Selling Your Home

It's a process and one that shouldn't be rushed. It is likely that your home is one of your biggest assets if not the biggest and therefore time and consideration need to go into how you plan on selling your home. What better way to go through the motions than creating a list of things to check off.

Below we will go over 10 items that are my best advice for selling your home. This list will cover everything from the pre-listing stage of the sale, i.e. preparations, as well as what to expect when you're on the market and under contract. 

I've been in real estate one way or another for decades and navigated through countless deals. While the market is always changing, nothing has changed with these tested tips over the years. So let's take a look!

1. Find Your Agent

As the internet has made it easier to research your local agents, it has also saturated your google search with thousands of people you could possibly work with. A good way to cut through the clutter is asking your friend or family member if they know or have used an agent in the past and if that transaction went smoothly.

Don't stop with one agent either. You should be interviewing 2-3 agents for the job. Make sure you check references and past sales as those are great indicators of experience and good service. Don't forget to INCLUDE US as one of the agents you will be interviewing!

The reason I listed this as your first step is because your agent can assist and weigh in their professional opinion on the remaining steps for this list. After all, they know your market the best and will have insight as to the direction of the market and what buyers are looking for. 

2. First Impressions

I can't stress how important first impressions are to incoming buyers. It is likely that many buyers have already made up their minds about the home before entering the front door. 

This means that it is imperative that you take the time to create some form of curb appeal. Whether that be upgrading the landscaping, fixing some ugly spots on the exterior of the home, a fresh paint job, or an accent door or shutters. All of these things help bring the buyer's eyes into the property and attract them to the home.

Much like a first date, you want to look your best and that starts when the car pulls up to the curb. 

3. Interior Upgrades

Every home is different. Interior upgrades can range from something as simple as fresh paint to a renovated kitchen. That being said, it's important to look at your personal budget vs the condition of your home and decide how many, if any, upgrades you want to take on. 

There are two options here. You sell as is and take a lower price for the home, or you pay the money for upgrades and plan to recoup your expenses plus some. It's a gamble either way as you don't necessarily know what the non-upgraded home will ultimately sell for just like you don't know exactly what you'll recoup from the upgrades. 

Given that information, if you have the time and money, it is always better to gamble on the upgrades. Why? Your number one goal as a seller is to appeal to as many buyers as possible. That's how you will ultimately negotiate the best offer, and since more buyers prefer an upgraded home, you'll have your pick of the litter with the buyers willing to write a big check when they fall in love with the home.

4. Minimize

If you've lived in your home for more than a few years, chances are you have some clutter. It's perfectly normal, we all tend to hold onto things or store them away for later use and then forget about them. Not to mention the accumulation of furniture, gifts, and keepsakes that you just don't want to part with. After all, this is part of making your house a home.

However, when it comes to marketing your home, you want to remove as much of your "home" part as possible. The reason is that prospective buyers want to walk into a home and see a fresh canvas. They want to see themselves living in the home, not the sellers.

By minimizing your furniture, art, and clutter, you create a nice open space for buyers' imaginations to run. In addition, you help with the digital marketing for your home that we will go over next.

5. Odor

Is something you never want to hear as an agent while showing a property. Just like an unattractive exterior can turn away potential buyers, a powerful smell can be a shock to the senses and easily drive people away. The worst part is you may not even know or notice the smell yourself. 

To combat this situation, always have a professional cleaning before hitting the market. If you have older carpet and/or pets, you may have to get the carpet shampooed as well as utilize air fresheners throughout the marketing process. Don't take a chance when it comes to house odors.

6. Photos

Remember first impressions? Well, technically, the first impression any buyer will have about your home will be while searching online. Nearly every buyer will virtually tour your home online before they book an appointment to see it in person. Now more than ever with the recent Pandemic and changes in how we tour properties.

That is why top of the line photos are paramount. The best part about it, your agent will pay for them! Make sure you and your agent have decided on a "default" photo that will be the first one everyone sees. This is typically a front angle shot or even better, sometimes an elevated drone shot of the home that captures some of the neighborhood or a view.

7. Video

We live in an ever-changing technological world. While just a decade ago there were not many agents utilizing VIDEO, now, it seems it is being added to almost every listing. In fact, some syndication websites will boost your property's visibility if you add a "walk-through" video.

As mentioned before, with the changes the Pandemic has created, having video allows for interested parties to fully view the property without living the safety of their home.

The type of virtual tour video that is most popular right now is called. 3D Matterport. This enables the buyer to click on any part of the home and virtually walk through the areas they want to see. 

8. Pricing

There are 3 ways to price your home and only 2 of them benefit the seller's leverage. The first is typically the most common we hear from homeowners. Price it high and leave room to negotiate down. While it seems good in theory, it can go wrong fast. The reason being is that you only have one shot to be the "new house" on the market.

During that period, you will have the eyes of every active person who is ready, willing, able to buy a home. If you price it high you run the risk of sitting on the market for a few weeks without an offer and the offers are what create the ultimate urgency and fear of loss with buyers.  

The better options for you as a seller, are to either price the home around the market value or slightly under. This way, when you burst onto the scene as the new property for sale, it will start a frenzy of phone calls, showings, and offers. So instead of seeking out the one buyer who may look at your overpriced listing, you have a group of buyers blindly bidding against each other in order to bring you the absolute top dollar for your home, and you'll achieve it in less time.

9. Offer Price

Now that your house is ready for the market, the next thing you are most concerned about is getting as many offers as you can. Any offer is a good offer. It's a game called leverage and whoever has more of it, wins the game. Don't let your emotions get involved when receiving offers. You'll likely get some that you find offensive. 

It matters not. If you've positioned yourself properly for the market, you should always have multiple offers. Every offer can be used against the other to find the "real' buyer for your home. We have to dig through the dirt to find the gold. 

The highest offer may not always be the best. For instance, if a buyer has a low down payment or a loan that may cause potential issues down the road, it might be better to take a hit on price and go with a cash offer. After all, nothing is a done deal until it records. So while a huge offer may be tempting, you always want to look at the party that is most likely to close. 

In addition, you want to negotiate down your contingencies, ie, inspection and loan/appraisal timelines. The quicker you can get these roadblocks cleared, the higher the percentage you close the deal.

10. Inspections

You've probably lived in your house for a while, and likely not had many problems. However, that doesn't mean there aren't issues. I mean how often do you check your attic for termites, or scope your plumbing for damage. You're not likely to know you have a major problem unless it's staring you in the face or leaking on your head.

This is why it is very common for homeowners to think their house is in perfect shape only to find that when a home inspector comes in to check, they end up with a list of minor problems, potential future problems, or even a red flag issue.

So prepared that you might not like what is found in your home. This is a great reason to get a home inspection prior to listing your home on the market. The more you know, the fewer headaches and problems you'll have to deal with in the future.

If you or someone you know is considering to buy, sell, or invest in San Diego real estate, feel free to reach out to us for any questions or concerns. We want to be your local real estate resource!