Arguably, there has never been a better time to buy a home. There are tons of homes on the market, and prices will never be better. Mortgage rates are low, which makes home affordability at an all-time high.
Is Your Home Description Raising Interest or Eyebrows?
But for sellers, this buyer’s market makes it harder and harder to sell. And although there is a lot of inventory for you to compete with, having the right home description for your listing can help to get it off the market faster. After all, the goal of your home description is to raise interest in your home. You don’t want your listing to raise eyebrows instead!
Homes that are described with superlative words are usually just the opposite. Can a property really be “the best”? That claim is more than a bit subjective. While a home description should, obviously, put the home in its best light, if the seller is going overboard in their description, they are really doing the listing no justice. Many would-be buyers expect to see the best and find the home to be a big disappointment.
Don’t Underprice Your Home
Homes that are underpriced will also set off a red flag. Many times, a Realtor will suggest that a homeowner price their home on the low end so that offers from multiple buyers will inflate the price. But this strategy does not always work, since many buyers do not want to get into a bidding war. And sometimes it serves to attract buyers who are unqualified to buy, and then the house ends up not selling at all, although the home will be devalued in the process.
A better idea is to price the home accurately from the start, using an appraisal, home inspection, and current comps. Bottom line, when home shopping, if a price is too good to be true, it likely is.
Where are your photos?
Another type of home listing that will always raise your eyebrow is the listing that is absent all photos. Why bother? It is so frustrating to see a home just listed online without even a single photo to help tell its story. How can you pique anyone’s interest with just a description alone? At least a dozen photos of the property, at minimum, can go a long way towards selling your home.
There are some reasons that sellers do not have photographs of the property available, such as wanting privacy, but that’s not going to help sell your home. Would-be buyers naturally assume that there are some problems with the home when photos aren’t present with the listing.
Be Careful With Your Description!
Recently remodeled? An additional eye-brow raiser is when the home is described as having recent renovations. Recent updates can be a good thing, but it can also make the home buyer wonder if the home is actually a “flip”.
Many buyers steer clear of recently flipped homes, which oftentimes mean that renovations are carried out without proper permits. Buyers want to know that you are living in or have recently been living in the home, and that any work that you have had done on the home was undertaken properly and is “up to code”.
And finally, for distressed properties, it is important that the listing contains language regarding transaction details. For example, if it is a short sale, has the lender approved of a price? Would-be buyers need to know the transaction details before they can really get excited about buying your home.
This guest blog was provided by Linda Wise who helps home buyers purchase real estate Merritt Island. You can also check out Linda’s website to search for sunny Florida homes including real estate Titusville and real estate Cape Canaveral.
