Buyers expect a lot in this market. Years ago, the buzz phrase was “sweat equity,” and buyers hoped to end up with an investment by purchasing homes that needed work. With the shift in market, however, there has been a shift in attitude. Few buyers have the time or inclination to tackle large home improvement projects, and want a house that is move-in condition. Because many local markets are dealing with 7-10 months of inventory, buyers have plenty to choose from.  You are trying to sell your home – what can you do to maximize your success? HomeGain has compiled a list of most recommended Home Improvements. These were compiled from a survey of nearly 1000 Realtors® who were asked which improvements they would recommend in order to help sell a house.

You can download the .pdf file of the report from this page (the link is halfway down on the right hand side of the page). Topping the list is decluttering/cleaning:

In this market, we would suggest that not only is it necessary to consider some of these low-cost improvements before you list your home – it is imperative so that you are as competitive as possible. You can’t control the market – price is determined by buyers, not by the seller or the agent. Two things that you can control are condition of your home, and price, and these characteristics are tied together.

Wondering what improvements make sense for your home? Call us and ask – we can quickly take a look at your home and help you to decide what will work for your specific situation!

You have a house. You need to move. Although it hurts, you have priced it where the market analysis suggests. You list it. What next?

What’s  next is probably the single most important piece of the puzzle.

If I were selling my house today, I would want to know exactly where it was being advertised. MLSPIN listings are pushed out to more than 35 different online places (including Google and Yahoo) without any extra effort of the agent or the brokerage. What extra effort goes into it?

Is this how your home is going to get sold?

Ask this question of your sales agent.

And keep this in mind- the buyer of your home will statistically be in his (or definitely her) early 30s to late 40s. This group does not scour the classified section for information, nor do they read home sales magazines in pizza parlors. They look for their information online. 90% of all home buyers this year began their exploration on the Internet.

If I were selling now, I would make sure my home was priced correctly, and I would expect offers coming in at 20% lower than asking price. Before my home was listed, I would ask my agent these things:

• Is my home listing on Realtor.com enhanced? This means it is shown to be more likely to be seen by buyers.
• Will my home listing be posted on the Internet in places other than what the MLS does?
• Does my agent have any other ways to find buyers? Is the brokerage involved in social media- Facebook and twitter? If they say yes, check it out.  Do they have a blog? These social outreach places are ways to find buyers as they are starting out.
• Does the brokerage have a presence on YouTube and are they promoting listings there? According to Social Media Revolution, YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine and you want your listing there.

Even if my Uncle Harold was the family Realtor®, I would ask these same questions. In this market where average days on market is over six months, you don’t want to lose any time.

This is typically where our MLS listings are uploaded to...

I am in touch with Realtors® all over this country and nearly to a person they are happy with how busy things have been since the beginning of the year.

It isn’t that I think the market is suddenly turning around. I do think that the extended home buyers’ tax credit is going to give a boost to buyers, and new listings will be coming on to match demand.

How do you compete if you are selling in a market with a shrunken buyers’ pool? The old saying that the three factors that determined how well a home would sell- location, location, and location- may have some truth in it, but where your home is situated is not a factor you are likely to be able to do something about.

You can do something about 3 other factors. Pricing, condition and marketing are all things that you can take some control in. Price and condition are intertwined, I think- you need to be one of the best priced homes in size and condition bracket in order to expect a reasonable time on market- and keep in mind that time on market is nothing like it was 5 years ago. At last check in the Leominster market, average days on market was more than 150 days.

As far as marketing- most homes in our MLS are broadcast over a wide range of online venues including Google base. The spread of marketing for nearly all listings tends to be pretty wide. Inventiveness is what sets one agent’s marketing apart from another.

What does the video look like? The warmer and more inventive the better. Check out this one that we had made for a home that we are marketing, located at 47 Dana Rd., Petersham, MA. The home is beautiful and the video showcases that, but in addition to that you get a real sense of the location and the floor plan- two things that buyers have told us over and over again that they are most interested in.

It is important in this market to think outside of the box and present properties in new and interesting ways. Your Realtor® needs to understand the market, but it is also important that he understands the psychology of the buyer in order to be able to showcase your home to its best advantage. Questions about listing your home? Call me at 978-537-6401 extension 24 and we can discuss ideas specific to your needs.