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Make a Move: 3 Smart Home-Selling Practices

Mar 06, 2023 10:19AM ● By Style

If you’re itching to make a move soon, then you’ll want to prepare your current home for a successful, and swift, sale. The tips that follow ensure you’re seal the deal in minimal time and with minimal effort.

 

1. Price Your Home Right

The housing market shifted in 2022, as mortgage rates rose, buyer demand eased, and the number of homes for sale grew. As a seller, you’ll want to recognize things are different now and price your house appropriately based on where the market is today. Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate, explains: “Price your home realistically. This isn’t the housing market of April or May [2022], so buyer traffic will be substantially slower, but appropriately priced homes are still selling quickly.” If you price your house too high, you run the risk of deterring buyers. And if you go too low, you’re leaving money on the table. An experienced real estate agent can help determine what your ideal asking price should be.

 

2. Keep Your Emotions in Check

Homeowners today are living in their houses longer. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), since 1985, the average time a homeowner has owned their home has increased from five to 10 years. This is several years longer than what used to be the historical norm. The side effect, however, is when you stay in one place for so long, you may get even more emotionally attached to your space. If it’s the first home you bought or the house where your loved ones grew up, it very likely means something extra special to you. Every room has memories, and it’s hard to detach from the sentimental value. For some homeowners, that makes it even harder to negotiate and separate the emotional value of the house from fair market price. That’s why you need a real estate professional to help you with the negotiations along the way.

 

3. Stage Your Home Properly

While you may love your décor and how you’ve customized your home over the years, not all buyers will feel the same way about your design. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you focus on your home’s first impression, so it appeals to as many buyers as possible. As NAR says: “Staging is the art of preparing a home to appeal to the greatest number of potential buyers in your market. The right arrangements can move you into a higher price-point and help buyers fall in love the moment they walk through the door.” Buyers want to envision themselves in the space so it truly feels like it could be their own. They need to see themselves inside with their furniture and keepsakes—not your pictures and decorations. A real estate professional can help you with tips to get your house ready to sell.

 

By: John Leonardi of Leonardi Real Estate

John Leonardi is a realtor, broker, and the owner of Leonardi Real Estate—a boutique brokerage committed to providing a premier real estate experience in the residential market throughout Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Granite Bay, and Greater Sacramento.