So, you want to try to sell a house online? You’ll be happy to learn that selling homes online is not much different from selling in person. In fact, it can be a bit easier because many of the processes are streamlined, making for a much more seamless approach to home selling. Additionally, you’ll be happy to learn that you don’t have to sell your house online on your own. Real estate agents can help you with selling your home online or in person.
Ultimately, you’ll need to make a great impression on a buyer whether they are on an online marketplace or at your front door. So, how do you make an amazing first impression online when marketing your home? Read on to learn how.
7 Tips for Selling Your Home Online – fast!
De-Personalize Your Home
One of the first things that you’ll need to do if you want to sell your house online is to remove your personal items. For example, a refrigerator full of your children’s cute artwork is ideal for family gatherings and cookouts with friends. But it doesn’t look as flattering in a kitchen photo selling your home. Nor do all of your teen’s football trophies on your fireplace mantel.
It’s not that your personal items aren’t admirable. You just have to put yourself in your buyers’ shoes. If you have personal effects lying through the house, a buyer would assume, “Is this person ready to part with this house?”
Your goal is to make buyers believe that the space can be theirs, not yours. So, removing all personal items from your home is a good idea. This may include your favourite basketball team’s shower curtain in the guest bathroom. These personal items may turn a buyer off, especially if they don’t like the basketball team whose logo you have on your shower curtain.
So as you prepare to take photos of your home to display on a website, make sure that you remove all personal items from sight. This even includes kids and pet toys unless your real estate agent has confirmed that potential buyers will likely have kids or pets.
Fresh Paint and Great Flooring Matter
It may not seem like a big deal, but the condition of your walls and floors matters. And photos don’t do an excellent job of disguising flaws. As a matter of fact, they exacerbate them. So, if your little one has made images of a house with a family standing outside of it on your walls, it probably would be a good idea to paint over this before taking a photo. Likewise, dark stains, fingerprints, grease spots, and more are perfect reasons why you need to apply a fresh coat of paint.
In addition to ensuring that you have freshly painted walls, it is also a good idea to do something about your flooring. If your floors are in relatively excellent condition, you may only need to give them a good cleaning. For instance, if you have tile floors in good condition but the grout is dirty, it is a good idea to restore the grout to its original colour. You may have to hire professionals to clean your floors, but it’s worth it.
Keep in mind that one of the most outstanding features in your photos, whether they are staged or not, will be the floors and walls. Therefore, it is ideal for you to ensure these are in pristine condition.
Don’t Forget to Declutter Everywhere
Another critical factor to keep in mind is clutter. If you think clutter looks terrible in person, a photo will enhance it. Even something as simple as pens lying around or other knick-knacks can start to distract buyers from focusing on the bones of your house.
When staging your kitchen, try to minimize the number of appliances and other gadgets for display. While a lovely coffee maker or tea kettle may help buyers get a feel for the kitchen, your brand-new blender or juicer may start to clutter the kitchen. It is essential to declutter your home as much as you possibly can.
Also, when prepping your living room, does it look like the furniture is stuffed in that room? Or does there seem to be plenty of space to go around? If the former is true, you may need to borrow rental furniture for the photo and store your furniture out of sight.
Cluttered, small spaces can be a turn-off for potential buyers. You’re doing yourself an injustice by displaying a very roomy space and one that is compact because your furniture is too big for the space. If your images don’t look as though they are fresh out of a luxury home magazine, potential buyers will not be able to see the potential of the space.
Stage the House Well
After cleaning and decluttering, it is a good idea to solicit the help of professional home stagers, especially if you need to sell your house quickly. According to a recent article by the National Association of Realtors, staging helps buyers visualize a vacant home and allows buyers emotionally connect to the space.
When staging your home, don’t forget about the exterior. Curb appeal is one of the most essential home improvement ideas to sell your home. After all, if the exterior doesn’t look inviting, who will want to enter your space and look around?
Another option when staging your home, particularly if you’re short on cash, is virtual staging. Home Advisor says traditional home staging could cost between $749 and $2,825. This price may increase exponentially if you need to stage a high-end or luxury home. On the other hand, virtual staging can cost a few hundred dollars per photo.
Get a Professional Photographer When Selling Your Home Online
After putting in a lot of work to get your home looking great, don’t cheapen the experience by taking amateur photos. Instead, seek a local photographer that specializes in taking real estate photos. Also, consider getting a photographer who will also take virtual photos of your space so potential buyers can get panoramic views of the interior of your home. Make sure to choose someone who uses a quality camera, lens, and other accessories, such as a Yongnuo flash for Nikon cameras.
Create Intriguing Listings
Along with professional photos, don’t forget to create enticing real estate listings. While great photos will capture the fancy of many serious buyers, listings that play up the marketable aspects of your home will prompt many potential buyers to make the next move. Try using digital marketing keywords in the description and draw out your home’s unique features when selling your home online.
Home Security Features
Another great tip for selling your home online is to emphasise any security features your house might have. Whether you have a ring doorbell or a state-of-the-art security system, make sure you highlight this in your online property listing, do you research to learn more about home security features that are affordable but add value too.. Many people look to install home security and start off by doing an online search for home security near me, but if your property already has this, it’s a big plus for potential buyers.
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