As top-selling real estate agents, we see a lot of clients who have been tricked by real estate myths. Some of these are pretty harmless, but others can seriously affect your home sale. Unfortunately, because the real estate market is so competitive these days, even a small disadvantage can be the difference between getting the full amount of what your home is worth and being stuck with a bad deal.
When it comes to selling a home, home owners don’t always have the same priorities. Some owners want to sell their home for the most money possible, while others are more concerned with finding out how to sell a house fast.
Many people believe that these two priorities are irreconcilable. After all, it makes sense that spending more time selling your home would lead to you getting a higher price, right?
WRONG
This myth, that taking your time to sell a home will get you more money, is one of the most damaging lies out there about real estate. Simply put, taking things too slowly as a seller will severely damage your ability to make money on your home. This can be especially disastrous if you are buying and selling a house at the same time and want to get the most money during your home sale.
I want to make sure that home owners are completely satisfied with their home sale, so I am going to break down exactly why believing this myth is a common home selling mistake — as well as how you can actually sell your house quickly and for a great price.
Misbelief #1: More Time = Better Marketing
Any agent worth their salt will tell you how important good marketing is for a home sale. If you have a clear, effective strategy for sharing information about your home with buyers, you stand to make a lot more money on the sale. This is because having more buyers interested in your home can potentially drive a bidding war and increase the sale price.
However, it is false to believe that good marketing is the same thing as spending more time on the market. The top-selling real estate teams are proactive when sharing and advertising your home — this means that they can attract as many buyers as possible very quickly.
If an agent is telling you that leaving your home on the market for a longer time in order to advertise it is a good idea, then you need to take your business elsewhere. Not only is that agent perpetuating false, outdated home selling myths, but it’s likely that they don’t have a good marketing strategy!
Misbelief #2: It Takes A Long Time For The Right Buyer To Arrive
One of the toughest parts of selling a home is attracting the right buyer to your home. When you have an interested buyer who falls in love with your house, it can ensure that you get the full value out of the property.
The thing is, finding the right buyer does not mean that you have to leave your home on the market for a long time. The most valuable asset that you can have when trying to attract a highly motivated buyer is your agent.
Not only can your real estate team bring high-quality buyers to your home with targeted marketing techniques, but their connections are going to be very important for your sale. In particular, a good agent will be able to help you sell your house off-market. An off-market sale is a situation where you do not list your home on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), instead selling directly to a motivated buyer. This means that you don’t need to worry about when the best time to sell your house is!
Off-market sales can be a great way to protect yourself while still selling quickly, no matter the market conditions, and still get a good price. Because you don’t have to worry about hurting your leverage, you can focus on finding the best possible buyer for your home.
Why Selling Faster is Also Selling Better
The truth of the matter is, leverage is key when you are selling a home. This is part of the reason why being a home owner in a seller’s market is such a boon. If there is more demand from buyers than there is supply from sellers, then you have more negotiating power when it comes time to make a deal.
The same idea applies to other aspects of selling your home, too. And, as it turns out, one of the worst ways to damage your leverage is to leave your house on the market for too long. When your home stays up for sale for too long, it can show buyers that you are desperate to sell — and this will severely hinder your negotiation power.
If you sell your home quickly, conversely, you retain as much of the upper hand as possible at the closing table. This means that you can get much more for your home if it stays on the market for a short time.
Some people think that they can get around this by repeatedly taking their home down off the MLS and re-listing it. While this will “reset” the Days on Market statistic, smart agents will know to look for whether or not the property was withdrawn and re-listed. If you choose to take your home down and put it back up, there’s a good chance that potential buyers will find out — and when they do, it will damage your bargaining power even more.
How to Sell a Home Faster
Of course, selling a home quickly is easier said than done. It’s true that getting your home sold fast is a great way to get the most money for your home, but not everyone knows how to get the deal done quickly.
Here are a few ways that you can take care of your sale faster:
Use an Instant Offer Program
If speed alone is the most important part of the process for you, consider looking into an Instant Offer Program. When you use one of these programs, you can get a ready-to-go offer on your home in just 24 hours. It also allows you to avoid the hassle of staging, showings, and open houses.
Make Sure You are Working With a Good Agent
Having the right real estate team on your side is the difference between a great home sale and a miserable one.
It’s that simple.
Not only will a high-quality team be able to improve your home sale with top-notch marketing and off-market sales opportunities, but they can raise your home value in other ways. When it comes time to close the deal, for instance, you’ll want the best negotiator possible on your side!
Experience is incredibly important for real estate agents, so it’s a good idea to list your home with a team that has a track record of success. And, if you are interested in selling your home in Washington DC or anywhere in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area, then there is no one with more success than the Keri Shull Team!
The Keri Shull Team is the top-selling real estate team in the DC area, helping hundreds of families sell their homes every year. We are able to sell homes faster, for a better price, and with 0 stress to you thanks to our innovative marketing techniques and off-market programs.
In fact, we are so confident that we can sell your home better than any agent, we will GUARANTEE your home sale!
If you want to learn more about how our team can help you get your home sold quickly and for a great price, then contact the Keri Shull Team today! Just click here to schedule a time to speak with one of our expert agents in a free, no-pressure Home Value Consultation!
