Atlanta Homes Priced to Sell
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A properly priced home is 80% “Sold”. Priced correctly, your home will sell quickly. Never, never, never select an agent, based on price!
The percentage of transactions in which the Seller was required to reduce the listing price in order to attract a Buyer, increased substantially in 2008, reaching a new high of 51% of all transactions! Your Realtor should present his/her marketing plan to you and, together, you can agree on a realistic listing price. Remember that Realtors have no control over the market; they control only their marketing plans and the implementation of those plans.
Some common statements that I hear from Sellers are:
- “We can always come down”. In the last portion of 2008, statistics showed that 83% of listed homes were “failed” listings and had to be either reduced to sell or the listings expired, never selling.
- “Couldn’t we try it at a higher price, for a few weeks?” The majority of activity occurs in the first 2-3 weeks on the market. By using this tactic, you are overpricing the home during the period when the best potential buyers show up, then lowering it, after they’re gone. Price it right for its first exposure to the market.
- “We have so many improvements and upgrades in our home.” Improvements and upgrades are made for enjoyment, not for resale. Would you have installed these upgrades if you knew that you were going to sell your home immediately? Probably not. So why would you think that the upgrades are of value to someone else?
- ”But we paid $ ___ for it.” What you paid for something, has nothing to do with its value. If you inherited your home through an estate and paid nothing for it, would you still sell it for $-0-?
- ”They can always make an offer.” If your home is over-priced for your neighborhood, prospective buyers will not see it. Most buyers look up to their price range, peek over it a bit, then focus on their price range. By overpricing, you put your home into a price range that they won’t look.
Sellers are not unusual in that they want as much money as they can get for their homes. A good Realtor owes it to them to get as much as the market will pay. And that Realtor will take the listing only if it is realistically priced and presented!
If you are looking for a good Realtor, call us. We can help. Experience True Experience!