How To Upgrade Your House & Attract Prospective Buyers In A Seller’s Market
Attracting the right buyers in a sellers market sounds easy enough. All you have to do is put a FOR SALE sign up on your front lawn and the calls will come piling in with requests to take a tour and place a bid, right? Wrong. Terribly wrong. It’s not that cut and dry. New homeowners, just like upgrading or downgrading homeowners, have standards and they want what they want. If you don’t have most of the things on their list, they’ll turn around and keep looking until they find something more suitable. Don’t worry. Don’t panic. We’re here to help. Below, we have a few ways for you to upgrade your house before you even put it on the market. Then, we’ll list a few tips to attract prospective buyers quickly.
If you don’t already have hardwood floors, switch over.
Hardwood floors don’t only add home resale value to your house, they also make it that much easier for a buyer to say “yes.” Carpets are so hard to clean. Stains play tricks when it’s time to come out. Hair builds up and sticks into the fibers. You can see everything on the carpet! On the reverse side, hardwood floors are easy to clean, easy to spot unwanted items, and stains just aren’t a thing. A quick sweep weekly and a good mopping once a month, you’re good to go.
Freshen up the outside paint.
The first thing a prospective buyer will see is the outside of your home. Outside of how the front lawn and back deck look, the first thing eyes see is the paint on the shingles, or whether or not the siding is intact and up-to-date. Make sure the exterior of your house is ready before tours start. First impressions are everything and you don’t want to deter anyone before they get the chance to walk in and take a look around.
Take the garage area to the next level.
Most homes have a garage today, and if that’s you, you’ll want to keep it relevant and fresh.
How does the door look? A replacement might be necessary before you book showings. The cement leading to the street may need re-paving if there are cracks everywhere with weeds growing every which way, too. Take a look and use your best judgment. If you need any garage upgrades, don’t hesitate to do some research. You’d be surprised when it comes up inexpensive.
Now that you know a few of the most popular home upgrades to win you buyers and a little more money, it’s time to transition over to the second topic at hand. How can you reel those buyers in outside of putting the FOR SALE sign up?
#1 List your house on a Friday.
So many real estate agents and similar professionals say it - going live on a Friday is your best bet. With your listing, include photos that really grab the atten tion of the future homeowners. A virtual tour isn’t a bad idea, either.
#2 Limit the people you let tour your home.
Fear of missing out is popular in today’s day and age, which means if you limit people from coming in and taking a closer look, you’re only going to make them want your house more. Like the old saying goes, you always want what you can’t have. Instead, make sure that tours are only available on certain days and during certain times. Double, even triple book potential buyers. Reign in the competition and see what happens.
#3 Prepare your place before allowing visitors.
Staging your house can win over hearts. That way, when people finally have the opportunity to look at the rooms in your house, they’ll see a neat, nice setup. This will subconsciously get them thinking of what they’d do with the place. Would they set it up the way you did? Would they change anything?
Once that thought process starts, the desire to own the home will set in much quicker.
Take these upgrades, tips, and tricks with you before listing your house on the buyer’s market. You’ll get a little extra cash and set the bar for prospective buyers to come in and take a look around.
Karl Kennedy
Author of ProjectorTop.com