I know we all hear tons of information about how slow the real estate market is and the only people out there buying are bargain hunters looking to beat the sellers out of every penny. That may be true in some parts of the Country, but here in Austin I think our market is going good. Now there are a lot of factors that go into that statement. Location, price, maintenance, cleanliness and marketing of the home.
Location is probably the golden rule of real estate and i think everyone knows that.
Price – DO NOT OVERPRICE YOUR HOME. Now that is an easy statement to make when it’s not your home. Not all buyers out there are looking for the cheapest, but they are not going to overpay in this market and there are lots of homes out there for buyers to consider.
Maintenance – Don’t put your house on the market if it needs a ton of work and expect to get a good price. Take the time to touch-up paint or weed the flowerbed. It is better to wait to put the house on the market than to put it on if it’s not ready.
Cleanliness – Nothing sells a home better that the buyers walking in and it is just perfect. It’s not enough for it to just be clean, it needs to be staged well. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and hire a stager. Most Realtors should be able to give you some tips on staging. Make sure the yard is in good condition, flowers, attend to brown spots in the yard, mow and edge regularly.
Marketing – This is something you may take for granted that your Realtor is going to do, but DON’T. Ask questions of how and where they are gong to market you home. Do they have a marketing plan or are they just going to “do the normal”? Do they have a calendar of events for the home? Internet, print, property tours, single property website, relo, blog, photos and virtual toug are just a few marketing tools that you should ask about. A little more about photos quickly. I can’t stress enough how important great photos are. Most people are starting their home buying process on-line and if your photos just so-so the buyer will skip right on past the house. Make sure your real estate agent hires a professional to take the pictures!!! I take a pretty good picture myself, but the company I use takes a great picture and that is why I pay the money to have them do it. The same reason you are paying the real estate agent to help you sell your house, because they are a professional.
Anyway off my soapbox for now. Hope this information helps and please don’t hesitate to post back or call if you have any real estate questions.
Eric Hunke
512.699.3742
Realtor ®
Prudential Ultima Real Estate 512.699.3742
