Get Your Home Sold Fast & For Top Dollar

Because your home may well be your largest asset, selling it is probably one of the most important decisions you will make in your life.

To better understand the home selling process, a guide has been prepared from current industry insider reports.  Through these 27 tips you will discover how to protect and capitalize on your most important investment, reduce stress, be in control of your situation and make the most profit possible.

1.      Understand Why You Are Selling Your Home

Your motivation to sell is the determining factor as to how you will approach the process.  It affects everything from what you set your asking price at to how much time, money and effort you are willing to invest in order to prepare your home for sale.  For example, if your goal is for a quick sale, this would determine one approach.  If you want to maximize your profit, the sales process might take longer thus determining a different approach.

2.      Keep the Reason(s) You are Selling to Yourself

The reason(s) you are selling your home will affect the way you negotiate its sale.  By keeping this to yourself you don’t provide ammunition to prospective buyers.  For example, should they learn that you must move quickly, you could be placed at a disadvantage in the negotiation process.  When asked, simply say that your housing needs have changed.  Remember, the reason(s) you are selling is only for you to know.

3.      Before Setting a Price – Do Your Homework

When you set your price, you make buyers aware of the absolute maximum they will have to pay for your home.  As a seller, you will want to get a selling price as close to the list price as possible.  If you start out by pricing too high you run the risk of not being taken seriously by buyers and their agents and pricing too low can result in selling for much less than you were hoping for.

Setting Your Home’s Sale Price

If you live in a Subdivision – If your home is comprised of similar or identical floor plans, built in the same period, simply look at recent sales in your neighbourhood subdivision to give you a good idea of what your home is worth. 

If You Live in An Older Neighbourhood – As neighbourhoods change over time each home may be different in minor or substantial ways.  Because of this you will probably find that there aren’t many homes truly comparable to your own.  In this case you may want to consider seeking a Realtor ^® to help you with the pricing process.

If You Decide to Sell On Your Own – A good way to establish a value is to look at homes that have sold in your neighbourhood within the past 6 months, including those now on the market.  This is how prospective buyers will assess the worth of your home.  Also, a trip to City Hall can provide you with home sale information in its public records, for most communities.

4.      Do Some “Home Shopping” Yourself

The best way to learn about your competition and discover what turns buyers off is to check out other open houses.  Note floor plans, condition, appearance, size of lot, location and other features.  Particularly note, not only the asking prices, but what they are actually selling for.  Remember, if you’re serious about getting your home sold fast, don’t price it higher than your neighbour’s.

5.      When Getting an Appraisal is a Benefit

Sometimes a good appraisal can be a benefit in marketing your home.  Getting an appraisal is a good way to let prospective buyers know that your home can be financed.  However, an appraisal does cost money, has a limited life, and there is no guarantee you’ll like the figure you hear.

6.      Tax Assessments – What They Really Mean

Some people think that tax assessments are a way of evaluation a home.  The difficulty here is that assessments are based on a number of criteria that may not be related to property values, so they may not necessarily reflect your home’s true value.

7.      Ensure You Have Room to Negotiate

Before settling on your asking price make sure you leave yourself enough room in which to bargain.  For example, set your lowest and highest selling price.  The check your priorities to know if you’ll price high to maximize your profit or price closer to market value if you want to sell quickly.

8.      Appearances Do Matter – Make Them Count

Appearance is so critical that it would be unwise to ignore this when selling your home.  The look and “feel” of your home will generate a greater emotional response than any other factor.  Prospective buyers react to what they see, feel and smell, even though you may have priced your home to sell.

9.      Invite the Honest Opinions of Others

The biggest mistake you can make at this point is to rely solely on your own judgment.  Don’t be shy about seeking the honest opinions of others.  You need to be objective about your home’s good points as well as bad.  Fortunately, your Realtor^® will be unabashed about discussing what should be done to make your home more marketable.

10.  Clean Like You Have Never Cleaned Before

Scrub, scour, tidy up, straighten, get rid of clutter, and declare war on dust.  Repair squeaks, the light switch that never worked, the tiny crack in the bathroom mirror, because these can be deal-killers and you will never know what actually turns each buyer off.  Remember you are not just competing with other resale homes, but brand new homes as well.

11.  Allow Prospective Buyers to Visualize Themselves in Your Home

The last thing you want prospective buyers to feel when viewing your home is that they mat be intruding into someone’s life.  Avoid clutter such too many knick-knacks, etc.  Decorate in neutral colours, like white or beige and place a few carefully chosen items to add warmth and character.  You can enhance the attractiveness of your home with a well placed vase of flowers or potpourri in the bathroom.  Home-Décor magazines are great for tips.

