Some Tips for Home Sellers

I recently came across an article with some tips for homeowners who are trying to sell their home.  I highlighted three of the more important tips and I think it is good advice in today's real estate market.

Tip 1: Sellers: Redefine "Market Value"

If your home has been on the market far too long, there's a good chance you're not facing market realities. The value of your home isn't what the tax assessor says it is, or the sum on that two-year-old appraisal you have filed away. It's not what a similar-size home that sold across town. It's what a buyer is willing to pay today. To arrive at that sum, the sales prices of foreclosures and short sales must be factored into the equation, along with the average value of seller concessions in your submarket. These factors are advanced by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA, in its appraiser code-of-conduct revisions to ensure more accurate documentation of market conditions. If your agent tells you that you're overpricing your house, he or she may not just be trying to grease the wheels for a quick commish, as you might suspect.

Tip 2: Sellers: Extend the Selling Season

Spring is the best time to find the broadest universe of buyers and sellers. Parents don't want to uproot their kids from schools mid-term and would like to settle in a new neighborhood by mid-summer. Many sell at the same time they buy. These days, "spring" really means late winter. So if you're going to sell in 2011, get your house ready for showings by late February. That will give you nearly five months until this buying-and-selling group starts dwindling by mid-July.

Tip 3: Sellers: Feel What the Buyer Feels

Put your ego aside, sellers. Your for-sale home is no longer about you -- it's about the buyer. So be empathic. What would you expect to see on a tour of a for-sale home? Even though you're essentially marketing brick, mortar and land, the emotional response you elicit in a buyer is often what seals a deal. Neutral colors allow buyers to picture themselves in your house. To appeal to their olfactory pleasure senses, employ the age-old tactic of baking fresh cookies before potential buyers arrive -- then leave them for your visitors to enjoy. Or at least light a candle or two. To convey an inviting atmosphere, de-clutter the place with renewed vengeance, stow away your inexpensive or tattered furniture and box up cherished mementos. Remember that the illusion of space is almost as important as the space itself.