There are three key factors that separate successful home sales from failed listings: price, condition, and marketing.

Buying a Northern Idaho Home? Search all Homes for Sale
Selling a Northern Idaho Home? Check out our FREE Home Value Report

When you hire a real estate professional to sell your home you automatically assume that your house will sell. However, many homes that hit the market never make it to the closing table.

In fact, in 2016, half of the homes in our market failed to sell. Why? It all boils down to three primary reasons: price, condition, and marketing.

Pricing your home is just like pricing clothing in a local retail store. Have you ever walked into your local Kohls or Old Navy and gone straight to the sales rack? How do those articles of clothing end up there?

Well, they were offered to the marketplace and based on a number of factors, including price and style, they failed to sell. Will they ever sell? Probably—everything will sell at some price. Last season’s shoes may not be appealing at $50, but you may be willing to shell out $20 for them.

That said, you do not want your home to wind up on the sales rack. Correctly pricing your home in the first 30 days has been statistically proven to net sellers much more money. Don’t sit around and wait months—or even years—for the right buyer to come along.   

While a good price gets buyers in the door, if your house is in bad condition, they will go right back out the door again. As you prepare your home for the market, remember that buyers will take issue with your paint colors, your clutter, and your dirt. Any improvements and upgrades that you’ve made for your own enjoyment may not appeal to prospective buyers who haven’t been living their lives in your home.

“Your home should not wind up on the sales rack.”

Finally, your home needs the proper marketing in order to sell. Most people think marketing is the first thing their agent will offer but it’s usually the last thing you get—if your agent even offers it at all. According to Boral media, most agents only spend $400 a month advertising homes.

To put that in perspective, we spend over $6,000 a month advertising our listings on sites like Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com. We also use print marketing and our website to connect your home with prospective buyers.

When you interview an agent, ask how much they spend on marketing and have them show you their marketing plan.

Price, condition, and marketing are three key factors in your home sale. You wouldn’t bake cookies without flour, eggs, or butter, would you? That would be impossible! So, don’t skip these three factors if you want to successfully sell your home.

If you have any questions for us, just give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

To prepare your home to sell quickly and for top dollar in the competitive spring market, follow these three steps.

Buying a Northern Idaho Home? Search all Homes for Sale
Selling a Northern Idaho Home? Check out our FREE Home Value Report

How can you prepare your home to sell quickly and for top dollar this spring?

The first step is to find out how much it’s really worth in today’s market. It’s tempting to just go on Zillow and take the word of one of their Zestimates, but in the state of Idaho, people don’t have access to closed sales prices. Only actual Realtors and other people who have access to the MLS have access to those numbers. The best way to get an accurate value for your home is to call a real estate professional so they can pull the most recent comparables and make an accurate valuation.

The second step is to maximize your home’s curb appeal. Once your home is on the market, a lot of people will drive by it before they commit to a showing to see if they like the area first. Even though it’s winter right now, make sure all surrounding sidewalks are clear and any detritus left over from the fall is removed so the front of your property looks great.

“Following these three steps will guarantee a successful spring sale.”

The third step is to get the inside of your home ready, especially for photos. Online photos are the first glimpse most potential buyers will get of your home. To get it to show as well as it can, you need to declutter. Think of this process as packing your home away. Get rid of the non-essentials and start packing them in boxes and store them in the garage. People will see this as a serious sign that you’re ready to move. Additionally, it gives them a chance to envision themselves in the home.

If you have any questions about today’s topic or have a topic idea you’d like to see us discuss in a future video, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We look forward to talking with you!

There are five home improvements that will net sellers the most return on their investment. You can even do most of them yourself!

Buying a Northern Idaho Home? Search all Homes for Sale
Selling a Northern Idaho Home? Check out our FREE Home Value Report

When you prepare to sell your home, certain improvements will add more value than others. Today, we’ll go over the top five home improvements to get you the best return on your investment.

1. Avoid completely redoing your floors. Sometimes it’s actually best to refinish the hardwood floors you already have in your home. You can also replace worn spots in the carpet rather than the entire thing.

2. Neutralize your home as much as possible. When it comes to paint colors, extra bright or dark colors tend to turn buyers off. Choose a neutral paint color to tone down the rooms. When buyers see bright or dark colors, they simply see more work that they have to do if they buy the home.

3. Pay attention to the lighting in the home. If you have a room that’s darker than others, bring in an extra lamp or change out the lightbulbs. Make sure the lights are on for all of the showings and keep the thermostat turned up.

4. Replace the vanity in the bathroom. A lot of buyers will notice if the bathroom vanity is dated and they don’t want to have to do the work of replacing it. All you have to do is go to a big box hardware store and pick out a new one. They will have many inexpensive choices that you can install by yourself. Pay attention to the lighting in the bathroom as well; brass fixtures make your home appear older than it actually is.

5. Update fixtures throughout your home. Go through your home and replace any outdated drawer pulls, hinges, or light fixtures. Brass fixtures remind buyers of the 1980s, so go to a hardware store and get some new ones. These are fairly easy to replace on your home.

If you have any questions or need any referrals to complete these updates, just give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!