12.  Deal with Killer Odours – Must Go!

You may not realize, but odd smells like traces of food, pets and smoking odours can kill deals quickly.  If prospective buyers know you have a dog, or that you smoke, they’ll start being aware of odours and seeing stains that may not even exist.  Don’t leave any clues.

13.  Be a Smart Seller – Disclose Everything

Smart sellers are proactive in disclosing all known defects to their buyers in writing.  This can reduce liability and prevent law suits later on.

14.  The More Prospects the Better

When you maximize your home’s marketability, you will most likely attract more than one prospective buyer.  It is much better to have several buyers because they will compete with each other; a single buyer will end up competing with you.

15.  Keep Emotions in Check During Negotiations

Let go of the emotion you’ve invested in your home.  Be detached, using a business-like manner in your negotiation.  You will definitely have an advantage over those who get caught up emotionally in the situation.

16.  Learn Why Your Buyer is Motivated

The better you know your buyers the better you can use the negotiation process to your advantage.  This allows you to control the pace and duration of the process.

As a rule, buyers are looking to purchase the best affordable property for the least amount of money.  Knowing what motivates them enables you to negotiate more effectively.  For example, does your buyer need to move quickly?  Armed with this information, you are in a better position to bargain.

17.  What the Buyer Can Really Pay

As soon as possible, try to learn the amount of mortgage the buyer is qualified to carry and how much his/her down payment is.  If their offer is low, ask their Realtor^® about the buyer’s ability to pay what your home is worth.

18.  When the Buyer Would Like to Close

Quite often, when buyers would “like” to close is when they need to close.  Knowledge of their deadlines for completing negotiations again creates a negotiating advantage for you.

19.  Never Sign a Deal on Your Next Home Until You Sell Your Current Home

Beware of closing on your new home while you are still making mortgage payments on the old one or you might end up becoming a seller who is eager (even desperate) for the first deal that comes along.

20.  Moving Out Before You Sell Can Put You at a Disadvantage

It has been proven that it is more difficult to sell a home that is vacant because it becomes forlorn looking, forgotten, no longer an appealing sight.  Buyers start getting the message that you have another home and are probably motivated to sell.  This could cost you thousands of dollars.

21.  Deadlines Create a Serious Disadvantage

Don’t try to sell by a certain date.  This adds unnecessary pressure and is a serious disadvantage in negotiations

22.  Low – Ball Offers- Don’t Take It Personally

Invariably the initial offer is below what both you and the buyer know he’ll pay for your property.  Don’t be upset, evaluate the offer objectively. Ensure it spells out the offering price, sufficient deposit, amount of down payment, mortgage amount, a closing date and any special requests.  This can simply provide a starting point from which you can negotiate.

23.  Turn That Low Offer Around

You can counter a low offer or even an offer that is just under your asking price.  This lets the buyer know that the first offer isn’t seen as being a serious one.  Now you’ll be negotiating only with buyers with serious offers.

24.  Maybe the Buyer’s Not Qualified

If you feel that an offer is inadequate, now is the time to make sure the buyer is qualified to carry the size of mortgage the deal requires.  Inquire how they arrived at their figure, and suggest they compare your price to the prices of homes for sale in your neighbourhood.

25.  Ensure the Contract is Complete

To avoid problems, ensure that all terms, costs and responsibilities are spelled out in the contract of sale.  It should include such items as the date it was made, names of parties involved, address of property being sold, purchase price, where deposit monies will be held, date for loan approval, date and place of closing, type of deed, including any contingencies that remain to be settled and what personal property is included (or not) in the sale.

26.  Resist Deviating From the Contract

For example, if the buyer requests a move in prior to closing, just say no.  That you have been advised against it.  Now is not the time to take any chances of the deal falling through.

27.  Deciding Upon a Realtor^®

According to the National Association of Realtors^®, nearly two-thirds of the people surveyed who sell their own home say they would never do it again themselves. Primary reasons included setting a price, marketing handicaps, liability concerns, and time constraints. 

All Realtors^® are not the same.  A professional Realtor^® knows the market and has information on past sales, current listings, access to many different marketing aspects (what works and doesn’t-tried and true), and will provide their background and references.  Pick your Realtor^® carefully, on the basis of their experience, qualifications, enthusiasm and personality.  Be sure you choose someone that you trust and feel confident that they will do a good job on your behalf. 

If you choose to sell on your own, you can still talk to a Realtor^®.  Many are more than willing to help do-it-yourselfers with paperwork, contracts, etc. and should problems arise, you now have someone you can readily call upon.