5 Secrets When Selling Your Home

There is a lot of advice out there when it comes to selling your home. Most people probably start by asking themselves, “What do I need to do to sell my home?” Through the years, we’ve learned a few tricks to help sellers maximize their profit when selling their homes. It's pretty simple. It’s all about working with an agent that can advise you on the current state of the Oklahoma City market, staying calm under pressure, and using these five “secrets”:

Set the right price and do NOT overprice.

Overpricing is probably the single worst thing you can do! Less potential buyers see your listing when it’s new if it’s out of their price range. The buyers and their agents that do see your home will likely choose to spend their limited time and energy on other similar homes that are priced competitively. A competitive asking price will give more buyers the confidence to come see your home, fall in love and hopefully submit a strong offer! High quality photos and videography are everything.

In this area, most buyers will start their home search by looking up “house for sale in Oklahoma City.” Almost all buyers will see pictures of your home online before they see it in person. Professional photography will highlight the best features of your home! Buyers will decide if they want to see your home in person based on the pictures they see online. You want your home to make the very best first impressions! 

Declutter and depersonalize as much as possible.

When you are looking to buy a house, you are looking for somewhere you can picture yourself living. Decluttering will make your home appear more spacious and show off all of the possible storage space. Depersonalizing the home will make it easier for your  potential buyers to picture themselves living there. Neutral decor is best! If you have questions, you can always have a professional home stager come and give you some pointers! 

Spruce up your curb appeal for a great first impression.There’s never a second chance to make a great first impression! You want buyers to pull up to your house and get excited! Clean flower beds, a mowed yard, swept porch, and trimmed bushes will go a long way towards first impressions! A home that appears well maintained from the outside will give the buyer the confidence to assume the rest of the home is well maintained too.

Use strategic timing when you list your home on the MLS. We want to keep the days on market low!

Each market may have their own “best days” to list a home. In the Oklahoma City market, we like to list homes towards the end of the week. This allows plenty of time for weekend showings and open houses! We also try to not list on a holiday or during bad weather.  

Have you sold a house before? If so, did you use some of the tricks?

Let me know how I can help you reach your real estate goals this summer—that's why I'm here!

Top Questions About Selling Your Home: Answered

If you have a home to sell, you’re probably excited to get the process started. There are many things you need to consider when selling a home, and it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by the task. The good news is we’ve answered the questions that you’re probably wondering: 

How will you determine my home’s value?

As a real estate agent, we have access to fantastic market data to help determine your home’s value and set a listing price.  I will complete what is called a Comparative Market Analysis and present this to you when we meet to go over the home selling process.. The CMA uses recent sales of homes close in geography, age, size, and features to yours. This will give us the data we need to set a competitive listing price. 

Can we list a little higher to see what happens?

 Many sellers like the idea of “starting high” to see if they can get higher offers, but I actively discourage this strategy. First, buyers may not see your listing if they use a price filter set to what they expect prices in the area to run.  If your listing price puts your home higher than your neighborhood values, your home will likely sit on the market longer as buyers feel like it’s overpriced. A home will typically see the most traffic the first 2-3 days on the market, so we don’t want to miss out on being priced correctly during those first crucial days on market. When a home is competitively priced, more buyers will feel comfortable making an offer and you will be able to choose the strongest offer.  It’s best to set a realistic listing price that will bring you qualified buyers quickly. My goal is always to get you the highest possible price and best terms in the shortest amount of time.

What percentage of the listing price can I expect to get?

The list-to-sell ratio is determined by dividing the selling price by the listing price. The ratio is largely market-driven. In the current Oklahoma City market, our list to sales price ratio has been around 99-100% in many price ranges. It’s not uncommon to see homes sell over asking price when they are in excellent condition and priced correctly to begin with. My goal is to get you as close to a 100% (or more!) list-to-sell ratio as the market will bear.

How soon can I get my home on MLS?

Once we agree to work together, we can move as quickly as you’d like! We will sign paperwork and I will enter your property information into the MLS. I will schedule a time for a professional photographer to take photos of the property and coordinate staging if needed.  As soon as all the information and pictures are uploaded, your listing can go live on MLS. Depending on your goals, we could list within a matter of days once the listing agreement has been signed and the home is prepared. 

