When you’re ready to sell your house, you want to make sure your property makes a good impression on potential buyers. We’re here to share a few tips on how to list your home for sale and present an effective MLS listing.
5 Listing Fails To Avoid
When prospective buyers are looking for a new home, the first impression on the listing is crucial. If your home makes a good impression on the listing, you’re much more likely to get a showing. If your home doesn’t give the “wow” factor on the listing, then your home sale could be unnecessarily delayed.
Here’s 5 things to AVOID when posting your listing:
A listing with no photos
A picture is worth a thousand words. If your home doesn’t provide pictures of your property, buyers are much more likely to ignore your house and move on to something else they can visualize right away.
A listing with poor/dark/confusing photos
Buyers like to get a real sense of the room, not guess it. If your pictures don’t show your home in the best light, you may get overlooked.
A listing with no additional media links
Buyers like to see every angle of the home to get a feel for the layout and size. Additional visual aids like a virtual tour or floor plan enhances the listing.
A listing without room measurements
Buyers want to see room measurements to determine whether your home is big enough for them. Always include measurements on your listing to provide these crucial details for home hunters.
A listing without description of features
You want your home to shine on the listing. Tell potential buyers about your home’s best assets, amenities, the perks of the neighbourhood, everything that makes your home desirable. Without these extra descriptions, your listing will appear bland and forgettable.
A lot of these pitfalls can be combatted in the prepping and staging of your home for sale. Read about ways you can make your home stand out in our article How To Prepare and Stage Your Home For Sale.
Some other great home advice is offered in The 30-Day Guide to Preparing Your House for Sale.
Preparing for Home Showings
Once your home is listed for sale on the MLS, any real estate agent (from your real estate office or from another company) with an interested client must book a showing to see the property. You’ll be contacted to confirm that the time and date for the requested showing works for your schedule.
Showings are typically scheduled in 1 hour time slots, like from 2:00-3:00 pm, for example. If your property is getting a lot of interest, the showings could be shortened to accommodate everyone.
You do not have to be present for the showing. Sellers are usually requested not to be present as it could make the potential buyers uncomfortable. You want to encourage the buyer to take their time. You don’t want to rush a showing of your home.
What’s The Best Schedule For Allowing Showings?
In a perfect world, you, the kids, and the dog are able to go away for 4-5 days so that your home is completely available to agents and buyers. Your home stays tidy and clean, and there’s no naptime or activity schedules to work around. However, in the real world, this often isn’t feasible.
Ensuring that your home is “showcase ready” can be a huge stress. It’s helpful to plan ahead, as much as possible, to help manage the demands of scheduled showings. As the seller, you can say no showings after 8:00 pm or between 2:00-4:00 pm.
Some people require 24 hours notice for bookings. This is convenient for you, as the seller, but could cost you a showing. When agents are out searching with their clients, criteria can change quickly. Often, agents do new home searches in their car after viewing a home. Your property could fit the new criteria. If the buyers are already in your neighbourhood, it’s convenient for them to see it as soon as possible. Asking for a 24-hour notice stalls that process. The buyer might decide to skip your home and move on to something else that has an available showing, causing you to lose a potential buyer.
How Long Will It Take To Get An Offer?
The length of time it takes to get an offer depends on a number of factors. The impression of your listing on MLS, as discussed earlier, is one factor. Another factor is the price of your home. Your REALTOR® will assist you with a recommended sale price. They will take into account the current market statistics, as well as the pricing of comparable properties to your home.
If you price near market value you should sell within the average time. An overpriced home takes a lot longer. For example, if you’ve been on the market for 60 days when comparable homes in your neighbourhood take an average of 2 weeks to sell, that’s a good indication that your home could be overpriced.
A REALTOR® will help guide you through this whole process. For more information on home pricing, check out How To Price Your Home For Sale.
Conclusion
We hope these tips on how to list your home for sale have been helpful as you look ahead to selling your home.
For more information about buying or selling in Port Alberni, don’t hesitate to contact one of our Port Alberni REALTORS®.
