At Burnett Real Estate Team, a question we get asked a lot is “how long will it take to sell my home?” How long it takes to sell a home in Bentonville depends on many factors, including the type of home, neighborhood, and the real estate market in general.
There are, however, a few things to keep in mind if you want to sell your home quickly. Consider these tips for the best results.
Stage Your Home
Believe it or not, many home buyers just aren’t all that imaginative. Time and again, homes that have furnishings sell faster than those which simply feature empty rooms. And although the best agents can create a picture of how a home can be lived in, it helps to have some form of furniture in place.
While it’s common to have an empty home for sale, utilizing staging furniture is the easy way to help potential buyers see the house’s potential. Some sellers go so far as to bake cookies or even brewing a pot of coffee before showing the property, helping to set the mood for their next dream house. Anything to make it “feel like home” to your potential buyers.
Don’t Forget the Curb Appeal
It’s a common, yet costly mistake to allow a home to become overgrown or have other visual hurdles pop up. Often, sellers are so focused on the inside, that they neglect the outside. And unless you plan on bringing your potential buyers in blindfolded (we don’t recommend that), remember: they’ll see the outside first.
Don’t forget to have your lawn manicured, and to fix any unsightly exterior blemishes such as loose shingles, water stains, broken fencing, etc. A little outside facelift helps set the stage for what your buyers can expect once they walk inside. You want people to smile when they see your home, and to enter with a positive, open mind instead of a skeptical one.
Budget Your Add-Ons
One of the most frequent ways sellers shoot themselves in the foot is by having expensive home renovations or add-ons installed to help boost their chances. However, when these additions are unnecessary, it becomes a tug-of-war between the sellers trying to recoup their expenses and the real estate agent trying to price the property to sell.
Having the only home on your block with an expensive, new solar panel system might be cool, but this is not the time to get it done. Chances are what you spend getting it up and running isn’t going to be worth it to a buyer. In fact, you may even limit your market since not every buyer is looking for a solar-powered home.
Also, a fresh coat of paint or brand new carpet will go a long way towards making a home look fresh and new, but not if the buyer doesn’t like the color or if they buyer doesn’t like carpet. Getting a price for these items and providing them to buyers as an allowance will all the buyer some customization. Or, perhaps they use those allowances as a discount off the purchase price.
In short, don’t go for broke on an expensive upgrade thinking you’ll double the value of your home or turn a profit on the renovation. It usually doesn’t work. Instead, your money is better spent on a fresh coat of paint, or necessary structural upgrades. Your average buyer cares far more about your heating and plumbing systems, or that your roof is 20 years old than if you have a tennis court in the backyard.
“But Wait – There’s More!”
More sellers are sweetening the deal with by including things that have nothing to do with the property being sold. Whether it’s including the classic car parked in the garage, season tickets to a local sports team, or other unique pairings; sometimes sweetening the deal can go a long way.
This doesn’t necessarily have to be a tangible asset, either. Some sellers are including offers that help pay for the closing costs, offering a purchase credit, or even offering to pay for minor repairs. By working with the buyer to get them in, it helps make the sales process go that much smoother, and quicker!
Looking for A Quick Tip?
If you’re interested in buying, or selling a home in the Bentonville area, come see why choosing Burnett Real Estate Team is the best tip of all. Contact Us today and we’ll get back to you as quickly as possible!
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