It’s important to note a few critical Columbia SC home selling tips when getting ready to put your house on the market. Real estate experts say home staging can be extremely important in the appeal to prospective buyers. Keep these suggestions in mind for the best results:
Proven Columbia SC Home Selling Recommendations
Think of Your Home as a Movie Set
Look at your home as if you were directing a motion picture. Try to envision your home’s rooms from another person’s perspective. Put away all excess items including excess personal possessions such as family photos, knick-knacks and collectibles. Remember, less is more when it comes to successful Columbia SC home selling. Your furnishings can remain, but make sure they complement the room without overpowering it with too much color or by taking up too much space. Try repositioning the furniture and experimenting with what looks best "through the movie camera’s lens." The trick is, after all, to make the rooms in your home appear as large and clutter-free as possible. In addition, it may help to add a few subtle accessories like a few candles, fresh flowers or a few sofa pillows.
Keep it Clean.
As the old adage goes, "you only get one chance to make a good first impression." Put your home’s best foot forward by making sure it’s as clean as possible. Look for dust traps and clean spaces that sometimes are overlooked, such as window sills, storage cabinets, laundry rooms and other places that may be more closely inspected by home buyers. Consider hiring a cleaning company. It’s always a good idea to "have another pair of eyes" looking at your home objectively — just as a prospective purchaser will.
Pay attention to outside details. Clean porch light fixtures and pressure wash brick, siding, decks or porches if they need it. Spruce up the landscaping by removing or cutting back dead or unsightly shrubbery. Trim the hedges and weed the flower gardens. A nice job of edging will also give your home optimum curb appeal and ultimately improve your Columbia SC home selling efforts.
Make it Inviting.
The key to making your property stand out above the others on the market is to create a connection between a potential buyer’s imagination and your home. If a prospect can envision themselves living in your home they are more likely to build an interest in it that may lead to an offer. Keep your rooms well lit — preferably with natural lighting — by opening blinds or curtains. Proper lighting creates an inviting appeal to the mind's eye.
Define Rooms in Your Home.
One last Columbia SC home selling idea is to make sure the rooms in your home communicate their purpose. Quite simply, if you have a spare bedroom that has become a storage room, return it to its original purpose. If you have a home office, keep it as organized and presentable as possible. That will assist prospects in being able to see themselves using such a space for their bill-paying, working from home office, or other activities.
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A Columbia SC home that's priced correctly and has an overall general appeal should sell within 30-45 days in a good housing market. That's the consensus among most real estate agents and industry experts. When a sale doesn't occur in that timeframe, some home sellers and real estate agents can get discouraged, frustrated and antsy. It makes matters even worse when homes in your neighborhood with less time on the market sell quicker than yours!
What to do to Sell Your Columbia SC Home
A typical scenario goes like this: The real estate agent may recommend a price reduction. The home seller senses the agent wants to make a quicker sale. Within the first few weeks of the house being on the market there exists a discord between seller and real estate agent. Agents know from experience — the longer your Columbia SC home stays on the market without much movement — it loses momentum, newness and interest. It's soon replaced with dozens of others that may be more attractive simply because they are new listings. Plus, prospective purchasers will adopt a mindset that a particular house is undesirable if it's on the market for awhile.
Consider these ideas to spur more offers on your Columbia SC home:
Real estate professionals agree that location, condition and price are the key elements in why some homes sell faster than others. Because the location can't be changed, let's focus on the other elements.
A Columbia SC home that's been on the market for several months with few showings or offers is a candidate for reassessing its condition and its asking price.
As a seller, you could be getting feedback from potential buyers and/or their agents about certain features of your home. If it's something that can be changed or improved, consider taking your home off the market and performing the work that is necessary to help the house "show" better. Many times it could be minor flaws or cosmetic blemishes that can be rectified easily and relatively inexpensively.
If the home's condition isn't an issue, or if the seller is unwilling to take the time or spend the money to make necessary changes, the remaining option may be to reduce the asking price. Hopefully, you and your real estate agent discussed the sales price at great length prior to listing your home. However, market conditions change and some homes move faster than others — and for a variety of reasons.
So, it's probably a good idea to reassess where you and your real estate agent are in your relationship. If you're not thinking the same way on the sales price, strategy, staging and timing, something has to give. Changing real estate agents can sometimes be the only remedy to a frustrating situation.
If you're thinking of selling your Columbia SC home or if you're contemplating hiring a new agent, meet with him or her and discuss your plans and needs. A good agent will listen to what you want, and a smart client will listen to the trusted real estate professional.
Understanding your options in the real estate market is important to ensure your home will sell — even if it takes a little longer than you anticipated. You don't want to price your home too low and leave money on the table. But, if the home is priced too high and you aren't open to reasonable or competitive market offers, it could be on the market for an extended period of time.
Of course, every situation is unique so it's important to select a real estate agent that will work with you to sell your home as soon as possible and for the best price the current market will bear.
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If you’re contemplating selling your Columbia SC home, there are several steps you can take that may help sell it faster than simply lowering the sales price. Here are a few tips that may pique interest from prospective purchasers and maintain your asking price.
Columbia SC Home Selling Tips:
Be Different Than Others in Your Neighborhood
Remember, one of your first jobs is to make your home as appealing to as many potential homebuyers as possible. To do that, you may have to make your home memorable compared to others in your same neighborhood. Home improvements such as upscale windows, a new roof, or new landscaping may not only help differentiate your Columbia SC home from the rest of the pack, but they could add value to your home and even increase your asking price.
