Areas of Focus For Home Sellers When Preparing for Photographers

Your home needs to look its best for photographs when it comes time to sell. Here’s where you need to focus your attention when preparing.

Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report

Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access

According to the National Association of Realtors, 87% of homebuyers start their search online. This is why it’s so important that when you get your house ready to take pictures, you make sure that it is top-notch, primed, and ready to take the best pictures possible for when we display it online. Here are the three most important areas you need to focus on to make sure your photos turn out great:

1. Curb appeal. You only get one chance to make a first impression. It’s really important that you make a good one as soon as the buyers pull up to the home. Make sure the garage door is closed and clean, dust off the cobwebs, pressure wash the sidewalk, and make sure your landscaping is clean. When buyers walk up, you want to have a clean and orderly look to make the best possible impression.

Look at each room through a photographer’s eyes.

2. Kitchens. Make sure the counter is clear of everything because we want as much counter space as possible for pictures. How you live and function in a home is different than how you market and present a home. You’re going to look at the room through a photographer’s eyes. People, including your neighbors and family, will be looking at these pictures online through that same lens.

3. Restrooms. Clear the countertops off here as well and make sure all personal items are put away. The toilet seat should be put down, linen closets should be shut, and hair products on the counter and in the shower need to be put away.

These are three of my best tips, but if you want a copy of my full house photo shoot guidelines, give me a call or send me an email today. I’d be happy to get one sent out to you. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Why Should You Hire a Realtor to Sell Your Home?

Selling your home is a complex process and nearly impossible to do on your own. Here are five advantages of hiring a Realtor to assist you.

Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report

Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access

There are many benefits of using a Realtor when it comes to listing your home. Here are five of the most important ones:

1. Pricing. It’s important to work with a Realtor because they are the expert on what your home can sell for. Working with a Realtor will help you form realistic expectations about what your home may sell for. They will take all of the available online data, interpret it, and make sure that they price your listing right. You don’t want to price too high, as doing so will cause your listing to sit on the market for longer than necessary. When this happens, buyers may begin to suspect that something is wrong with your home. Pricing too low, on the other hand, could prevent you from earning the best possible price. This is why working with a Realtor is so important. Agents are trained to analyze market data and strategize accordingly so that you can price your home just right.

2. Marketing. I think this is the most important aspect of selling your home. Did you know that 87% of homebuyers start their search online? Because of that fact, you need to make sure that you have a great online presence. Most Realtors stick to the “three p’s”: Placing a sign in the yard, putting the home on the MLS, and praying they get an offer. We do all of that, but also add a fourth “p” — promotion. We do everything we can to get the home out to as many potential buyers as possible so that it gets sold.

It’s not a done deal until it’s a closed deal.

3. Security. When you’re scheduling showings, you don't want just any person to come into your house. By working with a Realtor, most of the time we know exactly who is coming into the home. We know other Realtors in the area and most of the time they will only be showing it to pre-approved buyers.

4. Negotiations. This is a big one. Buying and selling a home is a very emotional process, especially if you’ve lived in the home for a long time. You see all the memories in the house and while it’s an emotional process for you, at the end of the day it’s a business transaction. It’s important that it’s treated as such to make sure it gets the home sold.

5. Getting you to the closing table. It’s not a done deal until it’s a closed deal. Within the contract, you’re going to have timelines, deadlines, and terms to meet. As Realtors, it’s our job to make sure you do your part and the buyer does their part. Our ultimate goal is to get you to the closing table and get your home sold.

If you have any other questions for me about today's market or want to learn about some more benefits of hiring a Realtor when selling your home, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Being a Seller in a Multiple Offer Situation

If you want to generate multiple offers for your home sale and pick the best one possible, listen to your Realtor when pricing your home and look at each offer carefully.

Selling in the greater Houston area? Get a market analysis report

Purchasing in the greater Houston area? Get full MLS access

As a seller, there is a way to be smart about handling a multiple offer situation. 

When you start the process of selling your home, you have to make a shift in your perception. This is business. You’re selling a product in a large market that will dictate many of your decisions. You can choose to ignore the market, but to do so is risky, and it’s a decision most people end up regretting. 

There are many risks in pricing your home too high—the most important being you will sell it for less than if you would’ve just priced it appropriately to begin with. 

Why don’t buyers make offers on overpriced listings? They don’t want to offend the seller. It goes against human nature to offer substantially less than asking price to the seller. It’s insulting to them and embarrassing for the buyer. Buyers erroneously believe that the seller knows the home is overpriced, and if they would be willing to sell the home for less, they would simply lower their price.

Buyers also assume the seller must have turned down lowball offers from other buyers because, surely, someone somewhere down the line offered a reasonable price to the seller. Oftentimes, though, there are no offers at all. As a seller, don’t put yourself in this position. 

How can you generate multiple offers for your home and choose the right one? Now we’re talking business. 

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Don’t put yourself in a position where no offers are coming in.

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If you’re dreaming of a quick sale, listen to your Realtor regarding your home’s market value and how to price it. You’re more likely to attract multiple offers for your home if you price it correctly than if you overprice it. Buyers may be willing to pay more than the asking price, but they want it to be their move and based on other buyers also placing bids. Most buyers will run away from a bidding war if they think you already overpriced the house. 

Next, look at each offer carefully—not all of them are created equal. Just because someone offers a few thousand dollars more doesn’t mean their offer is the one to pick. Factors like whether the buyer is pre-qualified or what type of loan they’re using can also affect how solid their offer is. Another factor to consider is whether the buyer has to sell their original home first before they can buy yours. 

There are many aspects of a contract that can be either pros or cons, and you have to dive through all of them to make sure you’re selecting the right offer. Let your real estate agent advise you on which offer is the best. 

If you have any other questions about multiple offers or you’re thinking of buying or selling a home in our market, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help you.