House Buyers – How To Deal With Them

What a huge change from the housing market of just a few years ago. Since it’s officially a buyer’s market, you’re likely to find house buyers who just want the moon – repairs, upgrades, landscaping, appliances, and on and on. Plus, they expect to get a really good deal too. They’re looking for lowball prices, and who can blame them? Mortgage companies are tightening up their lending standards, appraisers are afraid to come in too high in case prices drop even more.

Today’s home buyer is making sure that when they make an offer, it’s not going to fall apart down the road. And they’re also trying to ensure that they aren’t immediately under water when they buy a home, either finding out that the market price is lower than what they paid a few months back, or even worse, that they owe more on their new home loan than the home is worth six months later.

Yet some mortgage lenders are giving potential house buyers the same type of deals they were getting before. It’s still possible to get 100% financing, or just 3% down, for some borrowers. In order to get that kind of financing, everyone involved will have to feel comfortable that the home price is well within the current market, or less. As a home seller, you may want someone to “buy my home” at a high price, but the bottom line is that your home is only worth what a willing buyer will pay for it. And how much they can borrow against it.

Are you prepared to drop your price as a way to sell property fast? You can invest more money in improvements, staging, fixing up things that need repair or touching up cosmetics. But many buyers today simply expect all of that to be done anyway, and aren’t necessarily going to pay you more because the home looks good. Perhaps they’ve been spoiled by the cable home channels who show homes being staged and enhanced to sell, and they expect that you’ve done the same and still are willing to sell at a low price.

As a home seller, you should still invest in everything you can to make the home neutral, attractive, and better than the other homes available in your area. But you will need to walk the fine line between adding those enhancements and spending more money than they will repay in the selling price. Don’t expect that you are going to make a killing on your home price either. The days of doubling your money are pretty much gone, unless you bought your home twenty years ago in a stable market.

Many home owner’s expectations are remaining the same as to believing their home is an investment which has appreciated, even though the going market prices are well below that fantasy value. It’s hard to say “don’t take your home’s worth personally” because so many of us invested our money, time and lives into our homes. This is where our kids grew up, or where we built great relationships with our community. It’s valuable to us, but try not to expect that someone else is going to have the same emotional attachment you have. That attachment is “priceless” and that sometimes means that to a buyer looking at your home, unfortunately, it’s not worth paying extra.

Sell My House Fast – Now!

The stats are not getting a heck of a lot better, month to month – sales of both new and existing homes are down.  But it’s also true that in every market, some homes are selling fast.  The main desire of anyone selling a home today?  “Sell my house fast!”  With so much inventory on the market, how can you get a quick sale?

So why is it that some homes for sale can have many showings after just the first week on the market, and even a quick sale, while other similar homes seem to be left sitting with no buyer attention?  There are plenty of houses that do sell fast using sell house fast techniques.  They are not the norm though, not any longer. It’s mainly a question of how ready your house is to be bought – the house being listed and then sold quickly are best prepared to make the buyer’s decision really easy.  It needs to cry out to the buyer, “buy my house” through being move-in ready, clean, clear of any clutter, and so on.

 Of course price and location as always are the main reason for a property to be appealing to home buyers, but the seller can make up for deficiencies in these areas.  There’s always more behind the scene in preparation than meets a buyer’s eye. Here are several home selling tips to help sell a house quickly and get house buyers to send you offer contracts as quickly as possible.

1.  Start with a top-quality, experienced real estate agent. This might seem obvious, but when you have a well qualified agent is, that experience in your market will make a big difference – and a difference in your favor to sell house quick.

2.  Think like a buyer. Try to look at your house with the eyes of your potential purchaser. What things around your home jump out at you as needing work, or not quite ready for a new resident? If you can’t step outside your personal investment in your home, then ask a friend or neighbor for their honest opinions.

3.  One top tip for a sure fire quick sale is to invest in the most marketing you can afford.  With so many houses on the market today, make your home look special and let buyers know you’re ready to sell. The more buyers you can reach, the better your changes of finding the right person. Many agents who sell property fast have the excellent marketing skills that make a difference.

4.  Try offering incentives. Anything you can add to the deal including extra perks and features will appeal to your buyers. throwing in a home inspection is common today, but something special like a new basketball backboard or swim club membership is something unique.  Help with closing costs can’t hurt either in a down market – anything to motivate a person’s decision to buy your house.

5.  A method to sell fast from the 1980′s down market is to offer seller financing.  If your buyer needs extra to purchase the home, and you have the means, you can offer a second mortgage or carry the whole thing.  This can close a deal if banks are being too strict.  You can later resell your note and cash in if you don’t want to hold it as an investment.  Talk to your agent, as the more experienced agents who have been in business a while know creative ways to make this happen.

6.  As a last resort, you can offer rent to own.  Renting your home has its own issues, you are not really clear of it until it’s sold. But many buyers need extra time to build a down payment or rebuild credit, and renting for a year or two can make the difference.  Again, your agent should be able to help you here.

Don’t forget that things like staging your home – which means beautifying your home with certain touches to make it have eye appeal – is worth the investment. While it can cost as little as a few hundred dollars, up to a few thousand, you can make the costs back with a quicker sale.  Ask your agent for some referrals to home staging experts.

Remember above all, that when you are hoping to “Sell My House Fast!” the key will be preparation, preparation and more preparation.  Take the time to show the best possible face of your home, and offer the buyer the best possible deal, to get it sold quick.