succeed in getting your desired price and terms. The key is asking the right questions.

The following list provides you with questions to ask your prospective agent.  The list will not only help you select the right Realtor®, but also get you the very best from the one you choose…

1. Do you work as a full-time Realtor®?

Why is this important? Working in real estate full-time gives your Realtor® the edge when dealing with other agents.  Not only is their experience more honed, but they are more practiced in all of the phases involved in buying or selling homes, so that important steps are not missed.  They also have the edge because they will be intimately familiar with the current market and what it will bear for both buyers and sellers.

2. How many listings do you have at this time?

Why is this important? The more listings a Realtor® has is a direct result of their marketing efforts.  Ask yourself if you want a Realtor® who has proven marketing systems that work, or someone who merely has their license?  If they are able to attract an abundance of sellers, then they can also attract an abundance of buyers for your home.

3. Do you have a staff to see that no details are overlooked?

Why is this important? When a REALTOR® is very good at what they do, they very quickly realize that to go from good to great, they can’t do it all by themselves.  Having a team or other staff members prevents any details from being overlooked and allows your Realtor® to focus on providing the best customer service possible.

4. How many potential buyers and sellers do you talk with in a day? A week? A year?

Why is this important? Quite simply, the more potential clients a Realtor® speaks with in one day also is a direct reflection of their marketing efforts and systems in place.  The more the better!

5. In what ways will you encourage other Realtors® to sell my home?

Why is this Important? A great Realtor® networks with other agents and gets to know which agents work with buyers and which ones work with sellers.  Sometimes, Realtors® can incentivize other agents to show a home by offering a buyer’s agent bonus to attract more showings.

6. Do you have a system to follow-up on other agents so that we get valuable feedback after every showing?

Why is this Important? Feedback helps your Realtor®® pinpoint the great selling points of your home and areas that need improvement.  Once the areas that need improvement are identified, whether it be pricing, color of paint, condition or home or yard, odor, etc., your Realtor® can make recommendations to you to increase the salability of your home.

7. Do you have a customer service system to ensure your sellers are well informed at least weekly, if not more?

Why is this Important? As a Realtor®, the number one complaint that I hear from home sellers is that their last Realtor® stuck a sign in their yard and they didn’t hear from them since.  Make sure that communication is a priority with your Realtor® and that they have a policy to call their clients at least once a week for status updates.  Really great Realtors® have a place for their clients to login to their website to view all of the activity that they have done to sell a particular property.

8. Are you on the Internet exposing my property to millions of buyers instantly?

Why is this Important? These days, using technology to sell your home is not an option, it is mandatory!  On the average each month, potential buyers preview more than 15 million homes for sale on the World Wide Web. In fact, over 80% of all buyers of Real Estate first surf the web before buying their next home.

9. What is my property worth? What listing price do you recommend? How did you arrive at this price?

Why is this Important? The fact of the matter is that you actually make more net dollars in your pocket, by pricing your home at the “current market value” versus overpricing it, which means longer market time and less dollars to you.  A Realtor® who monitors current market trends can make very accurate pricing recommendations based on recent homes that have sold in your market.

10. How will you assist in my relocation plans?

Why is this Important? If you are relocating, selling your home is just half of the equation.  Finding a Realtor® who can recommend a trusted and experienced agent to help you find you a new home in your new location can help relieve some of your stress, thereby allowing you to focus on other details of the relocation process.

11. Do you have a written marketing plan designed to sell my property quickly and for top dollar?

Why is this important? Just like any business, the following holds true: “If you don’t have a plan, you plan to fail.” A Realtor® with a proven marketing plan is more apt to succeed than a Realtor® whose plan is to put your home on the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and plant a sign in your yard.

Now you are armed and ready to find the best Realtor® for you.  Happy interviewing!

Leslie
The Martin Success Team
(888) 511-8946
Your Home Sold in 90 Days or Less, Guaranteed!

Why Didn’t My Home Sell?

