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14 Sneaky Ways To Get Your House Sold

Written by Jaymi Naciri Posted On Thursday, 29 January 2015 10:37

Let's face it: Selling a home is stressful. The longer it's on the market, the more stress it brings and the more it typically costs sellers. Having to lower the sales price, sometimes multiple times, carry two mortgages, or delay the purchase of a new home if an existing home won't sell - stinks. You need every advantage you can find to get your home sold. Try a few of these and you'll be packing in no time.

1. Get your neighbors involved.

Neighbors who like you will be happy to help you get your home sold. Same for those who don't like you. Everyone else might need convincing to lift a finger. Offer a $200 prize to anyone who brings you a buyer who closes.

2. Crowdsource it.

Accessing the power of social media will naturally increase the number of people who see your home for sale. Up the ante by offering the same incentive to the person responsible for bringing in the buyer.

3. Throw in the kitchen sink.

Incentives can create additional interest in your home and maybe even convert a "maybe" to a "yes."

"Individual sellers should consider price and other incentives that could entice a buyer to take a look. You have to attract their attention somehow," said Bankrate. "You want to create the buzz."

Everything from gas cards to movie tickets to the furniture you were getting rid of anyway, to a year of homeowners' fees can do the trick.

4. Entice with cookies.

You know how they say the way to a man's heart is his stomach? Chocolate chip cookies are an equal opportunity seduction tool. Have a couple of packages of Nestle Tollhouse cookies on hand to throw in the oven before home viewings and you just might convert a prospect into a surefire buyer.

5. Toy story

Is there a family touring your home? Set out a few key toys in the play room or put some crayons and a few coloring pages on the kitchen table to occupy the little ones.

6. Research your buyers

Don't become a stalker…but uncovering a few facts you can use to your advantage could help make that connection with a buyer. Are they golfers? Conveniently leave out your clubs. Wine enthusiasts? Borrow a few bottles from your best friend's wine collection and arrange on the countertop.

7. Write it out.

Leave a personal note for the potential buyers touring your house telling them how much you have enjoyed living there and offering a few tips about the neighborhood (the best place for ice cream, where to find a good babysitter). The personal touch will endear you to buyers and help make your home memorable.

8. Create a list.

Another way to make your home memorable is to create a "Top 10 reasons to love our house" list. Have it printed and/or laminated and leave it for buyers.

9. Another kind of "leave behind."

Use the best picture of your home to create a magnet or key chain for buyers to take with them.

10. Stage it.

"Sellers need to understand that the way we live in our home is not the way we sell our home," said Front Door.

Homes that are staged "spend 73 percent less time on the market; typically sell for more money; end up on buyers' "must see" lists; are viewed as "well-maintained;" and have fewer concessions requested of the seller," according to the Real Estate Staging Association, said the Daily News.

Staging can cost up to $2,500, but by using tactics used in model homes, sellers might be able to do it themselves. The first step "is a thorough de-cluttering. Sellers should purge the house of all personal belongings, family photos and countertop appliances," said Front Door. "Furniture should be rearranged so as to make the room appear larger. Space sells.

11. Underprice it.

This is no new tactic, but it is one that can result in a bidding war and a higher sales price that would have been achieved otherwise.

12. Forget the open house.

Ditch the typical open house and throw a wine tasting party instead. Feature a few local wines, pull together a couple of appetizers and voila. Not only is this a different approach that will make your listing stand out, it will also showcase the home's entertainment potential.

13. No bones about it.

If there's a loud barker in your neighborhood, offering to pay for a day of doggie daycare during an open house may be warranted. Handing out special dog bones packaged as "Open House Bites" will help occupy dogs on your street and help keep them quiet while potential buyers are touring your home.

14. Borrow some bikes.

If you live in a family neighborhood, make sure it looks like you live in a family neighborhood. Enlisting some neighbor kids to leave their bikes outside—and maybe parents of babies can leave out a stroller or two—during an open house will warm up the street and illustrate who lives there.

Have any more ideas for sneaky tactics you can use to get a home sold? Let us know in the comments.

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