6-easy-steps-to-selling-your-home | Market Updates

Details: Category: Market Updates Market Updates; Published: 28 October 2007 28 October 2007; Hits: 24809 24809

When you consider selling your home, there are many factors to take into consideration. The following 6 steps, however, I believe sum up the overall success of getting your house sold, anywhere, including Boise ID real estate. Please keep in mind that there are many opinions as well as various personality types when it comes to buyers and we may never be able to "outguess" what someone might feel about any particular property, good or bad. I hope these ideas will help you...

Whenever you or someone you knows need to buy Idaho Real Estate, please give them my number or send them to www.sellidaho.com!

Staging your home using the five senses

One of the basic elements of successfully selling a home comes with considering the 5 human senses; touch, taste, hearing, smell and sight. When staging a home for sale, sight is one of the key elements. Prospective buyers will most likely either see your home for sale on the internet, in a printed publication with a photo or simply drive by the location. Make sure your home has great curb appeal! The design and architecture may not easily be altered, but remember, there is a buyer for any Idaho property. Do what you can. Make sure the lawn is well cared for. Hire a lawn care professional if necessary. Make sure the walkways are trimmed neatly as well as the flower beds, trees, etc. The exterior of the house must look good before someone will want to see the inside. Wash the house off, even paint if needed. Make sure windows are clean & screens are in tact or even remove them if they look bad. The front door often times gets missed by the home owner. The buyer, however, may spend several minutes waiting at the front door before entering the house. Wash any dirt, fingerprints or cobwebs off the door & if needed, paint or stain the door so it looks its best. If you’ve ever sold a used car, I’m sure you at least washed it, maybe waxed it or even vacuumed it out & polished the chrome & tires. How much more valuable is your home, than most cars?
Remember that your home is now a product on the market & all emotional ties need to be severed as much as possible. Once the prospective buyer enters the house, they must be greeted with as many of their 5 senses being activated as possible. If it’s cold outside, make sure the heat is on a comfortable level, light the fireplace and maybe even have it warmer than usual to make your guests feel warm and cozy. Of course, if it’s hot outside, have the air conditioning on a pleasant level. What is the odor of your home? Many of us may never recognize that our personal home has a certain smell. Get other’s honest opinions and don’t be too proud to accept constructive criticism. I personally own a variety of scent devices that do a good job of neutralizing any offensive odors. But take it to the next level; bake cookies (invite your agent over to enjoy them) or bread. There’s nothing like feeling at home with the smell of baking in the house.
What do the visitors hear when they come inside? I recommend a soft playing CD in the background. I offer one entitled “Romancing the Home” that is pleasant for most people. Clutter is our enemy! One of the best things you can do is to interrupt your own life by boxing things up & either selling them, donate them or put them in storage (away from the house). It is imperative for surfaces to be clean! Countertops, headboards, tables, end-tables, refrigerators, plant shelves, any “catch-all” type of surface should be cleared from all clutter. The more surface area a buyer can see, the larger the home looks. The buyer’s home is probably messy & they are looking for something new & refreshing. Don’t make them feel like they are in their own home…they either just sold that or they want to. For security purposes, remove any valuables, collector items, firearms and/or prescription drugs from the house or have them in a locked & secure place. Personal photos, family photos, etc. can also be a distraction from seeing the home itself. A few personal photos may be alright, but it’s a good idea to remove that wall of family pictures from the hall. Open blinds or drapes, place high wattage bulbs in light fixtures, clean & dust, make your beds and put away your laundry. Wow, I sound just like mom! Selling your home is hard work and your agent needs you to do your part as well.

Choosing the right real estate agent

Would you say it’s important to pick the right agent? Many homes are NOT sold because they are under marketed. There’s more to selling a house than placing the sign in the yard and putting it on the Idaho MLS. Even though our Intermountain MLS plays a giant part in selling homes, it’s important to have additional marketing to the public. Get an agent that is willing to spend the money on advertising and marketing your home in a variety of media. Exposure is the name of the game! If no one sees your home for sale, how can they buy it? Also, never hold back on placing a sign on the property. If you want it sold, let the whole world know! You also want to make it easy for other agents to show your home. Never restrict showings to “Appointment Only”. That is an agent’s nightmare! Allow them to come see it. Let them come on short notice. Keep the house clean enough so it’s not too much of an inconvenience for you. Some buyers respond to sight media. Others respond to audio. While others utilize a combination of both. Demographics are important. Your agent should be able to identify what type(s) of people will be interested in your home & target marketing efforts toward that group or groups of people. Now I’m on the edge of giving away trade secrets, but I can make all of this so much easier for you if you simply call me and allow me to list & sell your home!

