How to Get the Best Price for Your Mountain Lakes Home

The time has finally arrived. You are ready to sell your house in Mountain Lakes. This is an exciting next step in the lives of you and your family. So, what do you do first? How do you ensure you can get the best price for your home? Whatever is happening in the housing market, you want to ensure that you will get a fair price. After all, you have invested countless hours of time, energy, and not to mention, money to make your home the genuinely amazing place it is today. From giving your house a thorough scrubbing to working alongside a real estate agent, you can take the following steps to ensure your home sells for a top-notch price.

One of the best things you can do right off the bat is set a fair asking price. To get a better feel for what that entails, look at the prices comparable properties are being sold for. This means looking at houses similar to yours in terms of square footage, condition, features, and neighborhood. As you do your research and take note of current asking prices, you will gain a better knowledge of what is fair. After all, if you start out aiming your prices too high, you might need to lower the price later and risk-taking a loss. On the other hand, if you start by asking too low, you will miss out on money you could have made from selling your home.

Enlisting a real estate agent is undoubtedly smart when putting your house on the market. They will be able to provide information on current trends and reasonable asking prices. Additionally, they can keep the process objective and smooth, especially if selling your beautiful home filled with memories becomes nostalgic or emotional. They will interact with potential buyers and negotiate sales with their well-versed knowledge, rich experience, and professional expertise. In the long run, hiring an excellent real estate agent will help you get the most money from your house and make the process much smoother. And last but certainly not least, agents are thoroughly acquainted with all the intricacies of the paperwork involved and how to handle problems that might arise during the process. From their business savvy to local knowledge, an agent has to offer and can help you get the absolute best price for your Mountain Lakes home.

One of the best things you can do before selling your home is to take care of any necessary repairs and maintenance. This can include anything from applying a fresh coat of paint to the exterior to freshening up the mulch. Whether mowing the lawn, replacing dead lightbulbs on the porch, or trimming the shrubs, you will want to improve the building’s curb appeal. For example, planting flowers in the beds can add a splash of color and spruce things up a bit. If it is the winter months, you can add some lights or a wreath to give it a more festive feel. Keep the sidewalk, porch, and entryway clean and accessible. Because the front of the house and yard are the first things prospective buyers will see, making an excellent first impression is crucial. You want the exterior to feel inviting, friendly, and up-kept.

Another necessary component of preparing your house for sale is decluttering and organizing the space. You want the rooms to be open, spacious, and clean. In fact, professional stagers recommend that you remove 50% of the items. Make sure you do a thorough cleaning of your home as well. Get rid of unwanted items and clutter. Having it sparkling clean will not only give you assurance and peace of mind, but it will also help prospective buyers to feel more welcome as well.

Additionally, experts recommend depersonalizing the living spaces. Remove any personal items, over-cluttered decor, and photographs. You want your home to feel neutralized so that buyers can envision themselves in it. After all, the goal is for them to feel like this could be their future dream home. With time, effort, and cleaning supplies, you can make the most of the price you will get for your house. From touching it up to simplifying the living spaces, you can take many practical steps to ensure your home is at its peak attractiveness level.

Another aspect of preparing your house for sale and getting the best price is staging it. What exactly does staging your home imply? Per Investopedia, “Good staging is a form of visual merchandising that draws on some of the fundamentals of interior design.” Staging makes the house or property look pleasing and highlights its best features without being overly obvious. The goal of staging is to focus on your house’s strengths and create an atmosphere or feel that will appeal to buyers.

Additionally, when you stage your home, you should seek to form an emotional connection with the buyer. You want them to imagine themselves in these living spaces and make them their own. In the words of the 2021 Profile of Home Staging report, 47% of buyer’s agents said that staging impacted most buyers' perspectives of a house. The report also noted that 82% of buyer’s agents recorded that staging a house makes it easier for buyers to visualize the place as their future home, making for a quicker sale.

So then, what does staging look like, practically speaking? It can mean applying a fresh coat of paint or wallpaper, redoing stained carpet or outdated flooring, repairing cracks in the ceilings, and replacing lighting. Make sure that each room has a defined look and purpose as well. Whether a living room or bedroom, you want to make the most of your house and help buyers see that every inch of it is usable space. Buyers want to know they are getting the most for their dollars. When they see that each room has a purpose (even if they don’t end up using it for the same thing), buyers can rest assured they are truly getting what they are paying for.

Timing is everything, and this is no different when it comes to selling your home. Strange as it may seem, the season of the year that you put your house on the market makes a big difference. For example, spring to early summer is the best time to sell. Reasons for this abound, such as the warm weather, current trends of the economy, and the job market making it easier for prospective buyers to go house hunting. At the end of the day, the “right time” really comes down to you as the seller. It is about your priorities, the asking price you are looking for, and whether it is the best time to sell.

An essential aspect of getting your house sold adequately is making sure you take lots of pictures of it. This way, these photos can be used to list your home or for your real estate agent to use. Photos taken from a broad array of angles, such as the street, backyard, and side views, will give the buyer a better idea of what your house looks like. Plus, it will help them know if they are interested in touring or buying the property. Take clear, crisp photographs of the interior and exterior of your house, and be sure these are posted promptly. Photos are extremely helpful for buyers to envision themselves in your home and contemplate what it would be like to own it.

If you use strategic price points, you will be able to maximize the amount of money you will receive. For example, just like someone is more willing to buy a gallon of milk for $4.99 rather than $5.00, putting your house on the market at the right price point will make it incredibly appealing to prospective buyers.

If you’re interested in learning more about specific property listings and real estate in the area, feel free to contact The Menard Group for all your house and real estate needs. The team would love to assist you in listing and selling your home for the best price.