The process of selling a house can be both exhilarating and demanding. You might need to sell your house soon in order to start your new chapter, but you also want to obtain top cash for it. To ensure the smoothest possible sale of your house or condo in Vancouver, consider these house-selling tips suggested by top Vancouver real estate team.
Selling a Home in Vancouver: Timing is Everything
You want to list your home to align with the times when potential buyers are at their peak. These tend to include:
- Early spring, when buyers are more willing to come out after winter has ended
- Late spring, when families are looking to move into a new home before the school year starts
- Early Fall, when there is an increased demand from families and empty nesters
Spring and Fall tend to be better than the Summer and Winter seasons because most buyers are out of town on vacation or for holidays during Summer and Winter.
Also, consider how many other homes are for sale in your area when you decide to list. Timing your sale with awareness of the local competition can help you sell quickly.
Choosing the Right Listing Realtor
Finding an expert real estate agent who can help you navigate the selling process is one of the first stages in getting ready to sell your house. Find a representative who:
- Specializes in the area you are selling your home
- Recognizes the state of the local market
- Has a track record of selling houses promptly and at the highest price
- Has marketing strategies that are in line with your goals
Your listing realtor is your advocate. They will provide suggestions for enhancements, pricing, marketing tactics, and deal-making. When attempting to maximize the sales price and speed up the selling of your house, this knowledge is priceless.
Home Preparation for Selling Your Vancouver Home
A tiny investment in fixing minor flaws can have a huge overall impact on the sale of your home. A simple method to update the look of your rooms is to fill dents and add a fresh coat of paint to the walls.
Check that everything in the house is in working condition and is looking its best. Replace any burned-out light bulbs and make sure handles are securely fastened. You want to reduce any visual deficiencies that can attract negative attention from potential buyers as they walk through.
Don’t forget the yard. Consider doing some light landscaping and making sure all the grass and greenery are trimmed and neat.
If you have a smaller budget and are unsure of which places would be best focused on, consult your realtor about where to spend your money in order to get a better return.
Price Your Home Right
A home’s ability to sell fast frequently hinges on the price at which it is listed. Your house will probably remain on the market longer if it is overvalued. While you might feel that your home is worth a certain dollar value, buyers might not agree. Put yourself in the shoes of the buyers and imagine what they might be willing to spend for your home.
When choosing your home’s first list price, it’s crucial to keep in mind that overpricing your home at first usually results in underselling it afterward. Getting a home evaluation from your realtor will help you make sure you list your home at a good price to start out with.
You can also take a look at the recent sales in your home’s area and the prices of other homes for sale in the neighborhood. This will give you a better idea of the range your home price should fall in.
Allow Access, Showings, and Open Houses
When dealing with buyers, flexibility is essential. To accommodate potential buyers, be as accommodating as you can with house viewing appointments and timings. Also, make sure you are ready to leave your home while the realtor is showing it to remove any pressure the buyers might feel.
Don’t get frustrated if you have a number of unsuccessful viewings. Selling your home is a numbers game, so the more people your home is exposed to, the better chance you will get a good offer.
Deep Cleaning & Landscaping
What does the exterior of your house look like? What type of impact does it have when people first see it? First impressions can be altered by simply mowing the grass, making a few repairs, and landscaping.
The same goes for the inside of your home. Re-caulk sinks, tubs, and showers and clean the stained grout. Clear out the refrigerator and toss away any empty bottles and jars. Buyers tend to look closley at the kitchen and bathrooms, so make sure to deep clean these areas especially.
Vacuuming should be done a couple of times a week after your house is put on the market. Make sure to keep up with dusting furniture, cleaning ceiling fan blades, and sweeping floors.
Every couple of days, hang up fresh towels. Odors are off-putting to potential buyers, so clean up and ventilate any musty-smelling locations. When you have your open houses, some relators will suggest the old cliche of having baked cookies set out to give your space a more homey feel for buyers.
Depersonalized Your Space
You need to depersonalize your house when you sell it, so remove your family portraits. You want to encourage potential buyers to picture themselves living in your property, not be distracted by images of the previous owners. Depersonalizing a space also includes special furniture items, individualized accents, and collections of knickknacks. Neutrality is the goal of depersonalization.
Highlight the Features of the House That Are Not Visible
You are the greatest person to highlight your home’s wonderful attributes because you are the one who knows it best. Make sure your realtor knows all the little details that make your home special, like the improvements you made to all the light fixtures or the crown molding that was just installed. Having your realtor share features about the neighborhood, like local amenities or “hidden gems,” can also be a selling point for potential buyers. Making sure your house is presented in the best possible light will undoubtedly affect how quickly it sells.
Innovative Marketing: Be Ahead of the Curve
Selling your home is not just about posting videos and photos online anymore. Today, sellers need to have complete, detailed marketing strategies in order to get their homes in front of the perfect buyers. One important aspect to note is that you should be ensuring that your realtor is actively highlighting the features of your home when they are showing it, not just being there to open the door.
Social media is the perfect place to start advertising your home. Both you and your realtor should be sharing your home and listing information online with various groups. Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram are great visual platforms to help show off your home.
To compliment your social media efforts, also consider having print marketing materials created to hand out in your local area. Flyers and brochures with your professional photos and home details are great for leaving at local businesses or as handouts for open house visits.
When you start scheduling your open house time, consider having an extended timeline. Instead of being open from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., give a full four hours and be open from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. This gives people interested who might work or have to pick up the kids after school time to still come and see your home.
Work With a Trusted Realtor to Sell Your Home in Vancouver
You want to get the most money for your house when you sell it. Therefore, you should avoid listing your house before it is prepared to sell. You can increase the bids you receive and speed up the sale of your house by being well-prepared and working with the right local real estate agent.
Jacob & Jacky Real Estate Team helping home sellers since 2004. Experience matters, call or email us for a complimentary consultation.
