Selling Your House in a Slow Market

Selling a house in a slow-market is possible with strategic improvements, smart research and the help of a skilled and qualified real estate agent. Here's are several tips to help you sell your home.

Selling a house in a slow market can be challenging, but strategic thinking and proper planning can help you sell your home quickly, even when other homes are not selling. Here are suggestions for a faster house sale.

Take a good, hard look at your house, and determine what updates and improvements could help your house sell in your local housing market.
Also be sure that what you plan to spend on improvements can easily be recouped at selling time: updated appliances and a fresh coat of paint, for example, are better uses of your money and time than an all-out kitchen remodel.
To help the sale, highlight outdoor living spaces, integrating them with the structural elements of your property through well-maintained landscaping, decorative focal points, and thoughtfully arranged furnishings.
Applying the principles of universal design to accessibility and functionality of both indoor and outdoor spaces, and where appropriate, promote potential for upgrades can held sell a home in a slow market. For example, the current design of your two-story house may accommodate future addition of that small elevator on a particular buyer’s wish list.
Where possible, go green. Buyers are more informed and interested than ever when it comes to earth-friendly building practices, products and systems, and are looking for houses that leave a reduced carbon footprint.
Style your house for sale by applying real estate staging principles to its presentation can be very helpful when you are selling a home in a slow market. If you’re not comfortable handling this job on your own, consult with your real estate agent, who can recommend a local staging professional.
Speaking of agents, take the time to vet and choose a qualified real estate professional with the track record, reputation and personality that can lead to the satisfying sale of your home.
Set a fair sale price for your house, and be prepared to bargain. Getting to this point may include checking out the stats and sales results for similar local properties, a professional home appraisal, and other research, but any and all will be worth it when your home’s price tag turns from a dollar amount to “Sold!”