How to Sell a House: 4 New Rules That Can Make or Break a Sale
By Daniel Bortz for Realtor.com
These days, knowing how to sell a house isn’t as simple as sticking a “For Sale” sign on your lawn. Times have changed—and the good news is the market is largely tilting in your favor.
“It’s undeniably a seller’s market,” says Linda Sanderfoot, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker in Neenah, WI. In other words, buyers are demanding homes, but there isn’t much inventory on the market nationally. Plus, half of home buyers are worried about rising interest rates and looking to lock into a home soon. As a result, “there is pressure on buyers to submit offers quickly, and to offer full or even above list price,” says Peggy Yee, supervising broker at Frankly Realtors in Vienna, VA.
All of this puts sellers squarely in the driver’s seat—which can be a lot of pressure if your GPS is broken and you don’t know how to navigate this new world. Consider this your crash course in getting up to speed.
Rule No. 1: Price it right from the outset
Rule No. 2: Amp up your marketing
Rule No. 3: Splurge on staging
On average, staged homes sell 88% faster and for 20% more than non-staged ones. Staging is particularly important if you’ve moved out, because bare rooms can look empty and sad.
Rule No. 4: Devise a plan for how to handle multiple offers
