Category Archives: Marketing

Marketing

4 Reasons Open Homes Sell Houses

March 08, 2017

Relax, they’re not scary or costly.

Many people worry about having an open home. They’re concerned about having strangers in their house, or that it might be expensive.

The reality is that an open home is a powerful selling tool. They give your home high visibility and bring potential customers directly to your doorstep.

If you’re thinking about selling, an open home can get offers flooding in, without much preparation. (Click to Tweet)

Here’s what you need to know.

Buyers See Themselves in Your Home

One of the best things about an open house is that buyers have the chance to picture themselves living in your home. As they walk through the property, they can imagine their furniture in place and see themselves enjoying life there.

Once buyers can see themselves in the home, they build up a personal connection to it. This makes it more likely that buyers will warm to your home and want to make a purchase.

Encourages Competition

During an open house, you’ll have many potential buyers going through your home at the same time. This creates a sense of urgency and makes people believe that they need to act right away – before someone else buys.

You may even be able to generate a higher selling price as buyers fight to outbid each other for the home. The more prospective buyers interested in the house, the faster they must act to beat out all the rest.

Signs Attract Buyers

You probably know that buyers go house hunting at the weekend, and they often drive past properties for sale. When you have an ‘open house’ sign, it can attract people interested in buying in your area.

These people may not have been aware your home is for sale or might have intended to view another property. But they become interested just because they saw a sign.

Speeds Up Sales

Here at Residencity, we specialize in helping homeowners in the Vancouver area sell their properties quickly, and for the best possible price. We hold open homes for the first two weekends of your property listing, to create interest and excitement.

We also guarantee an agent present for every open house and private appointment, because we love making life easier for our clients.

Give us a call to get the best chance of selling your home, fast.

 

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Marketing

3 Common Mistakes First-Time Home Sellers Make

February 22, 2017

Selling your first home can be daunting.

It often feels as though there is an incentive to getting your home sold as quickly as possible. But like any rush-job, this can open up a bunch of mistakes that can end up costing you a lot of money.

You don’t want that.

Here are three of the most common mistakes that people make when selling their homes and what you can do to avoid them:

Avoiding the Professionals

Many people believe that they can save money when selling their homes by doing it themselves. Big mistake. (Click to Tweet)

Without the assistance of a real estate professional, you avoid paying real estate agent commissions. But you may also end up paying a lot more to find a buyer.

When you don’t have the power of an experienced real estate agency behind you, you can have difficulty letting prospective buyers know that your property is for sale. This results in less competition to buy your property.

So you end up with less negotiating power and may have to settle for a lower price than you had hoped for.

Pricing Incorrectly

Too high or too low – either one has problems.

Some people believe that setting a low sale price for their home can help it to sell quickly, but people often wonder what’s wrong with it.

Of course, if you set a low price you also end up reducing the amount you receive for one of your biggest assets.

If you over-price your home you risk pushing buyers away and making it more difficult to sell. Frustrating isn’t it?

This is why it’s best to have a professional set the value for your home. Homeowners usually have sentimental attachments to their properties and tend to fall into the trap of over-pricing.

Prospective buyers are more clinical and consider the merits of the property itself, not the fact that your three children grew up in those rooms.

Skipping the Inspection

Foregoing the inspection seems like an easy way to save a few hundred dollars during the sales process, but it could potentially cost you thousands down the line. A thorough property inspection before you list your home for sale alerts you to any potential problems.

Buyers will always conduct an inspection and often use the results to drive down the offer you’ve accepted. So it’s better to know beforehand what that inspection will reveal.

Then your agent has the opportunity to price accordingly, depending on whether you choose to address the issues before listing.

These are just a few of the many potential pitfalls you may run into when selling your home. Let the experts at Residencity guide you through the process to minimize your risk and maximize your profits.

When it comes to selling your home, you want to do everything in your power to get the highest selling price you can for it. It’s likely to be your most valuable asset, and you’ve worked for it.

Call us on 604.288.9166 today to learn more about our services and to get your home sale started.

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Marketing

4 Simple Things to Help Maximize the Sale Price of Your Home

February 15, 2017

How do you get the most you can for your most valuable asset?

When it comes to selling your home, you want to do everything in your power to get the highest selling price you can for it. It’s likely to be your most valuable asset, and you’ve worked for it.

This doesn’t mean you need to do a complete overhaul on your home – and you shouldn’t. Undertaking major work may end up costing more than the value it adds. 

Luckily, there are several simple things you can do to bump up your home’s value before the sale. (Click to Tweet)

Spruce Up Your Yard

Your home’s curb appeal plays a major role in its value. Make sure your lawn is looking its best, trim your trees and plant a few flowers. 

Don’t go too overboard, though; prospective buyers don’t want to think about all the yard work that will be involved. The plants you choose should look great but be easy to care for.

Apply a Fresh Coat of Paint

New paint is the quickest way to give your home a facelift and make it feel like new. You don’t need to do the entire house, but look out for any areas that are worn, peeling or stained. 

Try to keep the overall look as consistent as possible so that no area looks significantly better than any others.

