Want to Sell Your House As Quickly As Possible? Follow These Tips

There’s no guarantee when selling a home but there are things we can control to increase our chances of success. In my forty years of selling real estate in Miami Beach and the surrounding area here’s what I focus on before listing a condo for sale: – Is it ready to be shown? – Are the photos bright and clear? – Is it properly priced for today’s market? (not what you feel it’s worth.) – Will it be easy to show? (this saves everybody time.) Buyers see more than you might realize and they drive by often.

First impressions count so let’s make sure yours is the best it can be. It’s an investment of your time now so later we’re not wasting anyone’s time. This way when the right buyer decides to make an offer we’re prepared and can move ahead expeditiously. I hope these tips help.

1. Price it right on day one

Buyers today make decisions quickly based on value. Buyers use online tools to research a home’s value. If your home is properly priced from day one, it will immediately stand out to buyers who are already searching homes in that price range. When pricing your home, I consider the condition of your home, recent comparable sales and active competition. Did you know there’s a big difference between a closed sale and an active listing?

An active listing shows us what the seller is hoping to receive, while a closed sale shows us what the buyer actually paid. When your home is priced too high, it will show up in search results alongside larger or updated homes. A subsequent price decrease won’t generate the same level of attention as if it had been properly priced from day one. Instead of listing your home with an inflated price and subsequently decreasing the price (which many buyers see as an indicator that something is wrong with the home), let’s use the facts and price your home where it belongs.

Today’s buyers can research all of the comparable sales themselves, and let’s make sure your home’s price makes sense from day one.

2. Pick your moment, if you can

Timing can play a role in getting more attention on a home, but it won’t overcome a home that isn’t ready to be listed or isn’t priced appropriately. If there’s some flexibility in your listing plans, look at what recent patterns have looked like in your area. Get the house ready and priced for the market before listing and you’ll be ready to catch buyers when they’re looking.

3. Fix the small things buyers notice

Buyers notice things. Before I take a listing, I walk through the home and make a list of small things that need attention, a loose handle, a broken chair, a dirty bathtub, cracks in the wall. These things send a signal to buyers that the home may have other more serious issues that the seller is ignoring. Getting a handyman and a housekeeper for a few hundred dollars more than pays for itself when the offers roll in. I wrote about my complete walk-through to fix before listing here.

4. Declutter before the photographs

When you are getting ready to sell your house, one of the first things you should do is start packing. This doesn’t necessarily mean boxing everything up. It can simply mean getting rid of clutter and extra items. Clean out closets, remove knick knacks and other items from bathroom counters, remove additional furniture pieces from rooms so that each room has one purpose. By removing these items, you are allowing the home to be seen before the things in it.

This will make rooms appear larger and more open and will make your house seem more welcoming without you even having to say anything. I have done this for forty years in Florida. It works every time.

Keeping a house in sellable shape can be a full-time job. That is why I have written a separate article about that. But for now, focus on clearing things out. It makes for great pictures.

5. Make the photographs useful

Before kitchen photographs, keep it uncluttered and clean. Uncluttered and inviting. Put out a fresh bowl of fruit, a fresh bowl of lemons, something happy. Have flowers.

Do not have personal photos. People’s eyes go to that instead of what they should be looking at. No distractions. You can even play some very soft classical music. Make it inviting, so when they leave they say, wow, that was so nice. People remember the little touches.

For most people, photos are their first showing of the house, so it’s important to make a good impression with great photos. I advise sellers to declutter and do repairs before taking photos. Also, it’s important to have good lighting. Turn on the right lights and open window coverings before taking photos.

Virtual staging can be helpful if the home is empty, but it must be noted that the images are staged. I recommend bringing virtual staging images to showings so buyers can compare and contrast the images with the actual space, which allows them to better envision the potential of the space. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference.

In the old days, I used to show seven properties. It is too much. You have got to limit your time because it gets confusing. If you do show that many properties, print out a listing sheet. Have the buyers take notes, or take notes for them, so they know what they saw. Otherwise, it becomes a blur, especially with condos. It is very easy to show a lot of condos because you are in buildings.

If a house is vacant, you can stage it in the online photographs as long as you say it has been staged. Take those photos to the showing. Then you can stand in the room and say, see how this could look? Visualize the sofa here. Are you bringing furniture or buying new furniture? Let them visualize what that room could be.

People do not use rented staging furniture as often anymore because it costs money to deliver and rent. And what if they stage it modern or contemporary and the buyer says, I hate that furniture? That is what the buyer is going to remember. You have got to improvise. The before-and-after photographs can look great, and it is easy.

6. Prepare for every showing

Number one, you should never have the seller there for a showing. You do not want people to ask the seller anything. As a realtor, you better know everything about that property. Especially in condos, which we deal with a lot in Miami and Miami Beach, you better know everything to do with that association.

If the seller is not there and you have access on your own, I have actually cleaned apartments before the clients have shown up. Clothes were lying around. You cannot do that. They will say it was short notice, but now they should need twenty-four-hour notice. If a client comes into town and says, I am here for a few more hours, that is an exception. You show it. But you get there a little early because you want to make sure it is showable.

In the old days they used to say, if you are showing a place, put some cinnamon in the oven. Cinnamon is a very relaxing smell. You can throw in some apples and cinnamon. It smells like somebody is making a pie.

For sellers who are expecting a very serious buyer that’s in town only a few hours, I have a plan for them. For sellers who have left things to the last minute, I set a realistic notice rule. No matter what’s happening with the sale of your home, always make sure that your house is clean, bright, cool and ready before you open the door. Nothing will turn off buyers like walking into a home that is hot.

I don’t care if it’s ninety degrees outside, I don’t want to walk into a home that feels like an oven. Cooling your home off before showings not only shows buyers that you respect their time, but that you respect them enough to show them your home in the best light possible.

7. Help buyers picture the move

One of the easiest things to do is start packing early. If you start packing before you list your house, you’ll find that it will be easier to photograph, and on moving day it will be cheaper and less stressful.

Start by getting rid of things that you do not want to take with you in cupboards and in the closet. If you’re not taking it, it shouldn’t be in the photographs.

I’ve put together everything that I know about boxes, moving day and budgets in this separate article. It makes it easier.

8. Listen while the listing is fresh

If you aren’t getting showings, buyers likely don’t see enough value at the price point. If you’re getting showings, but no offers, there could be an issue with price, condition or something else. Look for a pattern as opposed to focusing on one comment or feedback. Make one good price adjustment as opposed to several small ones. Multiple small price adjustments can confuse buyers. Be on the lookout for a repeating theme, comment or issue.

What I want sellers to remember

Selling is personal, but the preparation has to be practical. Fix what jumps out, remove what distracts, price what the market can support, and make it easy for serious buyers to see the home while the listing is still new.