How to Sell Your Home Now

By Realty Times Published Apr 14, 2020 02:56 pm

Everything has changed in the real estate world, seemingly overnight. The incredibly hot market of the past couple years has taken a hit as the coronavirus has made its way across the country, and the world. But homes are still selling. Not with the same frequency, but people still have to sell.

If you’re one of them, you’re probably wondering what to do right now—especially since in-person home tours aren’t happening. These tips will help you get your home to stand out and get it sold even when others aren’t moving.

Spring for enhanced virtual tools

It might cost you a little more, but creating a virtual experience for your home is as close as you can get right now to showing buyers what it would be like to walk through the place in person.

“As we’ve suddenly found ourselves adapting to a new normal, the meaning of home has never meant so much to each and every of us,” Robin Brown of the Brown Home Team at Coldwell Banker Apex Realtors in North Texas, told us. “Our clients rely on us to help them make their move while still finding ways to keep them safe. The use of immersive 3D Virtual Tours and Video Walk Through’s are critical tools to allow home buyers to Shelter AND Home Shop in place.”

Brown’s newest listing in McKinney, TX is a 4,903-square-foot former model home on a corner greenbelt lot, and the residence’s ample proportions, open floorplan, and designer touches come to life on the video tour and 3D walk through.”

Paint a picture

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes it’s the words that move you. Brown’s McKinney listing also includes a detailed note from the sellers of the home in the listing. This gave the sellers an opportunity to talk at length about the features of the home and the memories they made there, and speak to details that buyers might not know about, even if they did an in-person tour.

Take great photos

Having great listing photos pre-quarantine was important. Now it’s even more so. If you’re willing to have a photographer in your home at this time, your agent should be able to recommend someone who will not only take great shots, but also practice enhanced safety measures in your home. If you’d rather take your own photos, heed these tips to get the best shots you can.

Choose a great agent

This is a challenging time for real estate, but great agents rise to the top. Those who have been in the business a while have weathered cyclical markets. Even though this current situation is new to all of us, it’s more important than ever to work with an agent who is able to adjust to market conditions and find new ways to market property.

It’s great that your brother’s girlfriend’s next-door neighbor’s cousin twice removed just got his real estate license right before we started the quarantine, but, frankly, this is no time to go with someone brand new. If you’re selling now, you need to be able to depend on the experience, expertise, and network of your agent.

Listen to your real estate agent

This is no time to go rogue. Your agent has your best interest at heart, and they want to get your house sold just like you do. You may not love the idea of packing up your basement full of Hulk Hogan memorabilia, decluttering your crowded kitchen, or repainting the blood-red walls of your master bedroom, but if your agent tells you to do so, listen. Every tip your agent bestows is intended to make your home more saleable. Keep that in mind when you’re doubting the effort you have to put in or worrying that the paint color your agent recommended isn’t exactly your taste.