But, be careful and show restraint. Not every improvement will pay for itself. Some "improvements” are expected by potential home purchasers. For example, adding a bathroom to a three-bedroom, one-bath home may not increase the value, because those homes are “expected” to have at least two bathrooms. So, before you commit to any improvement you think may enhance your property, consult a Columbia SC home expert to find out the cost versus the reward.
De-Clutter Your House and Yard
Real estate agents say that it’s vitally important to present your home in as pristine a condition as possible. Even though prospects expect your home to have a ”lived-in” look, they want to imagine themselves, their furniture and decor in your home. So it’s probably best to remove excess furniture to create the illusion of larger rooms, as well as storing personal items like “knick-knacks,” trophies and family photographs or portraits. You may also consider hiring a professional Columbia SC home stager to set up your home for the best first impression possible. De-clutter your yard, too. Bikes, toys and yard maintenance equipment should be stored in the garage, tool shed, or temporarily removed during the home-showing process.
Be Prepared to Deal
Offering concessions to prospective purchasers may be an excellent way to move your home faster than others. Things like offering to pay some or even all closing costs will let homebuyers know you’re serious and ready to make a deal. Whenever you can, however, be prepared to figure such concessions into the asking price. Another attractive feature to home shoppers is for you to consider a quicker closing date. Making your Columbia SC home available for a new family to move in sooner may separate you from other properties and lead to a quicker sale.
Create Optimum Curb Appeal
Your home’s curb appeal is more than just a popular real estate phrase. Prospective purchasers often size up a home based solely on what it looks like from their car. A home that doesn’t give a good first impression is probably a home that won’t get a second look. Simple things such as a fresh coat of paint on the trim or shutters and a well maintained lawn, flower garden and shrubbery will go a long way in the eyes of the prospective buyer.
Prepare Your Home for a Smooth Move-in
In addition to curb appeal, aesthetics and de-cluttering, it’s also important that everything be in working order. If you have electrical, plumbing or heating and air conditioning issues, address them before you list your home. Even if you disclose those problems it may dissuade Columbia SC home buyers. They may write your home off as just being too much trouble or too expensive to make it “move-in ready.”
The Price is Right
So, you’ve done all the things suggested and now you’re ready to sell. One last — vital — thing… make sure your price is right! If you’re too high for the market or neighborhood, your home will be ignored. Price it too low and you’ll leave money on the table. It’s best to talk to a real estate agent before you list your Columbia SC home. They can provide comparable sales for your neighborhood. That will assist you in knowing where to start, what to ask for and what to be prepared to sell it for. Remember, all you want is the best price for the value of your home and its improvements — don’t get greedy, that will prolong the time your home is on the market. And “don’t give away the farm,” either. Consider paying for an appraisal in advance to assist with a sales price if you’re unsure of where to start.
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If you're selling your Columbia SC home, part of the staging process is removing valuables and anything that could be harmful before you start showing your home. Buyers do not need the distractions and unfortunately, not everyone is honest.
Preparations for Selling Your Columbia SC Home
Prepare for selling your Columbia SC home by putting away and locking up valuables like money, jewelry, silverware and collectibles. This makes the home show better and buyers won't become fixated on the things in the home instead of the home itself. Your Columbia SC home will sell faster and not linger on the market when it is is in prime selling condition.
Potentially harmful items like guns, ammunition, knives and prescription drugs are items that can tempt a less than honest person. They could also tempt a child that may be along for the ride and none of us wants a child to get hurt. Even something innocent like aspirin or cough syrup could cause physical harm in the wrong hands. To be safe, put it away and totally out of sight when selling your Columbia SC home.
Alcoholic beverages should not be left out either. It's easy enough to put them away in a cabinet so they will not be a distraction. Liquor sitting out shouts at the buyers that the seller really likes to drink. Nothing should stand in the way of a buyer thinking about the house instead of wondering about the seller's personal living habits.
By removing these items before selling your Columbia SC home, the home is in the spotlight, not the valuables, firearms or prescriptions. Think smart and make your Columbia SC home show ready with all valuables and harmful items locked up and safely put away.
Get more tips and articles pertaining to selling your Columbia SC home in the Columbia SC Home Selling Tips section of our site below Columbia SC Real Estate Categories in the column to your right.
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Attention potential sellers sitting on the fence: It could be time to make a move to sell your Columbia SC home now.
Mid-March to mid-April is typically the best time to hang the for sale sign on your Columbia SC home. With homes selling 15% faster and for 2% more than the average sale, according to Zillow, the window tends to be a little earlier for sellers in warmer climates and a little later in colder climates.
"It's still predominately a seller's market, but less so than the last year or two," according to Stan Humphries, Zillow's chief economist. "Some advantages are moving back to buyers; but largely and broadly … it's still favoring the sellers."
Here are four reasons you might want to list your Columbia SC home for sale NOW:
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The level of unsold homes was 4.6 months in February, according to the National Association of Realtors. That means it would take a little less than five months for all available inventory to sell. In a normal market, a five-to-seven month supply is considered balanced, said Danielle Hale, director of housing statistics at the NAR.
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Tight inventory tends to prop up Columbia SC home prices and can result in multiple offers and spur bidding wars.
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But at the same time, low supply is also keeping some sellers in their homes. "They aren't typically going to sell and then rent," explained Hale. If sellers aren't comfortable that they will be able to find a new home, it can keep them off the market. "There needs to be more construction in the market to ease the pressure," she said.
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