To make sure your home sells in a down market, there are a few things that you can do.

 

 

  1. Price your home right   If you’re going to sell your home in a down market, you may have to be willing to make some price adjustments. Though you might not be able to compete with the prices of foreclosed homes, you can still do your research as to what comparable homes are selling for, and undercut their prices. Try not to get emotionally stuck on a certain price.
  2. Make sure the home has curb appeal   If you cannot compete on prices with foreclosures, do your best to make sure that your house looks better on the outside than the foreclosure down the block. For example, you could get the home power washed, paint the trim and the doors, spruce up your flowers, or cut the grass. Doing these things should at least get the buyer through the door.
  3. Clear the home of clutter   When you’re living in the home, it may be ok to have stacks of papers on the coffee table, and tons of personal photos on the walls.   But when you’re selling a home you want the potential buyers to picture themselves living in the house.  Remove personal photos from the walls, and replace them with neutral framed art.  To make there seem like there is more counter space, take everything off the countertops in the kitchen. Also, Remove any unnecessary furniture and put it into storage.  If you can remove clothing from the closets and put it into storage to make the closets feel bigger.  Reduce all the extra clutter throughout the house to make it feel bigger, more spacious and buyer friendly.
  4. Fix big problems:  If there is any kind of big problem with your house that will most likely turn off a lot of buyers, fit it! If you have dirty carpet, replace it with new carpet. Do you have a big hole in the wall?  Get some drywall and patch it up. Anything that can cause instant dislike for your house should be fixed, as long as it isn’t too expensive.
  5. When the house is showing, keep the house clean and don’t be there!:  When you are having an open house, or the house is having a showing, make sure that you aren’t there. There’s nothing more annoying than having the home’s owners in a house when you’re trying to look at it.  Also, make sure to keep the house clean to make sure that it shows well.  You should also consider baking cookies before a showing, or lighting one of those cinnamon roll candles. It will give the house a pleasant aroma, and people will feel at home.

 

Selling your house in a down market isn’t an easy task, but you can still do some hard work along the way and make your chances that much better.  In the end your house will show better, and you’ll be able to sell your house that much quicker.