SELLER ... MOTIVATE YOUR BUYER!
By Christian Andreason - Bielstein
OK Seller...
You have made up your mind that it is time to list your house.
Great! Now ... if you want to know what step ONE is: start looking around your neighborhood.
Do you see quite a few for sale signs up?
If you do ... then you will want to think about what you might do to give your home a competitive edge. And once you have it ... you will be "oh so glad" you do!
Here are a few possibilities:
1. Offer money toward the buyers closing. Most buyers, dread closing! This is where they have to come up with cash beyond what is being offered in financing to take care of move in costs. You offering to help in this area can really help push a contract through.
2. Another selling feature that can help set your home apart (if your home's warranty has expired) is to offer the buyer an independent home warranty program. These are actually quite inexpensive (priced around $300-$400) and considering the peace of mind this can give your buyer, it may ease their concerns over your "used" house and be worth everyone's while!
3. Be creative and create good vibes between you and your prospective buyer ... offer to take care of something that you know your buyer would appreciate. For instance, if you have a pool, offer free pool cleaning service for 6 months to a year. You can do the same with lawn care.
4. Offer to purchase a brand new refrigerator or a dishwasher or a clothes washer and dryer in exchange for a quick closing.
5. Offer to replace the carpet, have the floors waxed or present a modest allowance toward paint.
6. If your kitchen or bathroom counter tops are out dated and you hear everyone complaining about this issue, offer $1000/$2000 toward new ones. Granite and marble counter tops are especially popular right now and if a discriminating buyer thinks they have a chance at getting them, that can definitely sweeten the deal!
7. Have an inspection done AFTER YOU LIST THE HOUSE and offer the results at no charge to the buyer. This is an excellent way to establish trust. Also, if you want to go the extra mile, there is something called, "A Sniff Test" that I think you should know about. This is where you have a specialist come out to your home (for about $50 to $75) to test your Air Conditioning and Heating units. This can give comfort to a buyer, as home temperature issues are often not fully investigated during the home inspection. If your AC/HV unit is especially old, consider replacing them. Consider doing the same with your hot water heater, upgrading it to a more economical model. I know this can seem very pricey ... but doing this can cause a buyer and their agent to take extra special notice of your property when they see "NEW A/C" and/or "NEW HOTWATER HEATER" on your home's MLS page online.
My advice is simple: Always do all you can to make your home as attractive to a buyer as possible! Doing so always helps you to yield a better return on your investment! The more pristine your home becomes, the more buyers will be willing to pay whatever it takes to move in!
And yes ... (I know) few people like the idea of having to work on a house they know they are not going to live in for much longer, however, keep in mind as you are scrubbing, painting and sweeping away ... all that extra effort is going to pay off and put some serious $$ in your pocket!
Seeking to Bring Home and Heart Together!
Christian
© 2007 Christian Andréason |