Upgrade Your Fixtures

New fixtures, like doorknobs, cabinet pulls and faucets can transform your kitchen and bathrooms. 

Remember that you will no longer be living in the house, so there’s no need to go for the most expensive options. Choose something that looks nice and fresh but that doesn’t break the bank.

Clean Your Carpets

This is something that you should entrust to the professionals. The last thing you want your prospective buyers to see is the areas of wear and tear leading up and down every hallway. 

Professional carpet cleaners can restore your carpets to their former glory so that they almost look like they have never been walked on.

For even more ideas like these, let Residencity handle the sale of your Vancouver home. We are experts at what we do and can help you get the most out of your property sale. 

That way you can use the proceeds towards the purchase of your dream home. 

We’re revolutionizing the sales process to make it easier for vendors and buyers alike. When you sell with us you receive the best staging, photography, and marketing available. Your home looks its best, which maximizes the sale price.

Call us on 604.288.9166 today to learn more about our services and to get your home sale started.

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Marketing, Price

10 Shortcuts to Selling Your Home Without Losing Your Mind

February 07, 2017

Selling your house can be a headache.

You want the process to be as quick, easy and painless as possible. But your home is a significant asset so it’s crucial you find someone you can trust to maximise the sale and support you through the process.

So how exactly do you do that?

Well, there are ten key things that you need to get right. We’ve pulled them all together to make life easier for you.

1.     Engage the Best Agent

Engaging the best agent for you and your property is critical. The best agent is not the person who helped your friends or family sell their place because that was only one sale.

The best agent is an individual with a strong track record, good market knowledge, and stellar personal service. We recommend that you interview at least three agents.

Yes, this is just like hiring an employee. But the thing is, this person is working for you and selling your most valuable asset – your home.

So invest the time to make sure you have the right person for you and your property.

2.     Get a Pre-Inspection

We get pre-inspections on properties before offering them for sale. Here’s why.

The pre-inspection places your property above the competition, promotes confidence in potential buyers, and gives you stability. A pre-inspection also helps you avoid a lot of stress and inconvenience when you’re selling your home. (Click to Tweet)

You avoid offers vanishing after they’re accepted. You avoid sleepless nights wondering if the inspection will uncover something. You have the opportunity to fix anything that’s discovered early on.

You also have the upper hand when it comes to the bidding process.

3.     Stage it Right

Staging your house is an art in itself. It helps you present your property at its’ best, which increases the number of potential buyers.

But staging isn’t easy to get right so it’s a great idea to get help from the professionals. Residencity gives you professional advice on the best way to stage your home for beautiful photography and an effective sale.

4.     Provide a Floorplan

Research suggests that buyers are less likely to enquire about a property or arrange a viewing without a floor plan. The survey by Rightmove suggests that a floorplan may even be more important than the main image or summary description of your home.

Floor plans can demonstrate the flow of you home to potential buyers. They’re also a useful reminder to buyers after they’ve visited a property.

We believe floorplans are essential to marketing your property effectively, so be sure your agent includes them when publicising your home.

5.     Present it Professionally

You’re smart so you know that everyone is online these days. People look at any potential homes thoroughly before they view them in person so professional presentation is important.

Your property needs to stand out as being better and more inviting than the competition. This starts with professional photography.

Ask potential agents how they plan to photograph your home and eliminate anyone who doesn’t use a professional photographer. Professional photography brings out the best in your property and can elicit emotion, which sells homes more effectively.

 

 

6.     Provide a feature sheet

Just listing your home isn’t enough. It has to be marketed professionally, particularly if you want it to sell quickly, and for the maximum amount.

The more information you can provide potential buyers, the better. A feature sheet can answer questions before they arise and help you stand apart from other buyers. (Click to Tweet)

A high-quality feature sheet also allows you to showcase the benefits of your particular property, and make the most of your professional photography.

7.     Arrange an Open House

Open homes help sell your house – if they’re done right. You want your agent engaged and attentive, and working to sell your property.

Unfortunately, many agents see open homes as an opportunity to find buyers who don’t have agents. Not cool.

At Residencity, we only represent sellers – not buyers. We want to help you have the best experience possible when it comes to selling your home.

8.     Receive Reports

No matter who you engage to sell your house, be sure they have regular communication with you. In particular, you need to know the how many visitors have been on your property, and you should receive an open house report.

As the vendor, you’re entitled to know what is going on and also be informed of any neighborhood sales and listings.

9.     See all Offers

Be sure that your agent shows you all the offers they receive. This is a real problem in the real estate industry.

Some agents filter offers to ensure they receive a commission for both the purchase and the sale of the property. In fact, agents can filter offers for all sorts of reasons that you’re not aware of.

You need to be sure you can trust your agent to show you all the offers, and to work with you to negotiate the best deal.

10.           Close the deal

A good agent will help you close the deal. Between the initial sales agreement and settlement (or closing) there can be questions. The agent can help you by answering questions, helping to resolve issues and move the transaction to close.

 

 

 

At Residencity we believe in offering you the best. We include pre-inspections, professional photography, floor plans and feature sheets as standard with all our property listings.

If you’re interested in listing your home for sale, give us a call at 604.288.9166 to see how we can help.

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