eye on REAL ESTATE

Worried About Selling Your Home Fast in Today’s Sluggish Housing Market? Don't Be.

[ Written By Amber Lanier Nagle]

You’ve heard the reports. After five consecutive years of record sales, the housing market has lost its momentum. Here in the South, the median price of an existing single-family home is down a few percentage points from a year ago. And although you’ve been thinking of purchasing a new house for a while, you are nervous about selling your current home in today’s climate. Don’t worry — the news is good in and around Atlanta. With a little effort, you can make your house shine above all the doom and gloom hanging over the slumping real estate market.

“It’s a buyer’s market, which simply means that there are more properties on the market than people interested in buying them,” explained Ryan Ward, a real estate agent at The Ryan Ward Group, Keller Williams Realty Consultants. “But if a seller prepares properly and makes good decisions, buyers will jump at the opportunity to purchase their home.”

Most of us gasp when we hear that sales volume is down by 30 percent, but 70 percent of homes are still moving well. “Absolutely, people are still buying homes in Metro Atlanta. But with the surplus of properties on the market, less people will walk through a home, so sellers must be savvy to succeed. There are several strategies sellers can use to move their property quickly in our cooling market,” Ward asserted.

The biggest mistake that Ward sees sellers make is putting their house on the market before it’s ready. “If a potential buyer walks through your home before you fix the hole in the dining room wall or replace those missing roofing shingles, you’ve probably lost the opportunity to sell to that particular buyer. You’ve got to have your house in mint condition from day one,” he noted.

The Thirty Second Rule

Let’s start with your home’s ever-so-critical curb appeal. Potential buyers begin sizing-up a home from the moment that they drive-up, and they form their first impression in a record-breaking 30 seconds.

“I’ve actually had clients refuse to go into a house because the front lawn was not cut or there was a loose gutter near the entrance. Buyers feel that the exterior’s condition translates into the home’s interior, so it has to look clean, well-cared-for and welcoming from the street to the front door,” Ward suggested.

He recommends weeding flowerbeds and spreading fresh mulch or pine straw, raking leaves, mowing grass, cleaning and edging your driveway and walkways, trimming droopy tree limbs and overgrown bushes, replacing dead plants, and hiding tools and toys. For an inviting entrance, clean your porch, add a fresh coat of paint to the front door and trim, make any necessary repairs, place a new welcome mat at the door and add an attractive terra cotta planter of colorful accent flowers. And don’t forget the mailbox — if it’s rusted and dilapidated, the buyer will notice and wonder what else has been neglected in your home.

Inner Beauty

Next, turn your attention to the inside of your home. Abby Reilly, owner of ALR Home Staging and Showcasing in Woodstock, helps Atlanta-area residents prepare their homes to sell quickly and for top dollar. “The inside of your home needs to be immaculate and look as spacious as possible. Most of all, you need to showcase your property’s best features and create a welcome atmosphere,” she said.

Because most buyers believe that bigger is better, Reilly uses many strategies to create the illusion of more space. “First, I advise my clients to eliminate clutter and store unnecessary items in an out-of-the-way location so that buyers don’t see it,” she said.

“Removing excess and over-sized furniture and rearranging items can make your home feel more open. Removing appliances from kitchen and bathroom countertops will also deliver a clean, spacious feel to rooms. And some people add wall mirrors,” Reilly added.

And yes, buyers look in closets, cabinets and drawers to check on space, so make sure that they are clean and organized. Removing some items from closets, bookshelves, cabinets and drawers will accentuate space, too.

“A somber living space can be instantly transformed with a light, neutral coat of paint and better lighting,” Reilly suggested. “Opening curtains and blinds, or eliminating window treatments all together, also expands a room.”

And home staging experts agree that sellers need to depersonalize their property by removing items like diplomas, family photographs and personal collections. “Removing these items will make it easier for potential buyers to see your home as their own. They’ve got to connect emotionally with your house, or they won’t consider purchasing it,” Reilly said.

