Are you ready to sell your home in today’s hot market? Have you already found your next home and are itching to get through the selling process? Or perhaps you’re just starting to prepare your home for the market and are looking for guidance on next steps so you can attract the right potential buyers.
Selling your home can be a lengthy process, and the process to get your home ready to sell is crucial to the success of your home sale. In this article, we’ll share with you our checklist for selling your home in Oakland and the East Bay.
Attracting The Right Buyer In Today’s Market
Home sales definitely took a hit last year, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown regulations, but many housing markets have been recovering and are moving closer to a state of normality.
While New York is often seen as one of the most competitive markets in the country, it was hit particularly hard by COVID-19, and so far this year, Salt Lake City, San Diego, and Spokane, WA have the highest bids. Here in the East Bay in California, real estate is also extremely competitive, with homes selling around 12 days after their listing date and going well above asking price.
Of course, if you can attract the right buyer for your home sale, you don’t even have to live in a particularly competitive area. How successful you are as a seller will depend heavily on your marketing strategy and what kind of help you get.
The real estate market tends to be fierce in any area, and you’ll need to make sure you’re well-prepared in the pre-listing phase, before putting your home on the market as a new listing. Here are just a few tips on the selling process you should consider as you go through your seller’s checklist.
Related: 3 Tips To Selling Your Home Faster In Oakland And The East Bay
Step #1: Find A Real Estate Agent Who Knows Your Area
Do You Really Need An Agent When You Sell Your Home?
While some homeowners are tempted to try to save money on agent commissions when by putting their house up under a for sale by owner (FSBO) listing, this isn’t generally recommended, especially if you’re a first-time home seller.
The dangers of going the FSBO route include not understanding the true market value, increased likelihood of a poor showing, greater challenges with advertising, and a much tougher time getting a top-dollar offer, just to name a few.
Finding The Right Real Estate Agent When Selling Your Home
Getting into the real estate business requires a great deal of commitment to get through the educational requirements and passing license exams. Real estate professionals can’t succeed unless you do, so you can believe that they have your best interests in mind when they search for potential buyers.
Of course, there’s more to being a good agent than obtaining a license. You might also want to look for real estate agents with additional certifications, such as a membership to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), which will mean that they are bound by strict ethical guidelines.
Make Sure Your Agent Has Experience In Your Immediate Area
Real estate here in the East Bay is hyperlocal. So, in order for a real estate agent to be a good fit to sell your house, your realtor needs to be experienced with home sales in your immediate area.
Whether you’re going through a broker to find your agent or you’re checking on local real estate sites, make sure to thoroughly vet potential real estate agents before engaging them for your home sale.
See where the majority of their real estate transactions take place and look to see if they’ve been selling homes similar to your current home. It’s also a good idea to call each real estate agent directly before interviewing any of them to get a first impression of their customer service and how they treat potential clients.
While you’re at it, you can ask them how they intend to do a comparative market analysis (CMA) to come up with a pricing strategy and determine the fair market value of your home.
MLS, IDX, And Off-Market Transactions
If you think your home might be a challenge to sell, then you might want to ask each realtor if they use a multiple listing service (MLS) with internet data exchange (IDX) as a contingency, and what their stance on off-market listings is.
An MLS is a great way for multiple brokerages to see different homes for sale and try to come up with the best offer. Ultimately, working with a real estate agent is going to make your marketing plan and next steps much easier.
They can even be an effective way to help you stick to a timeline and budget for any adjustments, upgrades, or necessary repairs to increase your home’s value for the appraisal. You don’t want to needlessly borrow money from a lender to make changes that you wouldn’t find in similar homes anyway.
As for off-market transactions, they can be a great way to find the right buyer for your home without going through the rigamarole of listing it on the market. An experienced realtor can help you navigate the best strategy for your home.
Step #2: Determine The Best Way To Stage Your Home
Staging Your Home
No amount of detailed descriptions on social media are going to bring in potential buyers without something impressive to show them. Your house will need to be in good working order for the home inspection anyway, so this is the best time to prepare your home and get it looking great while you’re preparing it for market.
Naturally, home prep involves decluttering and deep cleaning, as well as removing your personal belongings (even family photos of married couples) to make your house look like a new home.
Beyond that, however, you’ll want your realtor to go down their real estate marketing checklist and provide recommendations for staging your home. You may want to bring in a professional stager, and you’ll definitely want a professional photographer.
Professional Photos & Video
Digital marketing largely relies on professional photos that show off your home’s best features, such as large closets, new countertops, or brand-new appliances, not to mention any renovations you may have made.
Professional photography is also great for your agent’s real estate website, Facebook ads, and anything else you use to bring clicks and boost your online presence. It’s also a great idea to film a walkthrough of your own home, so buyers can take a virtual tour online.
Of course, potential buyers will likely want to see your house in person, and holding an open house is a great opportunity for that. This means that you can’t afford to neglect your home’s curb appeal, either.
Curb Appeal When Selling Your Home
This basically refers to how appealing your home looks from the outside, and it’s an easy way to make a great first impression. Homebuyers will be impressed with a home that looks so good it could be on a postcard, and the good news is that with some simple yard work, a fresh coat of paint on the front door, and cleaned up siding, you’ll be doing yourself a big favor from the start.
Conversely, having next to no curb appeal is a huge red flag. Any serious buyer will want to see your house in person, and the buyer’s agent may accompany them for a home inspection of their own. It will be a lot of work, but it’s important to accommodate any potential homebuyer, since you never know who might make a competitive offer, or even a cash offer.
Step #3: Prepare The Paperwork Ahead Of Time
Even if you feel like you’ve shown your home to all the prospective buyers in the area, you never know how soon someone will be ready to close, so you and your agent need to be ready at a moment’s notice.
Failing to meet a close date due to poor preparation can tank the sale of your home or cause your home to fall out of contract, even in a seller’s market.
Be sure to work with your agent during the pre-listing phase to ensure you have your home inspection completed, termite report done, marketing plan in place, and other disclosures ready so you can maximize your chances for success.
Timeline To Get Your Home On The Market
Many first-time sellers mistakenly think that they can list their home on the market within days or a week of making the decision to sell. In reality, the process can take quite a bit longer, especially when done right.
Even if you’re not set on selling yet and are just thinking about your options, it’s a great idea to meet with an agent well in advance of when you need to sell so that you have plenty of time to make a plan to optimize the sale of your home.
Ideally, you should be talking to an agent several months before you’d like to sell your home. In the months leading up to the sale, you’ll work with your agent to strategize around needed repairs, complete cosmetic updates like paint and new light fixtures, price your home competitively, clean and stage your home, have professional photos taken, and much more.
Want to know how you can optimize the sale of your home? Take our quiz!
Are You Ready To Sell Your Home In Oakland Or The East Bay?
If you’re looking to sell your home, today’s hot market can be a great time – as long as you’re utilizing the right strategies to attract the right buyers for your home.
Start by reaching out to our team today for a free no-strings-attached consultation. You can also reach out directly via phone or text at (510) 995-0035.
We’ll share our wisdom and advice on your particular sales needs, and if it makes sense, we can help you get your home ready for the market.
