Pocket the Profits: The Secrets to Selling Your Home above the Asking Price

Pocket the Profits: The Secrets to Selling Your Home above the Asking PriceWe all want to sell our homes at above asking price, but what is it that makes a seller succeed at this? Here’s our expert advice on how you can sell your home above the asking price.

Ask For Less

You may be surprised, but pricing your home lower than market value can have an extremely positive effect on the offers you receive. This is because a low-priced listing will stand out and will draw more attention, which boosts your chance of a bidding war.

By attracting more buyers to come and look at your home, you will find more buyers who are willing to make an offer on your property. When they view your home they will see its true market value, and are then more likely to make a higher offer in hopes of outbidding others. It’s all about creating hype, and a low asking price will do just that.

Wait It Out

While it may be tempting to accept the first offer that comes along, in some cases, it may be better to wait and see what other offers come in. If you accept the first offer on your property you have closed the door to competition.

Consider Who You’re Selling To

Is your home better suited towards traditional buyers, or is it a valuable property for investors? If your home could easily be renovated and flipped, has high potential as an income property, or is in an up-and-coming neighborhood, it may be better marketed as an incredible investment property.

Investors expect a return on the money that they spend so are often more willing to make a higher offer – they know those funds will come right back to them.

Rock Your Renos

There are several simple renovations that can add a huge amount of value to your home. The return on investment for a few small upgrades is often very worthwhile when your goal is to receive more than asking price.

Make sure the flooring, kitchen, and bathrooms in your home are updated and appealing, and if not, consider upgrading these areas first. If you’re targeting investors, adding an income suite to your property may be the best investment you can make. Consider which kind of buyer you’re targeting and what areas of your home need the most TLC, and choose accordingly. Speak with your trusted mortgage agent today to learn more.

Locked in a Bidding War? 3 Tactics That Will Ensure That You Reign Supreme with a Winning Bid

Locked in a Bidding War? 3 Tactics That Will Ensure That You Reign Supreme with a Winning BidBidding wars can be ugly, nasty things – but with the right tactics, you can come out a winner without having to double your offer. Welcome to basic training – today, you’ll learn how to navigate the obstacle course that is a real estate bidding war and come out on top. Put these three strategies to use and you’ll easily win the home of your dreams.

Offer To Pay The Deposit In Cash

It’s not usually wise to make a down payment in cash, but paying cash for the deposit is a brilliant strategy that will put you first in line for your new house. One major reason why homes don’t sell is because the buyer didn’t get approved for financing – and that inconveniences the seller. Paying your deposit it cash proves your reliability to the seller, and it means the seller gets paid faster.

Add A Personal Touch With A Letter

Want to get a completely unfair advantage over other buyers in your neighborhood? Make your offer personal by writing the sellers a heartfelt letter. Marketing professionals know that emotional experiences are highly persuasive, and a personalized hand-written letter shows that you care.

For maximum effect, do a quick Google search on the sellers and look for common threads. Do the sellers have a child in college? Talk to them about your college-aged son or daughter and what program they’re taking – it may sound cliché, but a little bit of bonding really does go a long way.

“Escalate” The Situation With An Escalation Clause

When most buyers write up their formal offer, they simply name a price and that’s it. But you can set yourself apart from other potential buyers by including an escalation clause in your offer.

An escalation clause is a piece of a real estate contract that increases your offer in the event that you get outbid. An escalation clause usually lists your original offer, the amount by which you’re willing to beat other bids if you get outbid, and the maximum amount you’re willing to offer in the event that there are multiple offers. Escalation clauses are usually best used when you know that there will be a one-day review of all offers or when you’re anticipating multiple offers – otherwise it may compromise later negotiations.

Bidding wars aren’t ideal, but they are a reality of the real estate market – especially in competitive areas where it’s the norm to see multiple offers on a house. But with these tactics, you can outgun competing bidders and come out with the house you’ve always wanted. Contact your real estate agent and or your Trusted Mortgage Professional to learn more about navigating a bidding war and making a winning offer.

How to Submit an Offer Below the Asking Price Without Spooking the Seller

Going Low: How to Submit an Offer Below the Asking Price Without Spooking the SellerYou’ve found it: A large new home for your family. It’s in the area of the city that you love, with the perfect architectural style and lots of room for entertaining guests. It would have been perfect for you, but there’s only one problem – you’re not quite ready to pay the price the seller is asking for. You’ll have to put in an offer below the seller’s asking price – a risky move.

Although you will be rolling the dice with an offer below asking price, there are ways that you can increase the likelihood that your offer will be successful. Before you submit your offer, use these three strategies to make it more appealing.

Work Out Other Terms In The Seller’s Favor

If you’re going to ask for a lower selling price, it helps to show that you’re willing to compromise on other terms – that way, you come across as a reasonable human being and not a bargain hunter. By offering to give the seller the better deal on other terms, you’re showing that you want to close a sale – and the seller will see you making an effort to come to an agreement and respond in kind.

There are several ways to do this. When you submit your offer, see if you can negotiate an arrangement that has you paying the closing costs or a closing date that works better for the seller. Or, offer to make the down payment in cash or give the seller a larger deposit.

Arm Yourself With Facts To Make Your Case

If the home you want to buy is priced well above fair market value, you can easily use that to your advantage and turn it into a benefit for the seller. First, you’ll want to look up property values for similar homes in the area. You should also investigate how long it takes homes in that area to sell and the difference between the average asking and average selling price in the area.

If you can show the seller that their asking price is above their neighborhood’s average sale price or that their home has been on the market longer than the average home (or both), then you can make a strong case for a lower offer.

Submitting an offer below asking price can work, but it’s not something that should simply be done on a whim. It takes careful planning and a great strategy to actually win a bid if you’re coming in below asking price. 

Negotiation Tips: How to Ask the Seller to Pay the Closing Costs

Negotiation Tips: How to Ask the Seller to Pay the Closing CostsYou’ve found the perfect new house or condo, and you are now preparing an offer that you believe the seller will find tempting enough to accept. However, you know that there are going to be thousands of dollars in closing costs that need to be paid before the sale is completed and you become the home’s new owner.

The question is, should you ask the seller to pay some or all of the closing costs? In today’s blog post we’ll address this question and list a few scenarios in which you may want to consider having the seller pick up the tab.

Ask if You’re Offering the Full Listing Price

If you’re prepared to offer the full asking price for the home you can certainly include the caveat that the seller assist with some or all of the closing costs. Many sellers will price their home slightly higher than they expect to receive as they believe that buyers will submit low initial offers which need to be negotiated.

For example, if a home is listed at $275,000 a seller might actually be expecting $260,000 or $265,000 for it. You can offer $275,000 but ask that they take care of the closing costs.

Ask if You’re Confident the Seller Has Few Other Options

If the home has been on the market for a number of months or if you’re fairly confident that the seller isn’t going to find much luck elsewhere you can ask them to pick up the closing costs as one of your purchase conditions. You’ll obviously want to negotiate in good faith, but if you’re coming from a position of strength you can leverage this in to some additional savings.

Ask if You’re Ready to Close Immediately

Are you ready to sign on the dotted line today? If you’re sure that this is the right home for you, let the seller know that as long as they’re willing to assist with the closing costs and accept your bid that you’ll start the closing process today. Nearly all sellers will be willing to make a small sacrifice to get the deal done.

As you can see, there are a number of situations in which it makes sense to ask the seller to shoulder some of the closing costs. If you have found a home that you wish to purchase and you’d like advice on how to proceed, contact a real estate agent today. An experience real estate professional can help you craft an offer that the seller won’t be able to refuse.