Home selling secrets to maximise your profit

Especially in peak selling season, making your home stand out from the rest can prove a difficult task. It goes without saying that home sellers should make sure that any damaged or worn features that may be detrimental to the sale of the property have been fixed or replaced, but there are some tips that sellers should definitely try to heed as they navigate their way in getting their home sold.

For your convenience, we’ve put together a list of 10 simple selling secrets that can help you fetch the absolute best price on your property.

1) Make sure your mailbox looks amazing

Whether you actually still use it to receive post or not, the mailbox is one of the first things that potential buyers will see when they come to view your property. The mailbox forms a part of the kerb appeal that your home has to people who are looking around to acquire a property.

Because it’s the first impression your home will make on prospective buyers, kerb appeal can go a long way in piquing their interest. If your mailbox is looking weathered and worse for wear, it would be best to either replace it entirely, or adorn it in a fresh coat of paint. Fix any loose hinges, and make sure that the post the mailbox is mounted on is not leaning.

Take care to also pay attention to the garden – keep the lawn trimmed, the yard cleaned, and all gardening implements tucked neatly away and out of sight. Make sure the driveway is clean and free of any oil stains or dirt, and that the cars are also not obscuring the buyers’ view of the garage. Also repaint the fence or wall around the house, if need be. These small things matter, and will leave potential buyers wanting to see more.

2) Make the right use of your rooms

Staging the home correctly is a key factor of the home’s showing, and aims to let prospective buyers see themselves in the space. For this reason, home sellers should stash away personal and sentimental items when the house goes on show. Aside from saving you having to pack these items later, creating a more neutral tone in the house leaves room for buyers’ imagination. This is what home sellers want, as this type of experience often cements a property in buyers’ minds.

On the seller’s part, this will also mean they’d have to arrange and decorate the rooms in the house in a way that makes most sense to people who come and view the property. Even if you find it more practical to use the study as a storage space, potential buyers want to see the space being used for its intended purpose. It simply makes sense to let a room shine the way it should, rather than obscuring it with things that draw the attention away.

3) Re-glaze the bathroom

Anyone who has lived though the 70s and 80s knows that interior design is something that is always very much in flux. One of the unfortunate remnants of this era is strange colour schemes in the bathrooms of houses. Pink or green tiles and glazing on the bath and washbasins immediately seem a house seem quite dated.

Many real estate agents might advise that home sellers consider re-glazing the bathrooms in a more neutral colour palette. Simple white baths and basins are timeless. In addition, a re-glazed bathroom simply looks cleaner. Of course, sellers can also use a recently revamped bathroom as leverage when coming to an agreement about a selling price. Numerous studies have shown that bathrooms and kitchens are some of any given property’s biggest selling points. Neglect these rooms to your peril!

4) Get buyers to fall in love

While staging the home in a more neutral fashion is recommended, that shouldn’t mean that sellers should compromise on making the home seem warm and inviting. Aside from arranging the home in a way that buyers will be able to relate to, staging the home correctly also entails getting rid of clutter and ensuring that the house is always clean and neat.

Neutral doesn’t mean cold, though. On the contrary, home sellers should try to incorporate décor that creates a sense of homeliness. The internet is awash with home staging tips that will help sellers to use the décor they already have to their advantage.

If the challenge of staging the home well seems too daunting, you can always ask your real estate agent to recommend a professional home stager that knows their stuff.

5) List under value

Establishing an asking price for a property is a notoriously difficult task. Your real estate agent will do a comparative market analysis in order to come to a price that is fair, but realistic. This type of home value estimation is called a home appraisal, or market value estimation. The market value of a property will usually be close to the market value of comparable properties in the city or neighbourhood.

Some studies have found that putting a house on the market at 10% under its actual market value may unexpectedly draw many more potential buyers to the property – in fact, one study found that listing at 10% below the market value of the property might attract as much as 75% of the buyer pool, compared to 30% of the buyer pool when the property is listed at 10% over market value.

The key lesson here is to not list your home at a price that is too high. This could lead to having to relist the home due to it being on the market for too long, or having to wait for a sale much longer than you might have anticipated.

6) Provide insider information

Homeowners who have been living in a particular neighbourhood for a while know all the good spots and inside information. These are all things that newcomers might find interesting and appealing.

Highlighting the neighbourhood’s best spots – especially in terms of how easily accessible they are from the property – is a good way to give buyers a little more than they might have expected.

If your real estate agent is handling the home showing on your behalf, you can be sure that they’ll take care to do the same.

7) Describe the neighbourhood culture

When putting together an online listing, ask the real estate agent that is helping you to sell your property to mention the amenities within the neighbourhood that might be attractive to home buyers.

Your real estate agent will know which amenities help to sell properties fast, but these may include things like shopping centres, schools, restaurants, public transport stops, hospitals and entertainment. If you have good neighbours, of course you can mention that, too.

8) Don’t forget to list the house’s extras

More and more homes are being equipped with smart technology these days, and modern buyers like these little bells and whistles. If you have access to solar or other alternative sources of power, definitely mention that in your listing. Also tell buyers about things like motion-sensitive outdoor lighting, electronic door locks or the recently upgraded air-conditioning system.

The more “sorted out” a home seems to potential buyers, the more likely they are to be interested. If buyers don’t anticipate extra costs to upgrade and tailor the home for the 21^st century, they’ll be much more likely to remember your property among the sea of others they’ll have to keep track of.

9) Create a video tour

Another modern addition to the real estate agent’s marketing arsenal is the utilisation of the internet. Your agent will almost definitely want to enlist the services of a property photographer to capture the essence of the home you’re selling and put it in a great light, but why not speak to your agent about also putting together a video tour of the property?

Some prospective buyers might not have a chance to actually come and see your property in person, but a well-made video tour can do a lot of the leg work for you, while still serving as a home showing equivalent to what buyers would see when they come to view the property in person.

10) Get a home pre-inspection

Potential buyers and the real estate agents that are helping them to find a home are very likely to require a property inspection prior to signing a sales agreement. Sellers can save time by having their own pre-inspection of the property done before opening the home to buyers.

Homebuyers will appreciate the effort from the seller, and will be happy to save the money on a home inspection. A pre-inspection shows that the seller is willing to go the extra mile in ensuring the quality of the property they are selling, and it will not go unnoticed.

Conclusion

Still looking for a partner to help you sell fast? The best way to sell your home quickly is to find a trustworthy real estate agent to advise and guide you through the process. Contact Perfect Agent to get a list of sales-hungry agents in your area.