Palos Verdes Coastal Homes 310-493-8333: Selling Smart in a Soft Housing Market

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Selling Smart in a Soft Housing Market

There's a buyer waiting in the wings for every property. The catch is the property must be presented in a manner that will lure the prospective buyers out of shadows and convert them into a bonafide buyer, not a looker, not a tire kicker, but an actual offer-writing serious I-want-that-house committed consumer. To paraphrase Bette Davis, buying a house is not for sissies, quitters or the faint of heart.

Sellers, you are faced with a monumental task when the decision to sell is made. You have the commodity but it's up to you to make it enticing and irresistible enough for a buyer to part with his cash and commit to a monthly mortgage for the next thirty years that will consume a large portion of his family's discretionary income. A house is a big ticket purchase with inherent risks. If your property doesn't embed itself in their hearts and minds buyers will avoid making such a large life-altering decision.

How can a seller make his property the one that lingers in the buyer's mind long after the showing? Like cream, it must rise to the top. It can do this in many ways--some singular, but often by combining several buyer hot-buttons:

Does your house stand out or blend in with all the other homes for sale?

1) Price: There in no better way to grab buyers' attention than to offer the best price in the neighborhood. Every buyer wants outstanding value and your price does not need to be the lowest, but it must offer the best value.

2) Buzz: Every property needs it. Maybe it is a new razzle-dazzle kitchen, or new hardwood floors throughout or it could be a fantastic outdoor living area. Make sure to focus attention on what makes your property special and unique. Give buyers a reason to linger a bit longer and absorb the intangible as well as the tangible attributes of the home.

3) Leave the Lights On: Let buyers know they are welcome in your home. After all, you want them to think of it as potentially their home. Prepare for each showing as if a special guest is coming to visit. Fresh towels, spotless counters and all traces of felines and canines banished to a gated area or special "holding" room shows respect for prospective buyers.

4) Remove the Roadblocks: If your house is too difficult to show, you will miss showings and potential sales. Keep it simple with no elaborate alarm codes or "security" dogs--ask your agent to handle those tasks before the buyers arrive.

5) Let Your Motivation Show: It's okay for buyers to know you are motivated and not simply testing the market. Nothing turns a buyer off faster than hearing the seller doesn't have to sell unless he gets his way--meaning his price. Bullying tactics are a sure-fire way to get buyers to walk away. No one expects you to give your property away, but a little cooperation goes a long way on the road to sold, and that is the common goal shared by the buyer and the seller.

Selling a home need not be warfare. The goal is a peaceful exchange of the keys to the kingdom.

Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800
PalosVerdesLifestyle- Nominated by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Chosen by MovingCost.com as one of the best Los Angeles realty blogs. Awarded 5 out of 5 stars by Lender411 blog review. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.
South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. Based on information from the Association of REALTORS®/Multiple Listing as of the initial date of this article/blog publication and /or other sources. Display of MLS data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by the MLS. The Broker/Agent providing the information contained herein may or may not have been the Listing and/or Selling Agent.