Prepping Your Listings

The countdown to selling season is on. Right now, if you’re a lucky new agent, you are prepping someone’s home for sale. Here’s a few questions your client might have as you guide them through the process after you’ve settled on a list price and commissions.

When should I put my house on the market?

Speaking generally as we are all from different markets, most homes change hands between March and May. Depending on the home you’re listing, your gut might tell you it makes sense to be on the market when inventory is low (February), or maybe the home has an incredible outdoor space that you think could lift its value so you might risk a higher inventory situation in April and May. The most important thing to translate to a seller is, don’t miss the market! Often sellers have the idea that June through August are good times to list due to weather, but the proof is in the pudding that it’s simply not true. Life choices start to creep into the buyer’s activity. Family vacations, distracting the kids while they are off from school, or big trips out of town for couples will start to play into the motivations of the market. It reduces demand as the buyer pool is lessened (or literally out of town). You want to be on the market when buyers are active.

How do I make my home show ready?

The thing to remember here is, we do this home stuff all day every day. We are in a bunch of different houses every week, and it could stand to reason, that we have a gut about what sells and what doesn’t. Even if you’re a new agent, you’re still touring and learning your market. (At least I hope you are.) It’s important to have confidence in that experience, because you DO know what it takes for a house to look good. I have a “get your house ready for listing” sheet in my listing packet and also a sheet that talks about how to prepare for the photoshoot. I’m happy to share it with you. Just email me. You can brand it for yourself.

How much should I spend fixing it up?

The biggest bang for your buck will always be paint and carpet. They are the cheapest things to remedy for the least amount of money. I often tell folks, if we’re speaking cosmetically, update to the point the market expects. If you live in a neighborhood where quartz countertops are a must to get the top price, then yes. Conversely, if you’re going to remodel a bathroom to the point the market won’t give it back to you, don’t do it.

Repair all things that the eye might stop on. Remove any objection or sense that the home was lived in “hard” so the buyer can continue their dream state of arranging their own belongings inside the house. They can’t think about where to put the Christmas tree if they can’t get past hole in the walls and gouges in the doors.

What should I do with my stuff?

Declutter, clean, declutter, clean, declutter, clean and repeat. You could suggest they rent a pod, a storage unit or box up the personal belongings in the garage.

Do you know someone that can help me with X repair?

Of course, you do. You’ve made a list of vendors and trades people in every possible field. You’d be happy to share that branded list with them.

What is the timeline for all this?

If you haven’t listed a property before, this is how you do it. Work back from the date you want to list. Then the day before is the very latest you want your photos back. (Sooner is better so you’re not rushing to put flyers together). The day before that is the last possible day for the photoshoot. The day before that is the last day of staging. The day before that is the last day the cleaners can be there. They before that is the last day to box up personal items and remove them from the house. Etc.

Your Questions:

How do you want to deal with showings?

One of the biggest things to discuss post commission and price is disruption. You need to have a game plan going in on how you will get viewers through the home. Sellers sometimes forget that your job out of the gate is to get as many eyes on that house as possible to drive demand. To do that, people actually have to BE in the house.

Is there a pet or children in the house?

With this question, you are looking for reasons why a buyer’s agent couldn’t schedule a last-minute showing. If the seller needs to make arrangements, it’s best to have that conversation up front and not on the fly to manage expectations.

Is there anything in the home that needs repairing?

I’m of the belief that you can never over disclose about a house. If there is something to fix, do it before listing. Like leaking pipes, gutter issues, etc. If it’s something small a handyman can do, do it. The buyers are going to do a home inspection. It’s not ideal to have a laundry list of problems you already knew about.

Those are the basics. We can deep dive into more listing conversations in the future, but for now, ride with these tips and you should be a-ok.

Any questions? Leave a comment below, I’d love to hear them.

Until then, chin up, keep your feet moving … and burn the white flag.

sz

Copyright 2020 - Shelley Zavitz Realty