1) Interview Your Agent

It has always amazed me at the number of people that “Really Need To Sell” but rely on the Internet alone to sell a home.  Many folks place their listing on-line no less, credit card in hand.  In my opinion, they are placing way too much faith on the World Wide Web.  By the end of this list, I know you will understand the value proposition that a Energetic and Professional Realtor can bring to the table.

Before you meet your agent, you should already be impressed based on their quickness of response, professional communication, and willingness to assist.  During your interview, you should be very comfortable with the agent you hire.  You will be spending time with them, under pressing circumstances over the next few weeks or longer.  They had better be sincere, ready to help, detail oriented, and ready to work.  The person you are looking for may not be the “Top Lister” with the Agency.  The same person should also make suggestions to you, when appropriate, even if they are contrary to your initial beliefs.  Whether it is in regards to Listing Price, Necessary Improvements, or Redecoration; The agent should be willing to politely stand up to you.  If not, their liklihood of standing up to another Realtor on your behalf would be questionable.

2) View Your Competition

Ever ask an agent to look at some of the homes already for sale in your neighborhood?  Open Houses are a great way to see what is happening at the neighbor’s house.  It’s also a great way for that Agent to find other prospective clients.  Hey wait; aren’t they supposed to be selling the house?

Seriously though, it takes effort on your behalf to be able to make your home the clear choice with regards to buyers.  You don’t have to put in granite this or hardwood that.  You should just account for the fact that you do not have them, so your Marketing Strategy must overcome this with other benefits.

3) Make Your Home Marketable

One solid weekend of work is needed to get average homes into good repair.  This includes storing or packing excess items, moving furniture, touching up trim with paint, and a good scrubbing, dusting, and vacuuming.  These things make the difference.  Homes need to be cleaner than average to get repeat traffic and above average selling prices.

4) Get Professional Pictures

Pictures are a key to getting people to look at your home.  Whether it is a potential buyer on Realtor.com or an agent using the MLS database, pictures are the proof that’s in the pudding.  They need to be taken a certain way to sell the features of your home.  I take pictures during different times of the day and only on bright, preferably sunny, days to maximize the natural light available.  I stage the room temporarily to get kids toys, the litter box, mixers, blenders, bread basket, trash cans, Dad’s shoes, etc. out of the picture.  Many Realtors have taken classes to learn how to take great pictures.  Ask them in the interview!

5) Be Real with the Price

Most of the time, we believe that we should start at a much higher price than we would accept in anticipation of a buyer beating us up.  If you were the buyer, would you be more likely to look at a home if it were 10% overpriced or 3% underpriced? 

So instead of setting a high price and negotiating a lot, I say cut your competition and negotiate a little.  At the end of the day, you would be surprised that the actual selling price in either situation is very close to being the same.  The fact is that having an aggressive price with little room to bargain may save you 4 – 5 months worth of interest payments on your home.  As much as we think buyers like to haggle, it is probably one of the largest sources of stress for either party.  So why do it?

Summary

If you are still with me, you probably understand that Listing your home is not an event but is more of a process.  The process can take from 1-2 weeks before your home is ready to show and, therefore, ready to List.  I know from experience that getting the home into the database before the real work is done will cause you to miss your biggest opportunity to SELL, SELL, SELL.