| By Jeanette Joy
Fisher Changing Seller's
Market
There are still several months
left in 2006, but if you're hoping to sell your home by
the end of the year, it's time for you to get busy. The
reason? This year has proved to be far more difficult year
for sellers than last year's record-setting market was.
The real estate market in 2006 has been characterized by a
distinct move toward buyers. Selling a home is no longer
just a simple matter of pounding a sign in the yard and
then waiting for buyers to bid aggressively for the right
to buy. As 2006 rolled along, the growing " buyer's
market" was caused by an oversupply of homes for sale and
an undersupply of qualified buyers.
Nationwide, the volume of home sales has continued to
decrease slightly, according to the National Association
of Realtors, although the median price of homes in most
areas has remained about the same. What that translates to
is that a full-scale price correction hasn't taken place,
but the days of double-digit price inflation are gone, at
least for the foreseeable future.
Home Selling Tips
To help beat the odds, you'll need to become a motivated
seller, which is a buzz word buyers look for when
searching for potential homes, especially when they're
being given more and more houses from which to choose. If
you're going to attract a buyer quickly, you've got to be
conscientious in marketing your home.
Start by making sure your price is very competitive. Thus
far, 2006 hasn't been a year for testing the water. It's
been a year for becoming a fiercely competitive seller,
and one of the tools at your disposal is the price of your
home. If you're not prepared to be realistic about your
home's price, chances are you should stay put and wait for
the market to improve.
You'll also need to spruce up and clean up your home. In a
buyer's market, your home has to look its best at all
times if it's going to stand out from the competition.
Repaint your home, inside and out, to make it look and
feel fresh and clean. Painting is the most cost effective
improvement you can make when marketing a home.
Look around your house and repair, paint, or clean
everything you see that will create a negative impression
in a buyer's mind. If you've lived in your home for a long
time, it can be very helpful to ask a friend to walk
through and make comments on the things they see that you
might have missed simply because you've lived with them
for so long.
Pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms. These
are deal breakers if they're not spotless and inviting, so
keep them clean and uncluttered. They're the two most
important rooms in a house, as far as buyers are
concerned, so don't neglect them.
It's a much tougher market out there in 2006 than it has
been in the past five years, so if you want to become a
successful seller, you'll have to adopt new strategies to
give your home an edge in a buyer's market.
Sell Your Home
for Top Dollar Fast with the Design Psychology Edge!
Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher
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