Tips for Getting Top Dollar on Your Houston Home

Getting top dollar for your home can be a challenging process. How do you price your home to sell in a tumultuous real estate market? Here are some tips to help you get the best price for your Houston home and sell your property faster.

• Pricing your home correctly is probably the most important step in marketing your home for sale and getting the top dollar. Pricing is the number one factor in determining when or if your home will sell in today's market.

• Pricing is not based on hearsay or guesswork. Find good comparable transactions for your home. The best comparables are houses with similar styles and upgrades close to your address that sold recently.

• A regional Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) is an important tool that allows you to see local transactions, understand what amenities those homes featured and accurately compare them to yours. A CMA will give you the information you need to price your home to sell and ensure that you receive the top dollar.

• Do your own homework. Check with neighbors or community leaders who have purchased a home or sold a home recently. By doing good research in advance, you will have a general idea of how your local market is faring.

• Don’t be greedy on your price expectations. In a buyer’s market, most home owners don’t experience double-digit price appreciation that was common just a few years ago. While you may want to get as much money as possible out of your home sale, you will stand little chance of selling quickly or even selling at all if the home is overpriced.

• One of the most important factors in getting top dollar for your home is preparing your home to market. Just because you love the way your house looks doesn't mean others will. If you want top dollar, be ready to de-clutter, paint and repair. Staging your Houston home is another key element in getting top dollar for your home.

• Evaluate your Houston home’s pluses and minuses. Real estate agents compare square footage, age and condition of the house, number of bedrooms and baths, amenities, lot size, and location.

• For Houston condos and Houston high rises, real estate agents often look at location in the building, noise levels of nearby surroundings and neighbors, views, natural light, convenience and location, building amenities, and floor plan.

• Consider the urgency of your home sale. If you have a need to move or sell your home quickly, you may be willing to accept a lower up front price but get more value from other seller concessions besides pricing, such as closing dates (reduces your monthly payments), moving expense, helping buyers with financing, closing costs or improvements, or letting them rent with an option to buy.

For more information about selling your Houston home and getting additional home sale tips, please contact Paige Martin at 713-384-5177 or Paige@HoustonProperties.com