{"id":5427,"date":"2017-07-28T12:20:28","date_gmt":"2017-07-28T18:20:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.virtuance.com\/?p=5427"},"modified":"2018-09-06T12:23:58","modified_gmt":"2018-09-06T18:23:58","slug":"sell-house-6-tips-entice-buyers-record-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.virtuance.com\/member\/blog\/sell-house-6-tips-entice-buyers-record-time\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Sell a House: 6 Tips to Entice Buyers in Record Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Daniel Bortz | Source: Realtor.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"how_sell_house_6_tips_virtuance\"<\/a>
Photo by Virtuance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most homeowners about to\u00a0put their place on the market are most concerned with two things: getting a good price and unloading their property as quickly as possible. After all, time is money, right? The last thing you want is for your home to sit on the market for months without any viable offers.<\/p>\n

Below are six shortcuts you can take to make selling your house easier and faster. None of ’em will break the bank.\u00a0In fact, some of these efforts don’t require any cash at all.<\/p>\n

1. Shrink your staging costs<\/h2>\n

Staging your home, which entails hiring a decorator to make your house aesthetically appealing to a prospective buyer, usually pays off big-time. On average, staged homes\u00a0sell 88% faster and for 20%<\/a>\u00a0more than unstaged ones. But staging can be\u00a0expensive<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Stagers typically charge $300 to $600 for an initial design consultation, and $500 to $600 per month per room. Most professional stagers also require a three-month minimum contract, even if you sell the home in 24 hours, says real estate professional\u00a0Crystal Leigh Hemphill<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So, if you were selling\u00a0a 2,000-square-foot home, staging it\u00a0could cost you over $7,000\u2014ouch!<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re on a budget, there\u2019s a cheaper alternative.\u00a0Virtual staging<\/a>\u00a0is a service where tech-savvy professionals take photos of empty (or poorly furnished) rooms and then use photo-editing software to add pretty couches, tables, and other furnishings. These doctored photos can make your online listing more appealing to home buyers. The best part? Virtual staging costs only around $100 per room\u2014and there\u2019s no extra charge per month, because\u00a0you\u2019re not renting\u00a0furniture<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whether you opt for real or virtual staging, make sure you don\u2019t overlook the foyer, because\u00a080% of prospective buyers said they know if a home is right for them within seconds of stepping inside, a recent\u00a0survey by BMO Financial Group<\/a>\u00a0found.<\/p>\n

2. Boost curb appeal<\/h2>\n

Home buyers form their first impression when\u00a0they pull up to your house. It\u2019s no surprise, then, that\u00a0curb appeal<\/a>\u2014how your home looks from\u00a0the outside\u2014can boost your property’s\u00a0sales value by up to 17%, a\u00a0Texas Tech University study found<\/a>. Yes, primping your home’s\u00a0exterior can set you back, moneywise. For example, professional landscaping (which can include installing a stone walkway, planters, shrubs, and trees) costs an\u00a0average $3,219, according to\u00a0HomeAdvisor.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To cut costs, you can opt for a less-intensive standard lawn care treatment\u2014including six applications of fertilizer and weed control\u2014which costs on average $330 but yields a whopping 303% return, according to the National Association of Realtors\u00ae\u00a02016 Remodeling Impact Report<\/a>. Or roll up your sleeves and tend to the front yard with your own two hands. (Pro tip: Many cities offer free mulch to residents, says\u00a0Sarah Hutchinson<\/strong>of\u00a0LandscapingNetwork.com<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

3. Forget about snail mail marketing<\/h2>\n

While some\u00a0real estate agents<\/a>\u00a0still recommend\u00a0sellers send mailers to people in the community to announce their new listing, direct mail costs money. A free alternative is social media marketing\u2014promoting your listing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.\u00a0You could\u00a0even create a Twitter account for your house like\u00a0this<\/a>\u00a0savvy real estate agent in a Chicago suburb.<\/p>\n

To increase how many shares your listing gets, include\u00a0a video tour, floor plan, and\u00a0professional photos<\/a><\/span>\u00a0with your listing.<\/p>\n

4. Brighten\u00a0up the living space<\/h2>\n

No buyer wants to walk into a dark, dreary house. Fortunately, there are several low-cost ways you can\u00a0improve\u00a0the lighting in your home<\/a>. Wall\u00a0mirrors<\/a>\u00a0amplify light, so install a few throughout the home (for example, over the fireplace, behind the dining table, in the master bedroom). Swapping out lightbulbs for ones with higher lumens can also “up the intensity of light in the room,\u201d says New York City\u00a0designer\u00a0Jack Menashe<\/strong>. And make sure you remove or push aside heavy drapery in order to let in more natural light.<\/p>\n

5. Promote energy-efficient upgrades<\/h2>\n

Making your home more energy-efficient\u2014say, by insulating the attic,\u00a0installing a programmable thermostat<\/a>, or weatherstripping doors and windows\u2014can be a huge selling point to home buyers. After all, a typical American family spends nearly $2,000 a\u00a0year on their home energy bills, according to Energy.gov; much of that money, however, is wasted on air leaks and drafts.<\/p>\n

So, if your home\u2019s energy bills are considerably low, you can provide prospective buyers with an\u00a0energy audit<\/a>\u2014a $200 to $400 report from a professional that shows just how energy-efficient your home is. In fact, home buyers are willing to pay more for a home that has lower utility costs; on average, they\u2019ll shell out\u00a0an additional $10,732 upfront to save $1,000 a year in utilities, the National Association of Home Builders reports.\u00a0That might\u00a0explain why 94% of home buyers recently surveyed by NAHB said they want Energy Star\u2013rated appliances.<\/p>\n

6. Build buzz in advance<\/h2>\n

You need to do\u00a0everything you can to get people talking about your house before it hits the market. This includes promoting your home on all your social media channels, sending\u00a0a mass email to your network, and knocking on neighbors\u2019 doors. Another clever way to build buzz is to have a\u00a0garage sale<\/a>, where you can drum up interest\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0sell some of your old “junk.” (Bonus: Clearing out your house\u00a0will make it easier for you to move later.)<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, your real estate agent should be spreading the word that your home is coming on the market soon to clients, investors, developers, and other agents. Who knows\u2014you might\u00a0even receive an offer before your scheduled\u00a0listing date and avoid the hassle of putting your house on the market\u00a0altogether.<\/p>\n

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