Use All of Technology and the Right Professionals to Sell Your Home

When a house is up for sale,  professional photos of the property can increase its perceived value substantially.  Gone are the days when a For Sale sign went in the ground and you could sit and wait for the buyers to line up....

A decade ago, real estate sales involved pounding a sign in the yard and securing an agent to mail out postcards and place newspaper ads. Today it requires a considerable amount of Internet and image savoir faire.  If you haven't been in the real estate market for five or 10 years, you may be surprised how much the homebuying experience has changed thanks to the Internet.

 The housing market is once again stable, prompting many to dream of pocketing a profit from selling their homes. . Technology, however, has forever changed the way homes are sold post 2008.

Nearly every single home buyer begins their search online.  And what do you think they do when they find a listing with poor quality photos that are too dark or out of focus or no photos at all?  That's right...CLICK - on to the next one.

 To maximize the sales price of your home, consider the tips below:

1. Use a professional photographer. The cost of hiring a professional photographer could be well worth the investment. Selling your home has become an online beauty contest. Buyers are visually-oriented. So sellers need to provide the best possible pictures of their house on the Internet to grab buyers' attention and motivate them to set up a showing.  This is why I hire a photographer for my listings....

2. Post a video of your home on YouTube. About 21 percent of buyers look for videos online. Grabbing the attention of Web-savvy buyers requires professional-quality photographs, publishing a video on YouTube.com and providing interactive floor plans.  Again, this is something that is part of my basic marketing plan when I list a home.

3. Include floor plans in your listing. Interactive floor plans that show how rooms relate to each other are an increasingly popular marketing tool. The combination of floor plans and professionally taken photos creates the ultimate shopping experience for buyers. They are slowly beginning to become popular.

4. Clear out clutter. Your house will show better if it's clean and well-organized. Potential buyers are interested in buying a home not furnishings. Take a minimalist approach and clear out personal items around the house, such as piles of paperwork, books, houseplants and photos.

5. Select an agent who knows how to create a perception that draws more buyers to a listing. It's obvious from even a cursory glance at real estate listings that some agents overlook the importance of good quality photographs and videos but homebuyers don't.  Also be sure your agent is marketing to the correct buyer profile for your home.  And make sure they use all available avenues to expose your property - I use Linked In, Twitter, Youtube, My Blog, Kijiji, Facebook, etc... to expose my listings to as many potential buyers as possible.

Fore a complimentary market evaluation contact me today!