What do I need to do to get ready to list?

For your part, it’s a good idea to begin cleaning and organizing as much as possible prior to listing. Take care of any home maintenance projects you’ve been putting off (squeaky doors, sticky windows, leaky faucets, changing out air filters, etc).  You’ll also want the exterior to have excellent curb appeal as this will be most buyers first impression of your home. This includes mowing the lawn, freshening up flower beds, pruning bushes, etc. At your listing appointment, we can come up with specific list of to-do items that will help your home show in the best light.

How will showings be conducted? 

You and I will agree on the terms you are comfortable with for showings. We want to make the home accessible to buyers without too much disruption to your personal life. We can use a showing schedule, and I will notify you in advance of showing requests. We typically use electronic lockboxes that only active members of our local Realtor association can access. We may also schedule open house style showings to get the most traffic in the least amount of time. We will work with you to coordinate showings in a way that you are most comfortable with.  

How will you market my property?

 Marketing your listing is one of the most important things we can do!. Most buyers find their properties online through MLS (via their real estate agent,) Realtor, Zillow, or other search engines. Listings in our MLS system automatically show up on these sites within a day of becoming active. In addition, I share my listings with the agents in my network, on my website, and on my social media. We can discuss additional opportunities such as hosting open houses, social media campaigns and localized marketing within your neighborhood.

How long will it take to find a buyer?

When we meet to go over your listing strategy, we will give you market data for recently sold homes in your neighborhood.  Several factors influence the time it takes to find a buyer. These include the market conditions, price range (higher-priced or luxury homes typically take longer to sell,) location (whether your home is in a desirable neighborhood or a unique location,) and the condition of the home (is move-in ready or in need of renovations?) In a balanced market, most houses, when priced accurately and without extenuating circumstances, go under contract within a few weeks. Homes sell faster in a seller’s market, while buyers take more time to look when inventory is high. 

Will you qualify the buyer?

When an offer is received, I will work with the buyer’s agent to vet the buyer. All offers should be accompanied by either a pre-approval from a mortgage lender or, if paying cash, by verification of funds available to cover the purchase price. I will make sure that we have received all necessary documentation to verify that the buyer is solid and able to purchase the home. 

What are the costs involved?

The seller usually pays for the real estate agent fees, which are divided between the buyer’s agent and the seller’s agent. In Oklahoma, a seller is usually responsible for their own title fees.  The seller also pays their share of the annual property taxes and HOA dues. If the full annual amount has been paid, the buyer will repay their portion back to the seller at closing. In some scenarios, a buyer may request for the seller to contribute to some of their closing costs as well. Your realtor will provide you with an estimated cost sheet and can break down costs specific to your sale. 

Is your commission negotiable?

The commission that we charge is the amount required to provide the level of service that we feel comfortable providing.  As a listing agent, we pay for professional services and marketing for our sellers through the commission that we charge. That commission amount is split between the two sides, and both agents must abide by the structure their brokerage follows.  When we meet with you to discuss the home selling process, we are happy to break down the commission costs and the services that include. 

Will you also represent the buyer? 

If I happen to find the buyer for your home, be assured that I am trained and experienced in handling both sides of the transaction fairly. As a professional, I respect the confidentiality and loyalty required in dealing with both parties. Depending on the preference of you as the seller, I am always happy to have a team member or colleague represent one party of the transaction.  

Can I cancel if I find my own buyer?

The listing agreement is a contract between you and me and/or my brokerage. It stipulates the terms for cancellation, which you are encouraged to review. Once we have signed the listing agreement, a prospective buyer that approaches you directly should be redirected to me.

How often will we communicate?

Excellent communication is key to an easy and successful sale. I will keep you updated on events every step of the way. When we go over the listing information, we will discuss our preferred means of communication and expected communication schedules.

My home is in _____ city. Can you help us sell it?

We are active Realtors in the Oklahoma City metro area. We have represented clients in Edmond, Oklahoma City, Moore, Norman, Midwest City, Del City, Yukon, Mustang, Guthrie, Bethany, Warr Acres and more! We’d love to chat and see if your home is in our service area. Not in the Oklahoma City area? No problem! We have a great network of agents that can help out in other areas as well. 

Thinking of selling? I'm here to help! Shoot me a message or give me a call today.