Why should you sell a home in Flagstaff?
At this time, the real estate market in Flagstaff is hot and considered to be a seller’s market. What does that mean? Because of the high demand for housing in Flagstaff and limited availability, prices for homes have been continuously on the rise. In conjunction, property values have been increasing as well, which makes it intriguing for buyers to invest in real estate in Flagstaff and generate some interest on the acquired property. As you can imagine, since the property values have been consistently on the rise, it’s appealing for Flagstaff residents to sell their first or second home for a profit.
If this is your first time selling a home and don’t know where to start, you’ve landed on the right blog. All questions, such as when to sell, what the difference is between market and appraised value, and what the home selling process looks like are discussed in this blog. Towards the end, you’ll find a set of specific selling tips to speed up the process as much as possible.
We often receive the question when is the best time to sell? And, what should I sell my house for? What are the channels I should use to promote my house for sale in Flagstaff? And, what can I do to sell my home fast? These are all great questions, and we love to answer them. If you’re hungry for more information, take a look at our selling guide. The information provided should give you a general idea of what the sales process looks like and how to get the word out there as fast as possible.
However, while there are many aspects of selling a home that you can control, you also have to consider elements that you can’t control and will have to act accordingly, like changing market conditions. There are always houses for sale in Flagstaff. Yet, during the summer months starting May through September is when the market is really moving fast. That’s because many people move during summer break when the weather is nice and there are no daily school obligations. As a direct result of the increase in demand, housing prices tend to go up during those months as well. Sounds familiar? That’s because we’re talking about basic economics. So, if you really want to maximize profit and sell your home quickly, consider putting your house up for sale during the prime selling season. That doesn’t mean that that’s the only time you should sell your house. Get in touch with us at Best Flagstaff Homes Reality and your REALTOR® will help guide you through the selling process. Our goal is to sell your house effectively, meaning sell it for the highest possible price in the least amount of time.
Tips for selling a home in Flagstaff:
There are many tips for selling your home fast. As briefly touched on earlier, timing your house listing right is just one basic selling advice that can make all the difference since every real estate market is unique to its location. Below, we’ve compiled a type of selling checklist that will hopefully help you sell your Flagstaff home quick.
#Tip 1 – Hire a great real estate agent
Let’s address the elephant in the room… you’ll want to hire a trustworthy real estate agent that works with you throughout the selling process. While we understand that it’s intriguing to sell your house yourself and save some money that way, we can’t stress the benefits of hiring a REALTOR® enough, especially if you have a full-time job. Many people underestimate how time-consuming the sales process can be.
Because there are so many real estate agents in Flagstaff, it can become overwhelming to choose one to hire. With almost over 100 years of combined experience, Best Flagstaff Homes Reality is deeply rooted in Flagstaff. The personal and professional experience of our team provides you with a competitive advantage in regards to pricing advice, preparing your home to sell, marketing, negotiating, and more.
#Tip 2 – Consider who you want to sell to
This tip will help you put yourself into the shoes of a potential buyer. What does that mean? First and foremost, if you think about who you want to sell to, it’ll help you determine what language to use when marketing your property for sale and it’ll help identify which points of interest to highlight that are located close to your property, for example, schools, grocery stores, hiking trails, and doctor offices. Another question worth considering is are you targeting potential buyers on the lower end price point or the higher end? That question leads to the next question: do any small renovations or home improvements need to be done to maximize the sales potential?
Do you see how one simple consideration can trigger many follow up questions? It’s important that you consider your target audience wisely as the location/neighborhood of the property you want to sell is a major determining factor for your sales pitch.
#Tip 3 – Invest in the curb appeal
This is a tip that is frequently talked about yet often underestimated. A potential buyer starts judging a property from the moment they arrive. You read it right, mowing the lawn, raking up dried leaves or pine needles, and planting some additional flowers can make all the difference in the way your property is perceived. If you don’t have a green thumb and you want to sell as quickly as possible, consider investing in hiring a landscaping company to help you out. In addition, you may want to consider giving your house facade a facelift. You’ll be surprised how a little paint and some minor updates can give your house a whole new appearance and potentially even increase the house selling price.
