Tatyana’s top 10 Tips for Denver home sellers

Today’s sellers in the Denver Market may face challenging conditions, but that doesn’t mean choosing to sell is a bad idea. There are many positive reasons to sell your home in 2012

Here are my ten tips to get you on your way to getting your home sold FAST.

1. Hire a Professional Realtor. This is no time to be navigating the rough waters of the Denver real estate market on your own. You want an experienced professional who can help you accurately price your home, bring in potential qualified buyers, handle and negotiate contracts, and market your home to the masses, primarily on the Internet through websites, video, social media and blogging.

2. Fully Disclose. Are you selling because your current home needs more work than you can handle? Are there infestation problems you’d rather not talk about? You must disclose all of these facts to potential buyers. In Colorado we do a seller’s property disclosure. I advise all my sellers to disclose everything they know and don’t know about the home on this form so the buyer can never come back to them in the future for not disclosing.

3. Be Realistic about Pricing. It is much wiser to price a home correctly from the start of the selling process than to have an overpriced home sit on the market for months only to have to do a price reduction or reductions down the road. You get much more traffic on a well-priced home and newly listed home in the first 60 days of being on the market, which in turn means a higher selling price. Plus if you over price the home in the beginning you will miss out on potential buyers that would have looked at your home if the property was priced correctly.

4. It is important to detach emotions as much as possible from the transaction. A seller may have the inclination towards adding sentimental value to a home. They see the memories and work they’ve put into a property and think every buyer should recognize this. This kind of attachment will make it harder to make smart and timely decisions about offers and negotiations.

5. Be Involved. Yes, you’ve hired a professional Realtor to handle the legwork, marketing, legality and negotiation of your sale, but you’ll rest much easier at night if you understand the process and all that is going on. Be sure to have ongoing communication with your agent through the process. Also let your agent know how you would like to be communicated with whether that be my text, email or phone.

6. Stage your Home. Staging is a perfect way to help buyers see the true potential of each room. Staging your home will help the property appeal to widest range of potential buyers. Homes that are staged typically sell faster and for more money. This may mean, however, that you have to tone down your own style and pack away any clutter or extraneous and personal decor.

7. Don’t Hover. Sellers can put a lot of heart and soul into staging and getting a home ready for the market. They might want to hang out during an open house or showings. Resist the urge. This makes it very uncomfortable for buyers and their agent when you are home for showing or open houses. So, during showings of any kind it is best to leave the property.

8. The Next Step. Are you going to be buying another home? Have you decided to rent? Under normal sales, you’ll have plenty of time to make arrangements, but you also might get a buyer who needs to move in right away. Be ready to take your next step. Have a plan in place. Are you pre qualified to buy your next home, have you scoped out rental properties, do you have a storage unit?

9. Be Flexible. It’s no secret that today’s Denver market can be challenging for many sellers. Some parts of the Denver metro area have seen sharp price declines and shallow buyer pools. This means you need to be flexible on both price and terms when it comes to negotiations. Don’t compromise on your bottom line, but understand that you must be willing to negotiate.

10. Positivity. Focus on the good in today’s Denver market. Pull your attention to the feedback you get from your agent and prospective buyers and buyer’s agent! Most of all, don’t get discouraged. Together we will find a buyer and get your home sold!

Selling in today’s market can be a tough, but rewarding. So, whether you’re selling to move up, downsize, avoid foreclosure, or are following a job, be sure to keep my ten tips in mind for a smooth and quick process.