A Fixer Upper

Next, you need to examine your property and make all necessary repairs. Check the working condition of all faucets, toilets, drains, windows, doors and lights, and fix any problems before you list your home. Don’t forget to replace burned-out light bulbs both inside and outside your home.

David Still, managing broker at RE/MAX Greater Atlanta in Dunwoody, suggests that sellers hire a professional home inspector before they put their house on the market and rectify any issues that the inspector finds.

“It can be a show-stopper if a potential buyer’s inspector uncovers a major problem with your home during their inspection process, especially when there are lots of comparable properties on the market. Inspectors know what to look for,” Still remarked.

He points to DeKalb County’s recent Inefficient Plumbing Fixtures Replacement Plan ordinance. Any home built before 1993 must have low-flow toilet and plumbing fixtures installed before the new homeowner can obtain water from the county. “A good inspector will identify these plumbing issues and advise you on how to resolve these problems before you list your property. A buyer just isn’t going to want the hassle,” he continued.

Marketing and Pricing Are Key

According to the National Association of Realtors, 84 percent of home buyers start their search online, making it imperative for sellers to market their homes by posting professional indoor and outdoor photos on high-traffic real estate Web sites like www.realtor.com, www.craigslist.org and www.zillow.com. Some sellers are even offering virtual tours of their homes on YouTube. “Today’s typical buyers are tech-savvy. They have scoured the Internet before they contact an agent, so they are very familiar with the market,” Still said.

If you aren’t the greatest photographer or don’t know how to upload your photographs or video onto the web, not a problem — a good agent can help you with that and much more.

And speaking of agents, select an agent with experience, enthusiasm, drive and an aggressive marketing strategy for selling your home that stretches beyond posting it on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). To get qualified buyers through your front door, the right agent will maximize your property’s exposure with noticeable “For Sale” signs, printed and virtual advertising, caravan tours for other agents to visit the home and Open Houses.

“But even the greatest photos, videos and marketing won’t sell a house that is over-priced. If you price it right, your house will sell fast. If you price it wrong, it won’t,” Still warned. “Remember, today’s buyer knows your competition, and they are looking for the best deal possible.

Showing Off

Finally, you’ve prepared the inside and outside of your home, and you’ve listed it on the market. You are nearing the finish line, but there are a few more things that you should do if you want your property to sell quickly and for a good price.

Aside from keeping it spotless and smelling fresh every minute of every day, experts also recommend hiding distracting items such as toilet brushes and plungers, your cat’s litter box, your dog’s food bowl, cleaning sponges and supplies, cosmetics, razors, toothbrushes and medications. Not everyone is an animal lover, so ask a neighbor to baby-sit Fluffy and Rosco while potential buyers are inside your home. You may even need to break out the Febreze a few minutes before prospective buyers arrive.

There are also some strategies that will send positive subliminal messages to potential buyers. Flooding your home with the comforting smells of a homemade apple pie and placing a bowl of fresh fruit in the kitchen will make them feel right-at-home. Adding fresh flowers and lightly fragranced candles throughout the house makes buyers feel relaxed and welcome. Setting the table using pretty dishes and linens will have them wanting to sit down to dinner.

No one said that it would be effortless — it’s going to take a little planning, money and elbow grease. But even in today’s soft real estate market, you can sell your home fast and at, or beyond, a strong asking price. PN

Top and second photos (after and before): "The homeowner utilized this room as an office area. We decided to declutter the room and set it up as a gender-neutral secondary bedroom by bringing in a bed and utilizing a chair displaced from another room, along with other accessories. The curtains were removed because they were so dark; it closed in the space and prevented the natural light from coming in that balanced out the paint color." – Abby Reilly of ALR Home Staging and Showcasing

Second and third photos (after and before): "This is a formal dining room. Since this room is directly to the left of the entryway of the home, it is considered a first impression. We thought it was best to set the room to its originally intended function: formal dining. The homeowner used it as a bar to entertain and socialize, which is fine for living, but for staging we wanted the room to be more approachable to the average buyer. In this instance, we displaced the bar to another room and brought in some rental furniture to set up the room as a dining room." – Abby Reilly of ALR Home Staging and Showcasing