| Sometimes the market is sluggish and at other times | | | | company or do it yourself, staging has been shown |
| homes simply don't sell. The longer a house sits on | | | | to decrease sale times by as much as 50 percent. |
| the market, the more it languishes, becoming less | | | | When staging a home, focus on repainting tired walls, |
| attractive to agents and their potential buyers. If | | | | getting rid of personal clutter, updating fixtures and |
| your home isn't selling, you can fix it. For tips and | | | | freshening the space with new accessories. Staging a |
| tricks that will help you sell your home, keep reading. | | | | home also means minimizing furniture clutter in order |
| 1. Focus on Curb Appeal | | | | to make the space look bigger. |
| When you pull up to your house, are you wowed or | | | | If your house is overcrowded, think about moving |
| sorely disappointed? Prospective buyers usually make | | | | some of your personal effects and extra furniture to |
| a decision on a house within seconds of their arrival, | | | | an off-site storage space. |
| meaning curb appeal is crucial. | | | | 4. Cover Buyer's Cost |
| Some inexpensive steps you can take to improve | | | | Particularly in a sluggish market, offering to cover |
| your home's curb appeal include power washing the | | | | some or all of a buyer's closing costs can be a real |
| house, painting the deck, repaving the driveway, | | | | incentive for potential home buyers. Whether it's |
| updating fixtures, repainting your trim and investing in | | | | paying for the inspection, covering mortgage fees or |
| landscaping improvements. | | | | even funding financing, wooing buyers is a sure-fire |
| 2. Check Your Price | | | | way to attract offers. |
| Is your home competitively priced? Keep an eye on | | | | 5. Offer an Agent Incentive |
| prices in your neighborhood to make sure your home | | | | By offering an agent's incentive for the buyer's |
| is priced commensurate for its location and amenities. | | | | agents, you'll get a lot of agents in your area highly |
| Sometimes a price reduction can help spark a house | | | | motivated to show your home to their buying clients. |
| sale. | | | | Offer an additional percentage point incentive to |
| You can also invest in a Competitive Market Analysis | | | | attract agents. |
| (CMA), which is a professional assessment of your | | | | Sellers can also offer their own agents incentives |
| home's value. | | | | based on performance. |
| 3. Dress for the Stage | | | | For example, a realtor's contract might include a |
| Staging a home means focusing on small, inexpensive | | | | clause that rewards a selling agent with an extra |
| cosmetic changes that can help your property get | | | | percentage point if the house is sold within a certain |
| sold faster. Whether you hire a professional staging | | | | time frame and above a particular price point. |