8 Ways Home Sellers & Buyers Can Ensure A Successful Transaction

No two real estate transactions are ever going to have the exact same set of circumstances. But there are things that are rule of thumb for both buyers and sellers, and your Realtor has experience with what those things are. Without them, the odds are that getting to the finish line will be tougher for you, no matter which side of the transaction you’re on. These are some tips that can make the difference.

A List of “Do’s” for Sellers

You love your home and you just assume that everyone else will see what you do and love it, too. Maybe they will – maybe they won’t. But if you don’t make an effort to focus on the positive aspects of it, how do you expect a prospective buyer to see in the few minutes they have to view your property (and compare it to all the others they see)? Here’s a list some of the most important “Do’s” to make your property the one they want to buy:

1) Yes, staging your home by getting rid of clutter and bringing in furniture or accessories can help it sell. (And that includes the garage.) Also, buyers love to see lots of wide-open counter space – so be sure to clear off countertops in the kitchen and the bathrooms.

2) “Does it really matter if we have the carpets cleaned or take the family photos off the wall?” Yes! A buyer needs to walk in and have it look good, feel good and smell good. Put yourself in the shoes of the prospective buyers as if seeing it for the first time. Perhaps unmade beds or laundry on the floor shouldn’t make a difference – but a mess leaves an impression that’s hard for a buyer to overcome. And whether or not it actually matters to them, you should take advantage of every opportunity to make your home as appealing and showroom-ready as possible.

3) At a minimum, you should follow these steps for every prospective buyer:

a) Have your home clean and smelling good. (By the way, keep in mind that not everyone is a fan of plug-in air fresheners or scents. In fact, some people are quite physically sensitive to them, and an adverse reaction may mean they have to leave your home before they were able to fall in love with it.)

b) A comfortable temperature – whether heated or cool depending on the season.

c) Turn on the lights – it’s welcoming and inviting – and makes it clear there’s nothing about your home to hide.

d) Consider their comfort – set out some snacks or even just bottled water. If nothing else, it will cause them to remember your house out of the sea of competitors they visited that day.

4) The takeaway from all the above? The longer a house is on the market, the less likely you are to get fair value. So you really want to position yourself to be the one that sells, not the one that languishes on the MLS listings.

And a List of “Don’ts” For Buyers

You found “The House.” The one you want to live happily-ever-after in. It’s great to be excited and enthusiastic; to plan for the future and begin creating the home you’ve always dreamed of. But buyers need to remember to do first things first:

1) For many buyers, the minute they get preapproved for a mortgage – they start planning. Not for how to get to the closing date – but for how they’re going to decorate, furnish, and get all the things they’ll need once they move in. So they start running up the cards and opening new lines of credit to buy things for their home-to-be. But that preapproval letter is just one of the first stops in the home buying process — it’s not the end-point.

2) Many (especially first-time) buyers don’t realize that just before closing, a lender will re-examine a prospective buyer’s financial situation — complete with a recent copy of the credit history and other financial re-verifications. If those numbers have changed for the worse (salary decrease, higher card balances, new lines of credit), then it could mean the terms of the loan have changed. You may be charged a higher interest rate, or even lose loan approval entirely – because the changes to your credit and financial circumstances have changed your debt ratios. In fact, the number of buyers who get denied as a result of these reasons is significant. Don’t be one of them.

3) The hard lesson that you don’t want to learn by personal experience? Never get new loans or start using credit cards more heavily until after you’ve actually closed escrow on the home.

Since the first order of business is to complete either your purchase or sale transaction, these are important facts to keep in mind so you can go on to enjoy all the benefits of ‘life-after-close-of-escrow’ – whatever your plans may be.

New Home Resource helps current and future homeowners with all of their Las Vegas real estate needs. Whether your preference is for a newly-built home from a local builder, or a resale property in just the right location, a New Home Resource Realtor® is here to find the perfect property for you. Please contact a New Home Resource Realtor® today at 702-365-1000 or at www.newhomeresource.com. Broker Joanna Piette, and agents Denise Moreno Thrasher, Jessica O’Brien, Evelyn ‘Beng’ Kern, Lance Partin and Kathy Paterniti are all here to help!