Strategies help sellers get best real estate deals

“It’s a buyers’ market right now,” said Rick Gardner, broker/owner of The Home Gardners team of Realtors at Keller Williams Realty. “There’s more on the market to choose from … (and) it takes longer for houses to sell.”

According to the Greater Springfield Board of Realtors, there were 2,305 homes on the market in Greene County in the third quarter and 1,310 homes sold. By comparison, for the same quarter in 2005, there were 1,965 homes on the market and 1,391 sold – 81 more sales from an inventory of 340 fewer homes compared to 2006.

“In the market that we’re in, the house that’s going to sell first is the one that is the best value,” Gardner said. “If all other things are equal, the best price will sell first.”

Competition and condition

There are steps, however, that sellers can take to improve the possibility of selling their homes quickly – and for what they’re worth.

The first step should be the completion of a competitive marketing analysis, according to Greg Adkins of Adkins Family Group with Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realtors.

A market analysis, which can be prepared by a Realtor, entails “not only looking at the properties that sold in your area that are comparable, but also … active listings,” he said. “In other words, what is the competition looking at when they’re looking at your house?”

Condition and curb appeal of a home also are important, and in a market where there are plenty of homes to choose from, even the smallest detail can make a difference.

Making a home more presentable to buyers – also known as staging – is important, Adkins said.

“You can’t change the location, you can’t change what’s happening in the market, but you can stage your house to sell better,” he said.

Coldwell Banker agents offer clients a home enhancement guide to help them spruce up certain aspects of a home. Some agents can offer expertise on staging – making homes more presentable to buyers – but others provide referrals for such services.

Among those offering such services is Ben Copeland with Carol Jones Realtors; Copeland was the first accredited staging professional in Springfield.

But even if a seller doesn’t want to go so far as to seek professional staging services, a critical walk-through at the home can make a big difference, says Aaron Wilken of Wilken LLC Realtors.

“I usually recommend (that clients) go through the house and try to clean out as much excess furniture and excess items as they can,” he said. “Minimize. It makes the house look bigger.”

Making cosmetic updates to older paint and giving the house a good cleaning is essential, Wilken said.

“People’s first impressions are a big thing, so the more you can do to make them fall in love with it the better,” he added.

Beyond cosmetics

Making needed repairs to the house before listing it can mean the difference between a sale and a potential buyer passing on the property.

“I think that any seller should really look at their house with a critical eye and realize that if there’s something that looks funny or has cracks in it or is showing signs of wear, that someone else is going to look at it and think it needs to be replaced,” said Aimee Dixon Plumlee, area director of HouseMaster, a home inspection firm. “Sometimes things only need to be repaired. That’s where sellers can save themselves money. If they’re proactive in getting things repaired ahead of time, (they) can show it’s been fixed and show that it’s in good, working order.”

Many buyers have the money for the house but do not want to worry about finding the cash to make repairs after a purchase, she added.

To determine what repairs are needed, Dixon Plumlee said it’s a good idea to bring in an outsider, such as a home inspector.

“People do look at things through rose-colored glasses, so it’s a good idea to have someone else look at it from an objective point of view,” she added.

Home inspections generally are paid for by the buyers, who receive reports within a couple of days. Findings in the report can be used to determine whether the buyer will attempt to negotiate the price of the home.

Such negotiations, however, should be considered carefully, warns Gardner.

“If you try and lowball every time you make an offer you’re likely to make the seller mad, and you’ll just aggravate them,” he said.