Lastly, similar to the interior which we’ll dive into next, you want to make sure that there is no rubbage laying around. Remove any branches or other underbrushes as well as any garden furniture, toys or empty plant pots that disturb the overall aesthetics. If you don’t really know where to start or if your curb appearance is attractive enough, you can always consult with your REALTOR®. Nevertheless, a rule of thumb is to create an exterior that reflects the spruceness of the interior: crisp and clean.
#Tip 4 – Declutter and Depersonalize
Now that the exterior is clean and inviting, you want to make sure that you show off your investment in the best light possible. Once you’ve already impressed potential buyers from the curb, you want to make sure that the interior does not disappoint. Firstly, you want to declutter your home. This is not only beneficial for you when trying to sell your house but it will also alleviate the moving process. The goal is to make room so that the house appears more spacious, but also not empty. That ultimately allows potential buyers to picture how their furniture would look in the house.
After decluttering, you want to deep clean the entire house. Again, it’s all about the first impression, especially if you want to sell your house fast. If you decide not to clean your house, chances are that potential viewers will be more distracted by the mess rather than picturing themselves living there. That’s not what you want. When we talk about cleaning, we don’t just mean vacuuming and mopping the floors. We’re referring to cleaning windows inside and out, ceiling fans, window blinds, and so much more. If you’re in a time crunch and can’t do it yourself, consider investing in hiring a cleaning company that does it for you.
The last step for preparing your house for showings is to depersonalize your interior décor. The key is to give house viewers all opportunities to imagine themselves living there. You want to provide potential buyers with a neutral environment. This is done by removing any personal pictures, political or religious items, as well as any postcards or art. As we said in tip 3, you want your investment to shine crisp and clean. Just don’t go overboard because nobody likes a sterile environment. Your house should evoke a sense of home for anyone crossing the threshold.
#Tip 5 – Price it right
Since the goal is to sell your house fast in Flagstaff, you want to get the price right. If you price your house too high, chances are that your listing will become stale and your dream of selling your house fast turns into a nightmare. A stale listing often leads to price cuts and even then, it’s harder to sell your house. Why? Because the longer a house is on the market, the more a potential buyer questions what’s wrong with the property. On the contrary, if you price your house too low, obviously you will most likely be able to sell your house like hot cakes but you’ll miss out on a significant profit.
To determine the right price, you’ll have to spend some time researching the local market, similar houses that have sold, and identify a trend in your specific neighborhood. You can also hire a licensed appraiser who can appraise the value of your home. The value is based on comparable sales, the condition of the property, as well as other factors. Then your REALTOR® can help you determine your pricing strategy based on the market value, which is the price a home will bring at a given point in time. You’ll save yourself time and potentially a headache. Pricing your home right from the beginning will automatically target the right set of buyers, have a higher response rate from advertising, and ultimately sell faster.
#Tip 6 – Spread the word
The last tip we’re highlighting is one of the most important actions you need to take if you want to sell your home quickly. You want to spread the word that your Flagstaff home is for sale. If you’re represented by a REALTOR® at Best Flagstaff Homes Reality, we’ll make sure to implement effective marketing measures to get your home sold as quickly as possible. Firstly, your property will be listed on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) in the best way possible. In addition to the MLS, your house will be listed on our website as well. After all, the internet is one of the most powerful tools for marketing your Flagstaff home. Besides taking advantage of the internet, we’ll be in constant contact with other Flagstaff real estate agents in case they have a prospective buyer that is looking for a house just like yours. To capture any drive-by traffic that is in the market for a new house, we put up yard signs so they can directly call your REALTOR®. Lastly, you can support our marketing efforts by promoting your house for sale by word-of-mouth or by sharing the news on your personal social media handles. We all know that word-of-mouth can travel fast. Who knows, maybe an old friend that you haven’t been in touch with sees your social media might be your perfect buyer.
Conclusion
In general, any real estate agent will tell you that it’s difficult to predict how fast your house will sell once it hits the Flagstaff market. There are factors that we can control, such as price, condition of the property and marketing strategies. But there are also factors that we can’t control, such as market conditions, property location, and size. We hope that the tips outlined above help you in preparing your home for sale to then sell it as quickly as possible. Want or need support? Best Flagstaff Homes Reality is just one call away: 928-714-0001.
