Washington D.C. Home Sellers: Avoid These Traps
The home selling process is one that is fraught with details that must be executed perfectly in order to ensure a smooth and fast sale. Based on our experience of helping homeowners sell their homes quickly here are some tips on what to avoid when you place your home up for sale.
FSBO = Lower Sales Price: Every once in a while we come across home sellers whom thinks they can save some money on commissions by listing their home as “For Sale By Owner” (FSBO). However our experience, supported by factual numbers, shows that on average FSBO homes sell for $46,000 LESS than home sales completed with agents.
Incorrect Sale Price: While not an exact science, settling on the correct for sale price of your home is extremely important. If you set the price too low, you miss out on additional money that could have been in your pocket. At the same time, setting the price too high can be even worse – your pocket could end up with no money at all! The best way to approach your sale price is to do your homework: work to really understand your neighborhood, research the comparable home prices, have a feel for how the market is performing, and set your price accordingly.
Poor Home Photos: Did you know that 90% of potential home buyers begin searching for their new homes online? This means that in most cases your first point of contact will be in the form of your home’s online photo portfolio. As home sellers do not skimp on the quality of the images you upload to the internet. Be thoughtful about what elements of your home that you want to showcase and work to make sure that each picture has that “WOW” factor, giving the potential home buyer no choice but to make an appointment to come over and see your home in person. If it fits within your budget, hire a professional photographer to come over and do this for you; if not, then make sure that you are using a quality camera as opposed to getting blurry photos off of your camera phone.
Leaving Eyesores: When a home has been lived in for any amount of time it will undoubtedly collect its fair share of bumps and bruises; chipped walls, dirty (sometimes cracked) windows, water spots on the ceiling, etc. Before you begin showing your home make sure that you spend the time walking through your home, looking for any signs of distress that you are capable of repairing. From there, spend the money to repair as your potential home buyers will want to envision themselves in your home, which will be easier to do in a house free from such eyesores.
We know the decision to become a home seller is not made lightly. However, if you are thinking about doing so give our team at Core Capital Group a call at 202-545-3984 and see how we can help!