The Central Florida REBlog

How to Sell Your House in a Tough Market

My last post was full of good news for buyers, but sellers may find nothing to be happy about in it.  The real news for sellers is that houses are still selling in Central Florida, but at a more "normal" pace (normal being defined as the way things were before the market went crazy 2003-2005). 

If you can see your house as a buyer would see it, you have a good chance of selling it. Since you can't change the location of your real estate, we'll ignore the three most important real estate sales influencers (location, location, and location) and focus on the things you can do something about.

1. Be realistic about pricing. Most people have a very difficult time looking at their home objectively, and will see their house as being worth more (and perhaps significantly more) than the buying public does. Never forget that you are in competition with all the other houses for sale out there when setting your asking price. Those who can say, "I'm selling my house" will have a head start on those who say, "I'm selling my home." The memories you have invested in your home are no doubt priceless, but don't expect a buyer to pay you for them.

2. Honestly evaluate the condition of you house. Every flaw in your home is something the buyers will either have to live with or spend time and money to fix. If you have the time/money/energy to fix a flaw, do it. It may not increase the sales price, but it will surely affect how quickly the house sells.  The condition of the house, and especially it's flaws, should be reflected in the price.

3. Make it available for showing.  As exhausting as it is, you pretty much have to keep your house near show-ready all the time, and you have to be willing to be inconvenienced and change your plans occasionally to accommodate home buyers.  There are lots of other houses out there for buyers to look at; don't miss an opportunity to sell them yours.

If you trust your Realtor, you should trust the advice they give you relating to the above three items.

See? Now that wasn't so bad, was it?