Heed their advice and your home will fly off the market faster than you ever thought possible.<\/p>\n Listing price is one of the most influential factors dictating how fast your home sells and for how much money. Ideally, you should list your home at or slightly below fair market value<\/a> \u2014 the price a buyer and seller would agree upon if the property sold on the open market.<\/p>\n If you price your home too far below market value, you could leave money on the table. And if you list too high above market value, you might miss out on offers from market-savvy buyers who know your home is overpriced.<\/p>\n In our Top Agents Insights Report, 70% of real estate agents agree that overpricing is the number one mistake sellers make<\/a> during their home sale. If your home\u2019s price is too high, your property may not show up in the correct price brackets when buyers apply pricing filters on listing websites while searching for homes. And even if buyers do come across your listing, they\u2019re less likely to schedule a showing or make an offer if it\u2019s priced significantly higher than similar homes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe longer a house is on the market, typically speaking, the less money you are going to receive and the lower the offers are going to be,\u201d D\u2019Annunzio warns. \u201cI always tell every seller that days on market are their enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n So how do you determine your home\u2019s fair market value? Your real estate agent will conduct a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA)<\/a> to see how your home stacks up against recently sold properties and, in some cases, homes in escrow in your market. Based on their findings, they\u2019ll adjust your home\u2019s value based on differences and ultimately suggest a competitive listing price.<\/p>\n According to the National Association of Realtors, 44% of buyers looked for properties online before any other step in the homebuying process<\/a>. Take advantage of the latest digital marketing tactics to attract buyers browsing homes online.<\/p>\n Matterport<\/a> is the leader in 3D dollhouse and virtual tour technology in real estate. D\u2019Annunzio details how the technology works:<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a camera that does a virtual scan of the house and not only does it allow you to walk through the entire house, it also allows you to measure any part of the house and give you accurate measurements of any piece of furniture you want, the floors, and the height from the floor to the ceiling.\u201d<\/p>\n If you\u2019re selling an unfurnished property, consider harnessing virtual staging to help buyers envision living in your home. Over 41% of top real estate agents<\/a> believe that vacant homes benefit the most from home staging, which brings personality and life to an empty property.<\/p>\n \u201cIf a buyer wants to get a feel for the space, we can take the 3D scan we took, and our Photoshop specialist can put whatever furniture they are thinking about inside the room,\u201d says D\u2019Annunzio. \u201cThey may stand in a room thinking it\u2019s small but are surprised at how much it can actually fit with this tool.\u201d<\/p>\n Virtual tours, open houses<\/a>, and showings are a must, especially if your market attracts buyers from out of the area who can\u2019t easily drop by the property. With help from your agent leading the tour, buyers can experience a property fully \u2014 from the views outside your window to the insides of your closets.<\/p>\n Hosting the tour on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, and Zoom<\/a>, your agent can shoot the live stream with a professional camera<\/a> or with their smartphone using a gimbal<\/a> to stabilize the footage. Depending on your agent\u2019s preference, they can run the virtual tour solo or with a partner for production support.<\/p>\n DelBoccio says you have 30 seconds to impress a potential buyer when they walk into your house.<\/p>\n \u201cClients are used to seeing these move-in ready homes on HGTV, and sometimes they feel deflated when they walk in,\u201d she says. \u201cEven if it\u2019s just adding a wreath to the front door and putting planters, a little goes a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow these steps to make a great first impression with buyers:<\/p>\n The good news is getting your home ready to list doesn\u2019t require a lot of time or money. For instance, decluttering and cleaning cost around $650 and add nearly $4,000 to a seller\u2019s bottom line on average<\/a>, according to our Top Agent Insights Survey.<\/p>\n In our Top Agent Insights Report, 57.83% of surveyed real estate agents advise sellers to paint their interior before listing<\/a>. Painting your home\u2019s interior is one of the quickest and most cost-effective DIY projects you can take on when selling.<\/p>\n According to Consumer Reports, the potential return on investment of painting individual rooms is 1% to 3%<\/a>, while enhancing the home\u2019s exterior can return 2% to 5% of your investment. A study by Home Gain estimates that painting your interior can add $2,001 or more to your home\u2019s value<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have a dominant color \u2014 like everything is red when you walk into the house \u2014 you should consider updating it,\u201d DelBoccio comments.<\/p>\n On average, painting a 2,300 square foot home costs between $1,900 and $7,800, depending on where you live, what paints you choose, and how tall your walls are. However, you can save between $2 and $6 per square foot by doing the work yourself instead of hiring a painter<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re going to go through the time and expense to paint your home, you want to make sure you choose the right color. \u201cIf you have travertine tiles, which are typically more brown, or if you have white subway tile, or if you have a carpeting or a mix of both tile and carpeting, you\u2019re going to want to choose a paint that works well with that,\u201d DelBoccio notes.<\/p>\n As a general rule of thumb, go for gray if your flooring and features lean cooler. If these elements are a warm brown, a shade of beige may be a better match. When in doubt, ask your real estate agent for guidance.<\/p>\n Declutter, declutter, declutter. The less decor, personal items, and unnecessary furniture in your home, the better. Decluttering and depersonalizing your interior makes it look larger and more attractive to buyers.<\/p>\n Decluttering can take weeks, especially if you\u2019ve lived in your home for many years. Jump on the task as soon as you decide to sell. Start with easy rooms that contain items with little emotional value, such as linen cabinets and bonus rooms. Don\u2019t forget to declutter closets and storage spaces \u2014 the less items in these areas, the more spacious they\u2019ll appear to buyers.<\/p>\n When decluttering<\/a>, pack any items you plan to take to your new home into moving boxes and stack them in the garage. Buyers won\u2019t mind seeing neatly organized boxes in this spa \u2014 if anything, it signals to them that you\u2019re motivated to sell.<\/p>\n \u201cIf a listing has a one-car garage, I don\u2019t recommend this, but if you have a two-car garage and you can still see the other side and the wall is visible, that can be efficient,\u201d DelBoccio shares.<\/p>\n If you need to pack away more belongings than you have space to store, consider renting a storage unit for the listing period. Ask your agent how long they anticipate it will take your home to sell so you can estimate the overall cost. Even if the cost is on the higher side, remember that decluttering will likely help your home sell faster and for more money.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve decluttered, bring in your agent for a quality check. Are there any areas they believe look too busy or packed? If so, heed their advice and reduce clutter in these spaces.<\/p>\n \u201cYou should not have a million appliances on the countertops,\u201d DelBoccio shares, as an example. \u201cI tell owners to get a laundry basket and put those things in and put the basket away in a closet or in a storage room during a showing.\u201d<\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to do anything extravagant or expensive to your home to make it stand out from the rest \u2014 adding one memorable, unique element can go a long way.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/selling-a-home-tips-price-666x381.png\")
<\/a>1. Price your home with precision<\/h2>\n
2. Market your home with a virtual reality<\/h2>\n
3D dollhouse<\/h3>\n
Virtual staging<\/h3>\n
Virtual home tours<\/h3>\n
3. \u201cWow\u201d buyers in the first 30 seconds<\/h2>\n
\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/selling-a-home-tips-neutral-666x381.png\")
<\/a>4. Repaint your interior a neutral color<\/h2>\n
5. Mercilessly declutter your entire home (closets too!)<\/h2>\n
Start decluttering early<\/h3>\n
Pack your belongings into the garage<\/h3>\n
Rent a storage unit for the listing period<\/h3>\n
Trust your agent\u2019s objective eye<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/selling-a-home-tips-blue-666x381.png\")
<\/a>6. Create a memorable calling card<\/h2>\n