Selling a house can be tough no matter where you live. In the Bay Area, the real estate market has slowed, and it’s becoming even harder for private individuals to sell their homes. That doesn’t mean you have to give up on your dream home, though!
There are some great ways to make your current property resonate with buyers. Here are four killer tips on how to get your home to sell, fast.
Be transparent
In the past, it was common practice for sellers in San Francisco to list their homes for less than they actually wanted. Once a seller got into negotiations with a buyer, negotiations would start and the price would rise. That doesn’t work so well anymore.
Transparent pricing is all the rage, and home buyers these days want to know exactly how prices are being set so they can compare properties quickly and easily. If you’ve recently done renovations or you have a company covering HOA management duties in the area, make sure you can explain how that’s reflected in the price.
How to make it happen: To find out the true value of your home, communicate with real estate professionals in your area. They have their finger on the pulse of the market and can help you get a solid handle on the real value of your home.
Get some help
Private sales are always an option. The problem with private sales is that the paperwork, taxes, and regulations surrounding home sales are prohibitively complicated. To avoid that, you can always work through an ordinary real estate agent.
Yet even working with a realtor will demand a lot of your time, so a third option is to sell your property to cash home buyers. The cash home buyer takes care of any needed repairs and can get you from discussions to closing in record time.
How to make it happen: You’ve probably seen signs or ads online saying “we buy houses San Francisco.” These are cash home buyers. In most cases, all you need to do is fill out an online application, arrange a consultation, agree on a price, and then you’re home free.
Make it inviting
If you want your home to sell, you have to make it look like a place people want to buy. This doesn’t mean you have to completely renovate the space, but you do need to take time to make it look neat, cozy, and inviting.
Remember, you want people to see themselves living in the space. You want cash buyers to see that your home is worth having. The fastest way to make that happen is to show your property to the best possible advantage.
How to make it happen: The home needs to be free of clutter, and this includes the outside as well as the inside. Once the clutter is gone, it’s time to do a deep cleaning. Make sure the kitchen and bathrooms in particular look clean and shiny. If you have pets, air out the place and wash all the curtains.
Give it curb appeal
It’s not just the inside of the home that buyers care about. The better the home looks from the street, the faster it will sell. Curb appeal refers to all the outside aesthetics of a house, from the windows to the roof, and from the paint job to the trim.
Don’t forget the yard and landscaping, either. It’s OK not to have any sophisticated landscaping, but only if your yard is neat, trim, and well-cared for. Just remember: a nice outside doesn’t take much, and it’s the most likely thing to get buyers to come in and look around.
How to make it happen: Consider giving the place a fresh coat of paint, or at least power-wash the siding and roof. Make sure the yard is mowed and trimmed and remove any dead plants. If you’ve got bald patches on the lawn, re-seed them: San Francisco doesn’t have an abundance of lawn space, and a nice one will make your place extra desirable.
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