“Why didn’t my home sell?”  This is the ten million dollar question, and one that needs to be answered.

Is it my house?  Is it me?  Is it my REALTOR®?

Ok, let’s not blame the home or the homeowner, and let’s surely not blame the economy any more either (sure it’s in the outhouse at the moment, but I’m never one to use excuses or point the finger).  Ultimately, it’s my responsibility as your REALTOR® to sell your home, and if it doesn’t, I have to figure out where I went wrong.

I work extensively with expired listings, which means I sell homes that other agents couldn’t (or wouldn’t) sell.  Here are a few reasons that I have found for a home hasn’t sold yet:

1. The home doesn’t show well. –It is the agent’s responsibility to educate the seller on the importance of a clean, painted home with curb appeal.  It takes some TLC, but not a lot of money, to make a home show well.
2. Lack of Marketing. –It is the agent’s responsibility to market the home with modern methods that work in today’s market, not the 1980s.  This means using the internet, text messaging, and voice capture systems.
3. The home is overpriced. –It is the agent’s responsibility to educate the owner as to the reality of the market price.  Homeowners often look at their own needs, not at what the market is telling them the price should be.  Instead of being the expert, the agent allows the homeowner to override their professional market analysis.  This is mostly done by needy agents who do not know how to be kind and assertive at the same time.  The longer the home is listed for and sitting on the market, the more money that is being lost over time, it’s best to price it right the first time, and to sell it within 30 days.  I ask my homeowners, “would you rather list your home and watch it sit, or would you rather sell your home fast and for the most money?”  They prefer the latter.

So you see, it is the agent’s responsibility to sell the home, not the homeowner’s.  The REALTOR® is hired to sell it, not just secure a listing, and in today’s market, it can still sell fast if the agent is sharp.  There is no need to blame or offer excuses, but there is a need to sell the home fast and for the most money.

Leslie
The Martin Success Team
(888) 511-8946
Your Home Sold in 90 Days or Less, Guaranteed!

Is Your REALTOR® Marketing Your Home Effectively?

As a REALTOR® in the Salt Lake City area, I meet a lot of agents who just don’t get it.  They became an agent during the height of the Real Estate market boom, when breathing qualified you to sell homes.  Unfortunately, when the Real Estate bubble popped, it just wasn’t enough to be alive any more, you actually had to learn how to market your way out of a paper sack!  And for those that don’t get it, they are going to struggle to sell their listings.

So, is (or was) your REALTOR® marketing your home effectively?  Placing the home on the multiple listing service (MLS) is only the first of MANY marketing steps that should be taken by any agent.  Here is a list of questions to ask an agent:

1. Will you syndicate my home to online web sites such as Craigslist and Backpage?  If so, how many other sites do you syndicate to?
2. How often will you renew the syndicated ads to keep them current and at the top of the classified site?
3. Do you retain a full time marketing company to keep you up to date on state of the art marketing techniques?
4. Do you utilize text numbers for each home that you list, along with a mobile web site for each?
5. Do you create a personalized web site, along with a unique domain name, for each home listed?
6. Do you create a virtual tour for each property, and attach it to the unique web site?
7. Do you have a buyer lead generation system for creating your own pool of buyers independent of the MLS?

These may seem like no brainers, but they are often overlooked, and they work everywhere, not just in Utah.  Gone are the days of placing a home on the MLS, planting a sign in the front yard, and having an offer within three days.  Find yourself a REALTOR® who keeps up to date with the hottest marketing trends available and the technology that’s pushing the envelope…and you’ll find your home sold fast, even in a down market!

Leslie
The Martin Success Team
(888) 511-8946
Your Home Sold in 90 Days or Less, Guaranteed!

54 W. Lester Ave #i25, Murray, UT 84107

Conveniently located condo with new carpet, new deck (2009), jetted tub. Washer, dryer, refrigerator and dishwasher included. Walk-in closet in master. Covered parking space and additional storage space.  Seller Financing, Lease Option, FHA, and Conventional financing available!