Strategic pricing

In the Idaho real estate market, right now, price is THE strategy! I cannot emphasize this enough. Every property will eventually sell, but if it’s not priced “within the market” it will only sell when the market reaches that price range. It’s important to get every dollar out of your home that you can. That’s my job; to get top dollar. It’s also important that it sells. When consulting with your agent, determine your time frame and your selling goal. The price may need to be altered from your expectations as your time frame becomes more important. It’s best to price your home at the top of the average “sold” comparables and at or below the average of the “active” comparables. This will assure that your home is being “seen” by buyers who are shopping the market. Price is never to be determined by how much you think it’s worth, how much it cost you, how much you need to get into your next home or any other ambiguous want or wish. It must be priced according to the market; according to similar properties that have sold and those that have NOT sold. A good agent will direct you on pricing your home right.
Now that you have your home staged, priced right & listed with the right agent, it’s important to listen to the feedback. Your home should be toured by the agent’s fellow office Realtors as well as possibly another tour of local real estate sales people. When coupled with direct buyer feedback, these are the things you should pay close attention to. If they mention that it smells funny, fix it. If it’s dirty or looks bad, fix it. Now if they don’t like the floor plan, then the marketing should be adjusted to target someone who may like the plan better, or adjust the price to compensate for a dysfunctional design. The seller should NEVER be home when the house is being shown. If the owner is there, they buyer will not express their honest feedback. The buyer’s agent needs to listen to their buyers and they need to pass that feedback onto the listing agent so the sellers know what to adjust in order to sell the home. Communication is key. I have a system in place that allows for easier feedback from buyers as well as agents. As a seller, be open minded and please do NOT be offended by the constructive criticism you may hear. Remember, your home is now a house, a product for sale and it must be polished liked a fine piece of jewelry under glass.

OK, just a quick recap:

Make it look good from the outside!
Make it feel & smell good inside!
Make it sound good & feel comfortable!
Pick the right Agent!
Price it Right!
Listen to Feedback and be willing to adjust.

I trust these steps will find you closer to selling your Idaho Real Estate, whether a Nampa home, a Boise home, a Caldwell or Meridian home. Anywhere with Treasure Valley real estate, it all comes down to the right plan. I hope you’ll give me a call to help you sell your home. Thank you!

Don Wixom
RE/MAX Executives
(208) 880-5039

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Contact Me Today!

Don Wixom
RE/MAX Executives
16201 Idaho Center Blvd.
Nampa, ID 83687
Direct: (208) 880-5039
Office: (208) 466-0002
Fax: (208) 466-2227
Email:
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Realtor, ABR, CRS, GRI,
e-Pro Internet Professional

Quality Service Certified®

2000 "Realtor of the Year"

What my clients say

"Thank you Don for your considerate and professional help on selling our house. Your informative correspondance we recieved before deciding to list it, got you the house, and your continued contact to let us know what efforts were being made to advertise and show the house were greatly appreciated. Showing mutual respect, we feel like we have made a new friend!"
~ Bill and Sharrel Cash, satisfied sellers

"Thank you so much for all of your efforts, patience, perseverance and professional behavior through the ordeal of selling our house. The way you dedicated yourself to your work and to our needs truly showed your eagerness and ability to help. Thank you again."
~ Jan Byers, satisfied seller

"Just wanted you to know that we really appreciate how smoothly the sale of our home went. It really could not have worked out any better. The wide marketing of our home you initiated really paid off. Thank you for a terrific experience. You have our highest recommendations, and we'll be more than happy to pass it along. God Bless!"
~ John and Jeanie Mowery, satisfied sellers

"We cannot thank you enough for your time and patience in finding our new home. There's no way we could've done it without you! You made all our dreams come true and we will always hold you dear for that."
~ Meguel and Kris Escutia, satisfied buyers

"Thanks to Don Wixom, we have been enjoying our new home for six months now. Don as the realtor selling our house worked very hard for us. He helped us through all the complex paperwork involved in making offers, getting a loan, etc. Don paid attention to detail and kept us well informed about how things were going. When things needed to be done, Don was readily available, seeing us through a home inspection, even crawling under the house in the dirt and cobwebs when we asked him to. Don was always only a phone call away. We still remember his phone number, we called him so much! Don has a wealth of experience and resources to offer. We would definitely recommend him to anyone wanting to buy or sell real estate."
~Scott and Naomi Watson, satisfied buyers

"We were long distance buyers. We had been through some major life changes in 2005 and had first contacted Don Wixom in August of 2006. He stood by us 2 1/2 years showing us houses, driving out to houses and emailing us pictures when we were unable to go ourselves, never knowing if he actually would have gotten a sale from us and he never complained or pressured us once.
He always treated us with great respect as if we were his only customer. Don has done more for us than we would have done for ourselves. He gave us great advice. He was always learning what it was that we were looking for. As our needs changed midway through our searching he adjusted to them.
His website allowed us to search the multiple listing service without addresses and phone numbers needing to be given. He would always check into and answer our questions and requests.
When buying or selling in Idaho we would never consider anyone but Don Wixom. He stayed with us for the long haul and we will stay with him."
Steve and Jean McBee, Buyers Nampa

"Thanks Don, for the link to IDX app for iPhone. Works great! All the information I need right at my finger tips! Thanks for always leading from the front!"
Ernie Garza, Buyer