During the summer all I was talking about was getting your home on the market to sell and buyers jumping on the bandwagon before school started, prices went up and rates increased, but now that school has started and the weather is starting to cool down we’ve noticed a drop off in home sales and the number of buyers currently on the market.
So what are sellers to do if they’re still currently trying to sell their house?
If you didn’t take advantage of the great seller’s market this summer or it simply wasn’t time to sell but now you need to get your property sold, how can you compete when there are just not that many buyers out there? Unfortunately you will probably have to lower the price of your home. You probably could’ve gotten more during the summer but if you’re serious about selling and you have to sell now you will have to drop the price lower than your closest competition. There are still buyers out there because just as you need to sell at this time, there are buyers that need to buy. The trick is offering those buyers something more for less.
So how do you start to do this?
You have to know your competition. As a Portland real estate agent I make sure I know the similar and comparable properties not just in your neighborhood but in your surrounding community as well. Buyers typically stick to one community or an area, so knowing your competition in that area can help set your home up for selling success. We find the closest home that matches your features and then price it a little bit lower. Buyers typically have no qualms about going with a lower-priced home if it supplies all of their needs.
We have to find what buyers are looking for and it helps to list your property with a buyer’s agent. Because I also help buyers in the Portland real estate market I can help sellers price their home correctly from the beginning so you can get as much profit out of it as you can and help it sell as quickly as possible.
Selling in the fall is not impossible but it does take some finesse and creative pricing strategies. By no means do I want to just give your home away but we do need to make some serious steps in the right pricing direction. Call me today and let’s discuss your home, location, features and amenities to get a good idea of what your home may possibly sell for this time of the year.