Regard Your Home As Homebuyer Would

Home sellers are notorious for their subjectivity when it comes to the way they think about the property they are putting on the market. To sellers, their property will always be the very best home any buyer could hope to acquire – even more so if they have lived in the house for a long time.

Prospective homebuyers, on the other hand, aren’t always as kind when assessing the state of a given property. Buyers want the most bang for their buck, and seeing as buying a home is probably one of the biggest financial transactions they will undertake in their lifetime, they won’t compromise on getting exactly what they want.

This is why home sellers should always try and regard the home the way a potential homebuyer might. This entails taking off the rose-tinted glasses and seeing the property the way it actually is. But how can home sellers take a more objective view when they feel a deep affection for the place they’ve called home for so long? Here are a few pointers.

Interview several real estate agents

Who you choose to help you sell your home has a much bigger influence on the actual sale than you think. A real estate agent doesn’t only market your property to the public, but also assists you in setting the correct price, makes sure that buyers are qualified to purchase your home, represents the seller at the home showing, negotiates with interested buyers on the seller’s behalf, and handles the paperwork that is associated with the sale.

As you can see, this person isn’t just a marketer, but is truly in a partnership with the home seller for as long as their property spends on the market. This is why it is so important to find a real estate agent that isn’t just qualified and experienced in the suburb or city you’re selling in, but is also someone you get along with and can speak with openly about the many details surrounding the sale of the home.  

If you are looking to find an agent that is right for you, you can’t just settle for the first one you come across. It is, thus, essential to interview a number of different agents. Online agent finders like Perfect Agent are extremely useful in this instance, as they already narrow down your choices according to your specific preferences. Wondering what questions to ask the candidates vying for your business? Here are some tips!

Hire a home inspector

The job of the home inspector is to identify any potential issues pertaining to the functioning of the property. This will include checking the electrical wiring, pipes, and inspecting the property for infestations of pests, along with a range of other things.

The fact is that the buyer will likely insist on having a home inspection done, and your real estate agent might advise that you get a home inspector to do a pre-inspection of the property before putting it on the market. Having this done helps the real estate agent to formulate an accurate estimation of what your home is worth, and to give advice about renovations or repairs that should be done before the property officially goes on the market.

Being proactive and picking up on potential issues with the property could help to better negotiate with buyers about the selling price. Because home inspectors often discover problems you might never even have thought of, it could lead to a nasty surprise if the home inspection requested by the potential homebuyer reveals these faults. This gives the negotiating power to the buyer, potentially leading to profit loss for you. If there’s one person that’s absolutely objective about a property, it’s the home inspector. These people are experts in their fields, but they don’t mince their words or give you a rose-tinted view of your property – and that is exactly what you want.

Consult with a home stager

Staging the home correctly for the open house is essential if you want buyers to imagine themselves within the space. Professional home stagers know exactly what appeals to the broadest group of buyers, and can help you to set up your home accordingly.

Staging the home properly entails creating a space that is as neutral as possible, without compromising on comfort and homeliness. This means that you’ll have to stash away sentimental items, family photos, religious regalia or anything else that characterises the space as being yours. Sad as it may seem, all prospective buyers won’t be excited about seeing your now-adult son’s baby pictures – for all you know, they might not be fond of children at all.

When staging the home you’ll want to create a space that best showcases the property. That could mean that you have to finally get rid of the laundry in the home office and set it up the way it was intended to be used. Home stagers understand these nuances, and can give advice, or might even be able to come and stage your house themselves at a nominal fee. Trust us, it’ll pay off in the end – ask your real estate agent what home staging company they would recommend.

Visit open houses in your area

Comparable properties, or comps, for short, give home sellers an overview of what the property market in their area is like at any given moment. Once sellers have an idea of the properties in their city or suburb that are selling at a price equivalent to what they are asking, they can tailor their own offering to match or surpass what is on offer in the area.

Remember, your own property will be competing for the attention of potential buyers, and if your home doesn’t compare favourably, you can expect it to stay on the market for much longer than other, similar property deals.

If the scales are to fall from your eyes during any step of the selling process, someone else’s open house is likely to be that occasion. There’s nothing like a property that is just a little more appealing – perhaps even to you – than your own to help you get a more objective view of your house.

Do a walk-through with someone in your target market

Ask your real estate agent who would likely be the target market to focus on when marketing your home. Once you’ve established what kind of buyer you are focusing your marketing efforts on, you should try and get someone from within that demographic to give you an unabashed impression of your home.

Your mother will always think everything you do is wonderful, but if you’re planning on marketing to millennial buyers, then that is the group whose opinion should matter to you most.

Have people from this group do a walk-through of the property and give you their honest and undiluted opinion – and actually pay attention to the feedback they have.

Take pictures and post them to social media

Using social media to gauge people’s impression of your property is a great way to get feedback from a larger group. While the official listing photos will put your home in the best possible light, it won’t hurt to take a few pictures of your own before the home is officially listed.

Before posting them to Facebook or Instagram, take a few pictures around the house as it currently is, and use them to decide whether a buyer would find the rooms in your house welcoming, attractive and in good condition.

If you’re still convinced of the superior nature of your property, the onslaught of commentary you’re likely to get on social media platforms could quickly make you see things in a different light. Don’t take the feedback you get personally – it’ll help you to gain a more objective view of those aspects of the property that still require a bit of attention.

Conclusion

Objectivity is of paramount importance when it comes to marketing a home. This could be a difficult stance for home sellers to take, though, especially if they have lived in the property they are selling for a large part of their lives.

This is where real estate agents are especially useful. While they still have the same objective as the seller – selling quickly, and selling at the highest possible price – they are far more objective in reaching this goal than home sellers typically are. Similarly, home inspectors let the spotlight fall on essential repairs and renovations that the home seller might not even have been aware of. The way the home is staged is a key aspect of letting buyers see themselves in the space, and the importance of home staging cannot be overstated.

What demographic group you are targeting in your marketing efforts should inform whose opinion you should take seriously, but social media can also be a great way to get the opinions of a variety of different groups of people.

Are you looking for someone objective to guide you on your selling journey? Let Perfect Agent help you to find an agent you can trust.