Selling a home, or condo in Huntington Beach, is a really exciting change; however, it can also become an extremely stressful time in your life. Chances are, the money you make on your home will be: rolled into another house you are looking to buy, retirement, bills that have to be paid off, or it is an investment and you are looking to regain the money you put into it, and (hopefully) make a profit.
There are a few things that you can do which will make your home stand out from the rest; sell quickly, and sell for top dollar.
1)Web presence: Did you know, in 2011, over 47% of buyers found the home they bought on an internet website? That percentage is higher then any other home advertising source in 2011. What does this tell us? The times are changing. People no longer look in magazines (less then 1%), or news papers (1%), or even open houses (less then 2%). The statistics of online housing purchases are only projected to grow in the coming years.
Internet marketing is highly sophisticated; therefore, when choosing a real estate agent, make sure he/she understands how to use the internet to your advantage. If this is not the case, then chances are that the marketing of your home will fail to be effective. Many Huntington Beach real estate and Costa Mesa real estate agents convey knowledge of online marketing when in reality they have no idea. Just because they have a website, have put your home on aggregator websites, or better yet put your home on Facebook or Twitter, does not equal effective marketing. It is a highly sophisticated process that needs to be handled by someone who knows what they are doing.
QUICK TIP- Make sure the agent you are about to choose has an quality website which gets plenty of traffic (a website like this one). This will guarantee that your home will be exposed to many potential buyers. Also, make sure the agent knows how to use listing aggregator websites such as Zillow.com (the number one buyer website for Orange County and Huntington Beach). I happen to be a perfect five star Premier Agent on Zillow, thus, if you need someone to help you contact me.
2)Staging: One thing you must understand about buyers (especially home buyers in the Huntington Beach and Orange County area) is that they want to feel as though they are getting quality. Making small, inexpensive, upgrades goes a long way in doing this. Painting a home a certain color, changing the carpet, updating the bathrooms and kitchen, can do wonders for a home. Spending five thousand dollars could realistically lead to saving between thirty and fifty thousand dollars in the end. The bottom line is home buyers are emotional; most cannot see the potential in a home-which is why it is crucial to do the work for them. Small upgrades can make potential buyers emotionally happy/attached which in turn causes them to feel as though they are receiving a much better deal (even though you only spent five thousand dollars). In the end they are willing to pay, and pay big. To learn more about staging visit my post on Prepping Your Home For Top Dollar
QUICK TIP- Make sure when choosing an agent that they have style. Look at what they are wearing and how they present themselves. If their clothes are out of date, or they seem to be stuck in the past, how are they going to make your home fresh and appealing to the new generation of home buyers? Selling a home is a big decision, make sure you choose the best real estate agent to assist you in this exciting yet stressful process.