Sage Advice for Home Sellers
1. Choose your real estate agent wisely.
Not all real estate agents are the same, and this means you’ll need to do your research and choose carefully. When you’re looking for an agent to help you sell your home, you’ll want to make sure you find someone who has a proven record of successfully selling homes (and selling them for over asking price!).
Actions speak louder than words in this case, and the agent should have a selection of properties they have already sold available for you to view on their website. Did they use professional, high-quality photos in the listing? Did they have a beautiful, captivating listing video? Do they have a strong online presence?
Once it’s clear that the agent is doing these things well, then it may be time to reach out to them directly to follow up with more questions. What other avenues does the agent utilize to market their clients’ homes? Where will your home appear online and in print? An agent should be able to share a tried-and-true, detailed marketing strategy with you, plus the data to back it up.
2. Do your own research.
If you choose a knowledgeable real estate agent, they’ll be able to advise you on every aspect of listing your home, from determining the best listing price to implementing the most effective marketing strategies for your specific property.
However, you should still take the time to research your local market so you know the right questions to ask your agent as you work through each step of the selling process. Looking at properties that are similar to yours in both your immediate neighborhood and your city will give you a more realistic idea of what your home should be listed for, what upgrades it might need to stand out, and how long you can expect your home to be on the market.
3. Not all home upgrades will have the same pay off.
Getting your home in tip-top shape will help you maximize your profit when you go to sell, but only if you’re strategic about which upgrades you make. The most important rooms of your home when you’re selling are your kitchen and bathrooms. Spending money to renovate or upgrade these rooms will get you the most return on your investment.
4. It’s important to launch your home right the first time.
Sometimes, homes that sit on the market for too long can start to turn off buyers. There may not actually be anything wrong with the home, but sometimes buyers start to get suspicious about why it’s not selling. (Is it overpriced? Is there something wrong with the foundation? What are the sellers hiding? Etc.)
This is just one reason why it’s of the utmost importance to list your home right the first time and make the best first impression possible. Not only does this include identifying the right listing price for your market, but this also means showing your home in the best light possible in all of the marketing collateral.
5. Stage your home.
Homes that are professionally staged sell for an average of 17% more than homes that aren’t staged. Buyers need to be able to imagine themselves living in the home, and an empty house or a house that’s filled with someone else’s personal belongings can hinder a potential buyer’s impression.
6. Homes should be marketed—not simply listed.
When your house goes on the market, the whole world should know. Sage’s in house marketing team ensures that every Sage listing receives maximum exposure: locally, nationally and internationally.
Sage has developed a unique and powerful approach to listing, marketing and selling our clients’ homes. I collaborate with my clients to identify each home’s benefits and establish an appropriate target market. Sage’s in-house marketing team then crafts a message utilizing those benefits to attract those buyers and then executes a multifaceted marketing campaign to reach those individuals. The appropriate message must be effectively delivered to and received by the target group. Because more than 92% of buyers now search online, that is where Sage concentrates its efforts, but doesn’t ignore some of the traditional tactics that we know to be time tested and true. Sage’s in-house team of professional Graphic Designers and Marketers executes the marketing program for every Sage listing. Professional photos and video, 3D tours, a single property website, and more (depending on your type of home and your immediate market) should all be a part of your real estate agent’s marketing strategy.
7. If you receive multiple offers, be strategic about which offer you accept.
If your home receives multiple offers, the highest offer might not be the best offer. Each offer’s terms are likely to vary, and you’ll want to pay close attention to each offer’s financing, earnest money, concessions, closing dates, contingencies, etc.
This information can offer clues about the quality of the offer. Is a buyer’s financing likely to fall through? How likely are they to walk away? What types of requests are they making? There are many aspects to consider, so the highest price might not be the way to go. Determine which items are deal breakers, which terms you can reasonably agree to, and narrow it down from there.