When putting a home up for sale, wanting to find a buyer as quickly as possible is only natural. This is particularly true for homeowners who are looking to relocate within an expedient timeframe. However, depending on where the property is located, the attached asking price and current market demand, there’s a good chance your home will sit on the market for quite a while. So, if you’ve had trouble generating interest in your home, it may be time to step up your game and make the property more enticing to potential purchasers. Sellers who don’t want to let their homes sit on the market for months – or years – should consider the following measures.
Tend to Roof Repairs
Although many homeowners seldom stop to consider the wellbeing of their roofs, roofing serves as one of your household’s foremost defenses against the elements. In the absence of well-maintained roofing, your home is liable to be besieged by excessively chilly and/or swelteringly hot weather. Furthermore, holes in roofs and roofing insulation can pave the way for the formation of mold. Given how important roofing is to the long-term well-being of any home, it behooves sellers to take care of any roof issues in advance of listing their properties.
For starters, you’ll need to have the roof thoroughly inspected by a licensed professional. This person will be able to identify and repair a host of problems in a timely and stress-free manner. While this is liable to cost you a little money, it will ultimately help make the property more appealing to potential purchasers. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone willing to invest in a home with a damaged roof, and if you allow roof issues to remain unaddressed, there’s a good chance you’ll have to settle for a substantially lower asking price. Home sellers looking to take care of outstanding roof issues should jump on the web and search for “roofing companies near me”.
Emphasize Curb Appeal
Since first impressions are vitally important in home sales, curb appeal should be among the top priorities of every seller. After all, if potential buyers are displeased with what they see on the outside, they’re unlikely to want a look at what’s inside. No matter how much your home’s interior has to offer, stepping up the exterior aesthetics is the first step in generating interest.
For starters, if your home’s current paint-job is cracked, peeling or just plain unpleasant to look at, now would be the time to slap on a fresh coat. Secondly, you’ll need to keep your yard nice and tidy throughout the selling process. This means mowing on a regular basis, planting some eye-catching flowers and keeping the grass free of clutter. So, if you have children and/or pets who use the yard as a play area, take care to clean up after them after every outdoor fun session. Painting your front door, getting a new mailbox and repaving cracked driveways are other effective ways to boost curb appeal.
Set a Realistic Asking Price
We all think our homes are invaluable. For many people, these are the places where they raised families and created countless cherished memories. As such, it’s hardly surprising that so many sellers are inclined to set exorbitant asking prices. While there’s no denying the immense sentimental value of countless homes, it’s important for sellers to realize that buyers have no such attachment to the property – and it’s their prerogative to seek the lowest possible asking price.
Although many sellers are tempted to overvalue their homes, setting an unreasonably high price is unlikely to work out well if your property is in an area with waning housing demand. To avoid falling into this trap, sit down with an experienced realtor to hammer out a mutually agreeable asking price.
If you live in a popular area in which housing is in high demand, selling a home can be a painless, stress-free undertaking. However, outside of these very specific circumstances, selling a residence in a timely manner can prove all but impossible. It takes some sellers years to find buyers for their homes, which can be intensely frustrating for anyone hoping to relocate on a timetable. So, if your home’s been sitting on the market for a while and you’re looking for effective ways to generate interest, put the previously discussed tips to good use.