A buyer’s market isn’t the best time to list a home, but some people don’t have a choice. When there are more homes on the market than buyers, you have to work twice as hard to attract a buyer to your listing. If there are a lot of homes to choose from, buyers are going to be meticulous. So standing out will take more than correct staging or even a great real estate agent.
1. Research Your Competition
You can look online or ask your real estate agent to size up the competition for you. Look at homes similar to yours – by square footage, number of bedrooms/bathrooms, total property size, year built, Porch Home Report, etc. —and see what they are selling for. See the price homes similar to yours sold for in the past 30 days and use this data to come to a starting point for listing your own home. If you’re significantly over priced, no one is going to take the time to look at your house.
2. Market, Market, Market
You need to market your listing just like you would a business. Don’t just rely on your agent to do the marketing either. Spread the word via social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Use local listing sites and newspapers too. The more you are marketed, the more likely a buyer will find you in the sea of other listings.
3. Use a Skilled Real Estate Agent
A great real estate agent knows how to sell in a highly competitive market. They actively sell in the area you are listing your home and they know the housing market trends for your neighborhood. Also, these types of agents know how to market to buyers in your area — increasing the likelihood your listing is seen.
4. Use Amazing Photos
Buyers take a lot of time to research homes online before they actually go out and see them in person. So, you need to sell your home online first. That means using high-quality photographs, videos and tours. Capture the best features of your home — such as an outdoor seating area or remodeled kitchen — and use those as your main photographs. The more a buyer can see online, the more likely they are to visit it in person.
5. Spend a Little Extra Preparing Your Home for Sale
In a buyer’s market, a dirty, cluttered home won’t sell. So it’s time to remove the clutter and have professionals come in and scrub the place. Also, stage your home so that it looks like a model home — not a home you’re living in. You might also have to spend a little on upgrades, but those upgrades could be the difference between the buyer picking your home and picking the one a few blocks over.
Top image credit: Colleen Knowles Interior Design
