The next few winter months are looking to be a pretty optimal time to sell a home. The mortgage rates continue to remain very low, demand for homes is high and there continues to be a drop in inventory compared to inventory a year ago. Chief economist at the National Association of Realtors®, Lawrence Yun proclaimed, “It will be one of the best winter sales years ever.”
Nevertheless, selling a home during a world-wide pandemic can offer challenges and sellers are still looking for ways to sell safely and for top dollar. An article published by Realtor.com, reported Erica Sweeney, has detailed some tips for homeowners selling homes over the next few months.
From a safety perspective, it is important to have a virtual tour available on the listing. This will allow shoppers to view the home online to get a better sense of the home layout and features. Doing this will help to keep the number of in-person showings to a minimum. When in-person showings are scheduled, masks and social distancing should be encouraged and larger time gaps between showings will help ensure the safety of all visitors. Once the prospective home buyers and agents have left the house, sanitizing all high touch surfaces will keep the home clean for the residents of the home.
Sweeney also gave tips of preparing and pricing a home. She reports, ‘According to a realtor.com report, the national median home listing price jumped 13.4% in December compared with last year, reaching $340,000, and price per square foot rose 15.9%.’ Sellers and their agents should ensure that they are pricing the house to align with the current market pricing. To add, highlighting upgrades and updates that buyers won’t have to worry about upon moving in during the winter months as well as features that accommodate work from home and e-learning from home will appeal to buyers that are in the midst of spending more time than normal at home.
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Photo Credit: Nathan Walker