When it comes to selling a home, it’s hard to know who or what to believe with all misinformation, errors, and myths floating around out there. You can spend all day reading on the internet, but can you trust the source? And well-meaning but misinformed family and friends don’t help matters either. All of this is a good reason to call on the expertise of real estate professionals. But to help you get a start and get a handle on home selling, here are the top home selling myths debunked in Greater Cincinnati Area.
Spring Is the Best Season for Selling
I just had a conversation the other day with a home seller who thought she had to sell her home in the spring. While there are advantages to selling in the spring (usually more buyers), there are also advantages to selling in other seasons of the year (less competition).
For a long time in many areas, spring has in fact been the best home-selling season. That’s not so much the case anymore, though, especially in markets where it’s extremely hot even during the spring, like Phoenix. But even in markets with more temperate climates, such as Cincinnati, houses tend to sell well all year long. So you may find spring as the best time to sell one of the home selling myths debunked in Greater Cincinnati Area.
Traditional Marketing is Enough
Put a sign in your front yard, stick a few photos on a listing site, and then wait – that’s all you need to do. This is one of our home selling myths debunked in Greater Cincinnati Area that could cost you, especially in terms of time, if you fall for it.
Today, successful marketing takes a lot of hustle and a creative approach. You need to use the MLS, social media channels, and virtual tours, which buyers have come to expect and rely on. After all, 90% of buyers begin their home search online. A good real estate professional should be able to take care of all this many-pronged marketing for you. And you still want to use a for-sale sign in the yard and hold an open house.
With Team Sztanyo, we are online marketing specialists. We utilize our 10 years of internet marketing savvy to help get your house in front of the right eyeballs and find you a ready, willing and able buyer!
All You Need to Do Is Clean
Another of our top home selling myths debunked in Greater Cincinnati Area says that all you need to do to prepare your home for sale is to clean it thoroughly. Yes, you do need to do that, but it’s certainly not enough.
You also have to do at least some staging, preferably using a professional staging service. Staging will display your home to advantage, highlighting attractive features and making up for shortcomings. A major part of staging also involves depersonalizing your home to allow prospective buyers to envision it as their new home.
In addition, you simply can’t neglect the outside of your home either. First impressions – and that means curb appeal – are hugely important in home selling. An additional bonus here is that landscaping traditionally yields a higher return on investment at sale time than any other upgrade or improvement. It’s easy to spend a lot of money on repairs that won’t bring you any more money in sale price. Again, be sure to bring your real estate professional, so that you can accurately evaluate the market.
You Must Have an Agent
Although this is one of our the home selling myths debunked in Greater Cincinnati Area, it remains a double-edged debunking. But, no, you do not have to use a real estate agent.
In fact, about 25% of US home sellers/buyers do their selling/buying without using the services of an agent. If you go the DIY route, you won’t have to pay the agent’s commission which is the primary reason sellers choose not to use an agent. Just keep in mind, though, that you will also have to perform all the many involved tasks that the agent would have taken care of, many of which can have serious legal implications. If you are comfortable with the extra work and risk, then you can sell without an agent. If you understand everything an agent truly does, you may be more inclined to hire one.
With these top home buying myths debunked in Greater Cincinnati Area, you will now be in a better position for selling your home. And although you don’t have to use an agent, you are far more likely to come out on top if you do.
At Team Sztanyo, we’re ready to help answer any questions or myths you may have about the home selling experience. We are home selling specialists in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky and our goal is to sell your house for more money and less hassle. Give us a call today to learn more about our process and marketing techniques that will get your house sold!