Putting Your Home on the Market

Homes Expo
Putting Your Home on the Market

So you have finally decided to put your house up the market for sale, big step, huh? Not to worry, if you market your property right, you will have potential buyers knocking your doors down with their letters of offer. Now, where to start?

Do your homework.
Before deciding on a price for your property, get the price right, it could be the difference between instant sales and having your property on the market for far too long. Today’s buyers are very educated about the comparable prices of similar homes. Setting the right price for your home is essential in making that sale. Dropping the market price for your house is not a sure way to get buyers, because a buyer will buy whichever house appeals to them, but the price is one of the most important varying factors. Get an appraisal and an inspection, to get a professional opinion on the most suitable price for your house.

Take photos, very good photos.
In this digital day and age, if you are planning to use an online platform to market your property, it would be advisable to take very good photographs. As the most valued feature of real estate websites, photographs can turn lookers into visitors and visitors into buyers. Invest in a good camera and it wouldn’t hurt to have a professional take the photos. Have at least six good photos of the house, and include its main areas especially the kitchen. You cannot compromise on the quality of photographs taken.

Social media.
Almost everyone with a smart phone or access to internet, has an account on Facebook, Twitter or and Instagram. Make use of your social media connections to spread the word about your property. Those hundreds of Facebook friends and Twitter followers must be good for something, right? If you have 400 hundred Facebook friends, who also have 200 other friends, imagine the power of that network in getting the word out about your house. Use your Instagram account as well to post as many photos as you possibly can of your house and who knows? It is not just enough to use the local property portals to advertise. You will know you are doing a good job when your friends start saying “Everywhere I look I see your home advertised!!!” Word of mouth marketing is known to work just as well if not better. Tell a friend to tell a friend and get people talking. You could also put an ad in the classified section of the local newspapers.

De-Clutter and depersonalize.
Make a few changes to your house, tweak a few things. Nothing major and extravagant, just a few small changes here and there like a fresh coat of fresh paint or fix that broken door handle. Cleaning up your act could be that push you need to finally take your home off the market. The more personal stuff there is in your house, the less potential buyers can imagine themselves staying there.

Get an agent.
If you feel that bringing in an agent will help you with the sale of your house, then by all means do it. Find an experienced agent who will be more knowledgeable on the market and the area and any other details.
Trying to sell a house may be a daunting task, and if done well, the returns will be totally worth the work put into the entire process.