What Does it Take to Sell Your Home For Top Dollar And Fast?
It’s a seller’s market. Take Advantage of the Opportunity.
There are really only five main factors that effect the time it takes to sell your home and whether or not you’ll get your asking price. So if you’re at the point of “Sell my house”, consider this …
Location, Location, Location
We’ve all heard the importance of choosing the right location when buying real estate. Location creates desirability, desirability creates demand, and demand raises real estate prices. The location is the one thing about your home you cannot change so you have to pick right from the start. Let’s assume you did.
Condition
The next thing to consider is your home’s condition. This is something you can completely control. If the broken blinds, stained carpet or cracked window would turn you off of a house, it will turn off a potential buyer of your house too.
Here is a full article detailing what you can do about your homes condition (Preparing to Sell) In the meantime, here are the things you want to make sure to address: make repairs, finish projects, create curb appeal, declutter, think neutral paints, create a welcoming an entryway, remove personal items, fix pet issues, and of course clean, clean, clean.
Price
The importance of an effective pricing strategy cannot be overstated. Price your home too high and it will sit on the market for what seems like forever, if it even sells. Price your home too low and you’re giving away your money. A savvy real estate agent will devise a pricing strategy appropriate for the current market and that will make sure you maximize your profit on the sale.
As you can see in the graphic, when a home is priced ‘just-right’ about 60% of the buyers will see and be interested in your home. The higher your price is set above what the MARKET thinks is a just-right, the few potential buyers show interest.
But sometimes the best strategy is to price your home a little below the expected market price. What this does is expose your home to additional buyers that may not have looked at it otherwise. Having more buyers is often what leads to selling above list price due to BIDDING WARS.
Ah, the dreaded Days On Market. Simply put, the longer your home sits on the market (usually due to pricing being too high), the less it will ultimately sell for. For buyers that are still in the market, they are just sitting on the sidelines waiting for the next-right property to hit the market.
As a result, interest in a new listing is highest in the first 2-4 weeks on the market. Since we know buyer interest equals more demand which equals high offers, we know then that your best chance at getting top dollar for your home is in the first few weeks on market.
Market Conditions
The real estate market is effected by many factors. Working with a professional full time realtor that is informed about the market can help you navigate this one. Some of the main factors are demographics, the overall and local economy, interest rates, and government policies.
A savvy realtor understands the demographics of the ideal buyer to market to and target for your home. Is it a single millenial or young couple? Maybe a family with 3 kids? Are they mid income or higher income? Do they appreciate the outdoors and are looking for a big backyard or do they want low maintenance and a concrete patio.
The economy and interest rates always influence the real estate market. As we can see now, there is a flood of buyers in the market because rates are so ridiculously low. Buyers are able to afford more house than ever. And although there is some employment uncertainty at this point, there is still enough confidence on the part of buyers that they are out there searching and driving up house prices.
So, right now, the market is favorable to you the seller. Rates are extremely low, there’s a shortage of homes for sale, and there are plenty of willing and qualified buyers able to give you top dollar for your house. So if you’re thinking “Sell my house”, market conditions look great.
Marketing
And finally, there’s marketing. This is what truly distinguishes one real estate agent from another. Most agent will do the old school basic marketing:
- Put a For Sale Sign in the front yard
- Take some pictures with their cell phone
- List your home in the Multiple Listing Service (catalog for all agents)
- Send out a group email to the agents in their office….then wait for calls
Well, for me those first four steps are just the beginning. In order to sell your home in the least amount of time and for top dollar, we take these additional steps.
- Have professional pictures taken to highlight features of your property. This might seem like a minor point but it isn’t. The majority of buyers do their house hunting online before they ever visit a neighborhood. If your pictures aren’t eye catching, your home (no matter how attractive in real life) will probably be passed over. Great pictures is one step that HAS to be done right.
- Professionally record a 2 minute video (for properties that would benefit from video). Not all properties benefit from video but most properties do. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is at least worth ten thousand. A well done video is almost as good as a live tour.
- Submission to over 300 major real estate websites. These sites are National, Regional and Local websites. These websites then also ‘syndicate’ out your listing to their website networks. When all is said and done, your home will be exposed to thousands of potential buyers.
- Post your home on our active Social Media accounts
- Run an ad campaign on Facebook for each of the first 4 weeks. Facebook most likely has at least a million DAILY users in your region of the world. Your home will show up in ads in users newsfeeds, articles, sidebars and more.
- Run an ad campaign on Google Ads for each of the first 4 weeks. Anyone searching Google for homes in a 10 mile radius of your home will see your home is available.
- Do a “Just Listed” flyer or postcard distribution to 150 homes surrounding your home. It might seem simple but not may agents do it and you’d be surprised how often your homes sell because a neighbor recommended it.
- Perform a “Just Listed” telephone campaign to 200 of your neighbors. You may think that people don’t really answer their phones these days but they do. In the very least, they’ll get the voicemail announcing the listing of your home.
- Hold an Open House on Saturday and Sunday for the first two weeks after entering the market. These can often just be an opportunity for “Lookie Loos” to check your house out but when marketed properly, an open house can draw in real buyers.
- Follow up on every showing to ask for feedback from the agents & buyers. Relay the feedback to you. Follow up is essential. Potential home buyers usually have follow up questions or concerns and lots of agents just give them the quick and easy answers, never really coming back to the listing agent. By me calling, I can overcome any issue and have an opportunity to “do a personal pitch” for why your home is a good buy for them.
As you can see, whether or not your home sells and for how much depends on a lot of factors, but a great agent knows how to go beyond just doing a good job, to actually provide phenomenal results.
So if you’re at the point of “Sell my house”, If you accept my advice about market conditions, follow an effective pricing strategy and properly prepare your home for sale, my marketing strategy will get your home sold at it’s maximum price.
Flexible Commission Structure
I’d like you to understand that I’m not only different in my marketing expertise, but I’m willing to stand behind it. Take a moment and review my commission pledge.
- 6% Total Commission – 3% for the listing agent, 3% for the buyer’s agent
- 3% Total Commission – If I list your home AND I find the buyer without another agent involved (Rather than the customary 5%)
- 1% Commission Reduction – If I don’t get your home sold in 28 days, I’ll reduce my commission
So yes, if I list your home and I find the buyer passed 30 days, you could pay as little as 2% for the whole transaction.
The "Easy Exit" Listing Agreement
Like most agents, my listing agreement has a 6 month duration. Unlike other agents, I’m willing to add a 24 hour cancellation clause. I don’t want to lock you in to an arrangement you are not happy with. If you are not satisfied with my performance at any time during our listing agreement and prior to receiving an offer, notify me in writing (mail or email) and I’ll cancel our agreement within 24 hours with no penalties or obligations. That’s it.
It’s that simple for us to work together to meet your goal. I look forward to hearing you and hopefully working together.
Fill in the form below and we’ll be in touch.
Dexter Adriaanse – Real Estate Agent CNE (certified negotiation expert)
20 E. 2nd Ave, 2nd flr, Conshohocken PA 19428
Additional offices at :
902 Skippack Pike Blue Bell, PA 19422
1610 West Main Street, Suite 404, Collegeville, PA 19426
Privacy Policy License# RS353607
“Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.”
