Before you begin to interview real estate agents, you’ll want to walk through your home to assess it’s strongest features. Take note of everything that you'll want the buyer to notice. This way, you can insure that your agent notes it in their marketing materials. With that said, it’s important to understand that your real estate agent may not be able to highlight some of your home’s best features due to Fair Housing Laws. Another blog post will be forthcoming to explain how this applies, but for now, just understand that as agents, we tend to shy away from mentioning anything concerning how great the school district is, or how quiet and safe the neighborhood is. However, one work-around is to prepare a list of websites that describe the neighborhood & local schools so the agent can use it in their marketing materials.
In my experience, the first things buyers consider are factors such as the neighborhood, the school district and the difficulty of the commute to work. Everything starts with location so make sure that you or your agent make that list of websites! If you’re not sure if your neighborhood or school district has a website, contact me and I’ll let you know.
Be sure to write down your list of features. Embrace your home’s character. Whether it's a modern home, traditional, or an older Victorian, the home will speak to a buyer if you let it. The millennial generation has emerged as a dominant force in the housing market. According to the National Association of Realtors’ 2016 study of generational housing trends, millennials (or Generation Y) — those born between 1980 and 2000 — comprise the largest segment of the buyer market (35%), ahead of Generation X (26%), which covers those born between 1965 and 1979. Many of these buyers are looking for newer homes (5 years or less), they’re ideal home will have Smart Home Technology in which means that they can operate the lights, HVAC, security system and other functions via their smartphones. So do a little research to see which cell phone carriers have great service in the house. This is easy, just visit each major carrier’s coverage map and plug in your address. If you have it, you’ll also want to note your homes Large amounts of closets or storage space, Fire places, Eat-in kitchen, laundry room, stainless steel appliances, kitchen island, ensuite master bath, hardwood floors, granite countertops, central air, energy efficiencies, home automation systems, home office etc
I know you're probably thinking that this is what you're hiring your agent to do, and my answer is that you're absolutely right. Your agent certainly should be taking care of all of this, but the reality of the matter is the fact that many agents don't. No one is as concerned about selling property has you are. This is why I'm giving you the tips, tools & strategies to get the job done.