Sellers staying current with the market...ranking

Everyone knows we continue to be in a Buyer's market, which is good if you're looking to purchase a home. For Seller's, there are a number of things to consider before planting the "For Sale" in the front yard, for which much has be written, including ranking.

Let's say, there at any one time, there may be 20-30 similar homes available in your area. You may not realize it, but all new listings are by nature quickly ranked by agents and perspective buyers. If your home makes the top 5 in that list the chances of your home selling quickly are greatly increased. If, however, you're at 10 or below it becomes very unlikely your home will sell early or if at all.

Furthermore, you might think that your ranking would automatically increase as higher ranking homes are sold. Not true; ranking doesn't really change as homes are sold since new listings come on the market every day. If you're 15 today, its likely you'll be 15 a month from now.

Prevention is always better than a cure. Increasing your ranking after-the-fact is hard to do, as lower ranking homes simply put get labeled as "house-worn" after the first few weeks and get a lot fewer reviews by online buyers and agents.

You might ask : How do I get in the top five in ranking? That part's really no mystery, go back to the basics:

1. Condition- every repair (roof, painting, landscaping, etc.) "MUST" be done before listing the property.

2. Price- It never makes sense to over price the property. Put the price right from the beginning. If possible have a Pre-listing appraisal (often can be discounted).

3. Staging-Listen to your professional real estate agent as to what buyers expect today. Remember the look of everyday living in a home is likely not the best look for selling. Over furnished rooms can, for example, make a room look small and less attractive. Kitchen cupboards should always be uncluttered.

In summary, nothing beats having your home priced and staged right for selling at the beginning of the selling process.

More in future posts.