Sell Your Home Fast Without Sacrificing Price

Tips on Selling Your Home in a Difficult Real Estate Market

by Peggy Boehm, April 12, 2007

If you need to sell your home this year but are nervous because of the headlines, read on. Is it a good time to sell? Some real estate experts say yes, while others say no.

In January 2007, an article from The National Association of REALTORS® stated that "existing home sales are expected to steadily increase into 2008." But in early April, the monthly forecast included a 0.7 percent median price drop for home sales in 2007.

In 2006, the difference between prices paid for homes and prices that homebuyers wanted to pay grew. HomeGain reported that in August 2006, home sellers sought sales prices 18% more than the real estate market was able to support, based on actual home sale prices.

The balance of power has apparently started to adjust. The difference betwen home seller expectations and actual home prices paid has narrowed to 14%. Through early March, the average home sales price was $234,308 and the average price expectation from home sellers was $273,924. When selling their home, home seller pricing expectations have clearly dropped. With this adjustment taking place in the real estate market, home sales should begin to improve.

Are you asking yourself, "Should I sell my home?" Have you already decided to sell your home, or are you even in a positon where you don't really have much choice?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you are a home seller, regardless of all the conflicting information about home prices, or general real estate market flux. You need some advice!

Here are 3 tips to help you get the best price for your home sale, without having to leave it on the market for an undue length of time:

Home Selling Tip 1:

Don't expect too much. Setting your home's selling price too high can mean more time on the market. Home buyers are smart and they are armed with a tremendous amount of information. Home buyers, and their real estate agents, know what your home is worth. They won't pay more for your home than it's worth, and they certainly won't do so quickly. To find recent home sales prices and also get an estimated value of your home, try HomeScout's Instant Home Values tool, or discover What your home is worth by getting a professional home valuation from a REALTOR®.

Home Selling Tip 2:

Small home improvements go a long way in raising your home's selling price.

This Home Sale Maximizer tool can help you discover the home improvements that will give you the most bang for your buck. Use it, and save time and money by insuring that your efforts will give you a positive returrn. Also, listen to your REALTOR®. He or she knows what you need to do to your home to sell it for more money.

Home Selling Tip 3:

Your real estate agent should be using online and offline resources to find buyers for your property. Nearly 80% of homebuyers start looking for a new home online. Your home listing needs to be online to reach the maximum number of buyers. You can find a tech savvy REALTOR® with HomeScout's tool to find local REALTORS® in your neighborhood, which will allow you to compare many agent details like real estate background, number of homes sold, commission rates for selling your home and more.

Finally, consider your home sale from a home buyer's perspective. If you were buying your home instead of selling it, what would you pay? What would you like to see fixed up? The honest answers to these questions are the answers to the question: "How can I sell my home quickly, at a the best possible price?"

Copyright © 2007 HomeScout

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