The government provides tax breaks for first time home buyers as a way to increase homeownership in the United States. But did you know of all the tax breaks that are available to you?

How to Sell Your Home Fast

Selling your home on your own isn’t a cakewalk! That’s why we always encourage you to have real estate professionals handle the marketing and pricing of your home for you! Not to mention having someone represent you when it comes time to negotiate repairs is always helpful so you make sure you get your home sold on the most favorable terms!

Price it right, not above market value.
Take advantage of our FREE home evaluation tool to see what price range your home lies in. To get a true estimate of what you should list your home for sale for, you should have one of our agents follow up with a comparative market analysis. A comparative market analysis will help you determine the best price based on other houses for sale nearby. So if there’s a lot of homes on the market in the area, you have to price more competitively to get your home to sell before the competition. However, if the opposite occurs and there aren’t a lot of homes for sale in your area, you have the upper hand and can be more flexible with your sale price. You can ask for a higher price because there are fewer homes similar to yours on the market!

Make sure it looks great online.
90% of buyers are starting their home search online. So making sure it looks great online increases your chances of selling by 90%! Having professionally taken photos of your home makes all the difference in how many showings you will get. The more showings you receive = the more likely your home is to sell. We also encourage video to make sure your home’s floor plan can be understood by a potential buyer.

Set the mood for your showings.
For showings, there are a few general rules we recommend you follow. First, your home needs to be pristine and clean! This also coincides with rule two, make sure your home smells good! Your home smelling good will put the buyers in a positive mood towards your home which also makes them able to better visualize themselves in your home! Third, play soft, relaxing music playing on low volume while the potential buyers are there. Why do we recommend this? Think about it. Buying a home is one of the biggest purchases you can ever make. That would make anyone pretty nervous! Having this music playing in the background while they walk through the home helps calm their nerves which means they are more likely to make the decision to submit an offer on your home! The fourth rule is pretty obvious, but sometimes forgotten, but make sure to take your pets along with you! Not everyone is too fond of pets, so removing them from your home allows the buyers to have a more positive experience in your home! Lastly, make sure your house is nicely lit by opening blinds or turning all lights on before their entry! Following these few small rules allows for potential buyers to have an overall positive experience when viewing your home!

While there is so much more to the selling process, following these first three steps will help you sell your home fast!

1. Strong Demand
According to the Buyer Traffic Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), buyer demand remains very strong throughout the vast majority of the country. These buyers are willing and ready to purchase, so it’s best to get your home out there sooner to grab eager buyers.
2. Less Competition
Housing inventory is still under the 6-month supply that is needed for a normal housing market. When inventory is low, buyer’s have to compete to buy your home. How long have you been in your home? If it’s been 6+ years, you are looking at some equity gains for your sale! As home value continues to rise, you have more options as a homeowner to set the price for your home. The catch with low inventory means there will be a large fluctuation in inventory later. Don’t wait until this other inventory comes to market before you decide to sell.
3. Quick Process
In times of low inventory, buyers are competing for your home. To make themselves stand out, they are getting prequalified and taking steps to reduce the days until close. According to Ellie Mae’s latest Origination Insights Report, the time to close a loan has dropped to 43 days, after seeing a 12-month high of 48 days in January. Use this to your advantage if you are in need of a quick move for a job or other personal reasons!
4. There Will Never Be a Better Time to Move Up
If your next move will be into a premium or luxury home, now is the time to move-up! The inventory of homes for sale at these higher price ranges has forced these markets into a buyer’s market. This means that if you are planning on selling a starter or trade-up home, your home will sell quickly AND you’ll be able to find a premium home to call your own!
Prices are projected to appreciate by 5.0% over the next year according to CoreLogic. If you are moving to a higher-priced home, it will wind up costing you more in raw dollars (both in down payment and mortgage payment) if you wait.
5. It’s Time to Move on With Your Life
Look at the reason you decided to sell in the first place and determine whether it is worth waiting. Is money more important than being with family? Is money more important than your health? Is money more important than having the freedom to go on with your life the way you think you should?
Only you know the answers to the questions above. You have the power to take control of the situation by putting your home on the market. Perhaps the time has come for you and your family to move on and start living the life you desire.
That is what is truly important.