In the heart of Utah Valley lies the incredible city of Provo, Utah, where the real estate scene is consistently sought-after, thanks to the gorgeous golf courses and outdoor recreation spots in the area. Perhaps you’re thinking about listing your Provo home for sale, but you’re unsure of what the process entails or where you should start. Read on for a guide from expert agent Mike Gooch. With these tips in mind, you’ll be ready to get your home seen and sold.
Hire a real estate agent
While FSBO (For Sale by Owner) listings are growing in popularity, most people find that working with an experienced Provo, Utah, real estate agent is the right choice if they want to receive high offers. An agent can help you develop an effective marketing plan, and they will represent you in negotiations with prospective buyers to ensure you get the best possible deal.
As you’re looking for an agent to work with, consider reading reviews from past clients. These are pretty easy to find online, either through a search engine or on the agent’s professional website. Many agents will also agree to meet with you in person before you officially begin working together. This is a great opportunity to ask the agent questions about their experience and their qualifications.
As you’re looking for an agent to work with, consider reading reviews from past clients. These are pretty easy to find online, either through a search engine or on the agent’s professional website. Many agents will also agree to meet with you in person before you officially begin working together. This is a great opportunity to ask the agent questions about their experience and their qualifications.
Choose a competitive price
Pricing your home on the Provo, Utah, real estate market too high or too low has risks. Obviously, no homeowner wants to sell their home for less money than what it’s worth. On the other hand, you should also make sure you don’t price your home so high that it spends additional time on the market or doesn’t generate much attention from potential buyers. A good first step is for your agent to run a comparative market analysis on your home. This report will help you evaluate what your home’s appraised value could be based on the value of recent home sales in your area. Your real estate agent can help you with this, and they will also help you use this information to determine the best initial listing price for your home.
Make any necessary upgrades
Some sellers will order an inspection ahead of time so that they can spot any necessary repairs before they show up on a buyer’s inspection report. Most buyers will request an inspection during the option period shortly after they agree to a deal to purchase your home. If the inspection shows that your home has significant foundation damage or needs a new roof, your sale could fall apart. Catching these issues ahead of time ensures that there are no surprises for you (or for the buyer) once the home goes under contract.
If your home doesn’t need any repairs, you might still want to consider which upgrades you could make to help your home stand out on the market. Do some research about what projects or upgrades tend to provide the greatest ROI. Your agent can also provide recommendations, as they are highly knowledgeable of the features buyers are looking for in their house hunts. Buyers often prefer homes with increased energy efficiency and upgraded outdoor living spaces.
If your home doesn’t need any repairs, you might still want to consider which upgrades you could make to help your home stand out on the market. Do some research about what projects or upgrades tend to provide the greatest ROI. Your agent can also provide recommendations, as they are highly knowledgeable of the features buyers are looking for in their house hunts. Buyers often prefer homes with increased energy efficiency and upgraded outdoor living spaces.
Decide on the best time to sell your home
You can make more money on your home by strategically planning when you’ll put it on the market. According to the National Association of Realtors, buyers tend to be more active during the late spring and the early summer. There are a number of reasons why demand is higher during this time, including the return of tax refunds and the end of the school year. You should also think about the best day and time to publish your listing. Most experts agree that Thursday afternoon is the ideal time to target. Listing during this time will allow buyers enough time to schedule a showing for the upcoming weekend, and you won’t fall too far down the list before Friday evening or Saturday morning when weekend shoppers log on to check for new home listings.
Create a marketing plan
Effectively marketing your home requires taking advantage of several marketing tools and tactics. Many sellers will invest in professional photography to help their homes appear more attractive and compelling online. These images often capture the attention of potential buyers better than pictures you take yourself.
Your agent will help you create a captivating write-up that emphasizes your home’s best features. You can include this description with your home listing as well. Other sellers will invest in promoted ad campaigns that help them target a specific buyer group based on age or geography.
Another idea is to use short-form videos to promote an upcoming open house or provide a full video tour of your home. There are a number of ways to spread the word about your home listing and attract potential buyers, and your real estate agent will discuss which strategies and options make the most sense for you.
Your agent will help you create a captivating write-up that emphasizes your home’s best features. You can include this description with your home listing as well. Other sellers will invest in promoted ad campaigns that help them target a specific buyer group based on age or geography.
Another idea is to use short-form videos to promote an upcoming open house or provide a full video tour of your home. There are a number of ways to spread the word about your home listing and attract potential buyers, and your real estate agent will discuss which strategies and options make the most sense for you.
Stage your home to show its very best
You can hire a professional home stager to help with this step, or you can put some DIY home staging tips into practice. At a minimum, you should fully clean and sanitize your home. You also need to depersonalize your home by taking down all personal pictures and other items that might make a buyer feel like they are intruding on someone else’s space rather than having the freedom to imagine what the home would look and feel like if it were theirs. Expert staging techniques involve furniture placement and decor selection to give each space a purpose and plenty of appeal.
Next steps
Mike Gooch is an experienced Provo, Utah, real estate agent who specializes in buying and selling luxury homes. He takes time each day to study market trends so that he can provide expert advice and insight to each of his clients. He has a keen awareness of what buyers are looking for when they shop for homes, and he will help you position your home in a way that commands attention and stands out on the market. Reach out to Mike when you’re ready to move forward with your home sale. He would feel honored to partner with you.
*Header photo courtesy of Shutterstock