DeLand and the greater Volusia County area continue to benefit from a seller’s market. However, even when the market is hot, sellers should pay attention to key real estate Dos and Don’ts to ensure their house sells as quickly as possible, for the best sales price.
Selling a Home? DO This & DON’T Do That!
We prefer to focus on the positive, so let’s begin with five of the things you should do when planning to sell your home.
3 Things to DO When selling a home
1. DO: Find the right real estate agent for you
There is an automatic checklist sellers run through when searching for the best real estate agent, like ensuring they’re currently licensed, have notable experience, and can provide a roster of recent sales/listings that prove their merit. However, finding a real estate professional you trust is about more than the numbers and stats.
As you interview different agents, pay attention to how you feel when you’re with them.
- Are you comfortable?
- Do you feel like you can be honest?
- Do they inspire a sense of trust?
These are essential qualities in an agent. If they aren’t someone you want to spend time with, take a pass and find an equally qualified agent that resonates with you.
2. DO: Tailor to the current buyer market
It’s not easy to view your house with an objective lens. That’s part of what an agent does. Instead, learn more about what the current homebuyer market desires and begin sprucing things up with those features in mind.
For example, homebuyers make higher offers on homes that:
- Have adequate weatherproofing and protection
- Are energy efficient
- Have beautiful landscaping (curb appeal!)
- Offer inviting outdoor living spaces
Do what you can to create the essence of these, even if your home isn’t in perfect shape. A little buff and polish goes a long way, and your real estate agent will guide you toward improvements with the biggest return on your investment (ROI).
3. DO: Declutter, clean up, and neutralize the interior
Clients frequently ask, “how can I sell my home fast?” Decluttering and neutralizing the interior are at the top of our answer list. While investors can look through all kinds of muck and mayhem to see the way forward, most homebuyers want to envision themselves living in the home more immediately.
- If your home is cluttered or dirty, get busy clearing out the extras and clean it from top to bottom.
- Could the walls benefit from a fresh coat of paint? The small investment you make by repainting will come back to you via increased buyer interest.
- If you have family pictures and personalized collectibles covering walls and furniture surfaces, pack up the majority and leave all but the essentials in place.
- Trust your agent if they recommend professional staging.
The good news is the time you spend decluttering and cleaning up now means easier packing once the house sells.
3 things you DON’T want to do during a home sale
1. DON’T: Undertake major remodels or renovations
We mentioned above that you DO want to focus on cosmetic improvements that benefit the overall welcoming aesthetic of your house. That said, you don’t want to spend more than necessary on remodels or renovations. There are two reasons for this.
First, you want to improve the house enough for it to move while still optimizing your ROI through the final sales price. Second, in most cases, most buyers want to do some level of improvements to make the house their own. Your real estate agent can walk you through which pre-sale improvements make sense and which don’t, with respect to a decent ROI.
2. DON’T: Sell without representation from an experienced agent
We understand the temptation to sell the house on your own and reap the benefits of not paying a commission. However, an FSBO (For Sale By Owner) sale is not the way to go. By and large, FSBO deals leave money on the table, take longer to sell, and put you at risk for litigation down the road.
In almost all cases, homes on the market “for sale by owner:”
- Are poorly marketed
- Miss out on highlighted attention by the area’s collective real estate agencies
- Aren’t featured on popular online real estate sites (like Zillow, Redfin, etc.)
Research shows that sellers using an experienced real estate agent make more money on the sale of their home, even when taking agent commission into the picture.
2. Don’t lower the sales price without approval from your agent
Yes, we’re in a seller’s market and that means the average home moves faster than normal. Even so, the average west Volusia county home is on the market for an average of 30 to 45+ days before it sells.
Don’t rush to lower the sales price of your home because you didn’t get the offer you wanted or it isn’t gaining anticipated traction from interested buyers. Be honest with your agent, share your concerns, and ask the right questions before thinking about lowering the price.
Selling a Home in Volusia County?
Are you ready to sell your home? Schedule an appointment with Southern Exclusive Realty. We have hundreds of successful real estate sales under our belts and our experience means we’ll steer you through all the dos and don’ts necessary to sell your house and move you forward into the next exciting chapter.
