The residential housing market in Seattle has been extremely hot for the last five years. Things have been very frothy, very competitive, and it has been very much a sellers market, with usually three to ten buyers for every home that hits the market.
Right now—in Seattle—things have balanced out to an extent. Although we are not in a slow market, it does feel slower than it has the last five years. And, although things right now are pretty balanced, it’s not possible to sell your home in the same way as before.
Now, as the market is more balanced, we have to have a different approach to selling.
The three most important things to think about are the position, price, and presentation of your home.
Positioning
Do all of the things that your real estate agent advises you to do. Think about staging, painting, decluttering, etc… Your house has to be on point and visually stunning when people see it online and when people come to see it with their own eyes.
Price
Your price has to be perfect and dead on. No longer can you stretch above what you think might be market value and expect people to be willing to pay it. Make sure you price your home at market value or slightly under to be compelling. When people see your stunning home online and then come to see it in person, they’re going to want to feel like it’s completely worth what it is they’re about to pay. To better understand the marketplace in your area, go see other listings that are competitive to yours to see how your home would compare. Then make sure your home is the best looking for its price point.
Presentation
When your real estate agent presents your home and shows it off online, they need to have a killer marketing plan and strategy to get your home in front of as many eyeballs as possible. Eyeballs online translate to eyeballs in person, and you have to have both! If nobody is going to see all of the hard work you’ve put into prepping and pricing your home, you’re not going to get the result you want.
