How To Stage Your Home For A Quick Sale

Maybe you’ve landed a job in another city. Maybe your dream house has gone up for sale, and you need to be able to move on it quickly or it’ll belong to someone else forever. Maybe you can’t afford your mortgage payments anymore and need to move to a smaller house. Whatever the reason, many folks find themselves needing to sell their house quickly. Here are five things you can do to stage your home for a quick sale and get the best price in the shortest amount of time:

1. Undercut your competitors. Look, the housing market is down. It has been for a while now. That means you’re probably going to have to sell your home for a price that’s less than ideal. If you want to stage your home for a quick sale, however, you’re going to have to be ready to go even lower. You’ll probably have to cut recent comparable sales in your neighborhood by 10 percent or more. You still won’t be able to compete with foreclosed homes or short sales, but a lower price will help your home get noticed by potential buyers. Figure out the lowest price that you’ll accept before you become attached to your asking price, too.
2. Make some outside fixes. Home buyers are probably going to be comparing your house to distressed properties. Because you’re asking for more money, your home needs to look better than those. Far better. So, while you probably don’t have time, money or inclination to remodel the kitchen, you can focus on external cosmetics. Even a thousand bucks can greatly improve your house’s look from the outside. Power wash it, paint the front door, replace your doorbell and do some gardening, and you’ll draw folks in.
3. Target first-time home buyers. In 2009, around half of all homes purchased were bought by new home buyers. The federal $8,000 tax credit has helped with that, but low mortgage rates certainly haven’t hurt. Aim your sales efforts at the 30 year-old demographic: the Generation Y’ers. Use online tools to reach them most effectively.
4. Work your online presence. Use social media like Twitter and Facebook to connect with potential buyers. Use strong keywords in your home description. Things like “pool” and “deck” and “finished basement” will really catch buyers’ eyes. Pricing your online listing is a tactical decision, too. You’re better at the low end of a given range than at the high end of a lower range. So, don’t price at $199,000 if the range is $150,000 to $200,000. Price at $201,000, and get at the low end of the $200,000 to $250,000 range.
5. Speed is an asset. You want to close fast. So do most home buyers. The fact that you can close quickly is a serious boon. It can take several months for banks to approve the sale of a foreclosed property. You can close within a few weeks.

Following these steps won’t guarantee your home sells, but they will give you a leg up on the competition.

Brian Kinkade is a broker and team lead with Cherry Creek Professionals Realty, a full service Denver real estate firm. His team specializes in Denver luxury homes, equestrian properties and International real estate sales. Brian invites you to visit his website for more information.