When putting your Orlando home on the market, be sure to research your competition to establish an accurate listing price. Some homeowners are discovering that even if they have a relatively “newer” home, the brand new homes in the area are creating some serious unwanted competition for their pre-owned homes.
The Pointe in Hunters Creek is a perfect example of this. While all the other homes located in Hunters Creek are not exactly old, they are having to compete with brand new homes that haven’t even been built yet. Not only that but with a new home, buyers can choose the model, layout, colors, etc. which is a huge bonus because homeowners won’t have to do a single thing once they move in, except go grocery shopping.
Homeowners in Hunters Creek that were planning to sell and move away are now having to lower their listing price in some cases in order to sell. Sellers that find themselves in this situation would be wise to research what’s going on around them with new homes as well as resale homes before determining a listing price.
It’s just human nature that someone would prefer to live in a brand new home over one that’s been previously lived in. If you had a choice of buying a used car or a brand new car of the same model for exactly the same price, which would you choose? [oooh… and that new car smell!] It’s a no-brainer!
If you find yourself in a situation where you’re competing with newer homes check these tips to help you maximize your possibilities of selling for the highest amount.
Go do a walk of one of the new home models. I should warn you that when you walk through a new home to compare it to your own home, you will either get depressed or motivated. You’ll find that everything looks and smells brand new and the decoration of the home is exquisite. Now go home and see what you can do to make your house look and feel “brand new”. Initially, you may feel overwhelmed and not know where to start,… just relax and keep reading.
Begin by cleaning and de-cluttering. I’ve found that less is more when you want to make a house feel bigger. Next, you should paint the interior, and keep it simple and elegant. I recommend off-white on the walls and bright white on the trim, stay away from dark colors. Finally, change out your floors if needed or shampoo them at the very least. By providing a clean slate, you can allow potential buyers to visualize the house and how they would decorate it.
Find out what incentives the builder is offering. Is the builder offering custom paint choices or a free deck? Now, I don’t recommend offering to paint the house with their custom colors or build them a deck, but you might consider offering a $3,000 allowance for decorating. It’s just another option in lieu of just dropping the price outright.
Don’t blame your Orlando real estate agent!
Think of the Orlando real estate market like any other market. The agents don’t control the price of the homes, the sellers and the buyers do. Even though your home might be the nicest one on the whole block because of all your time and effort, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll see a return on that investment. A house is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it. Regardless of upgrades and amenities.
Maximize your curb appeal. See what you can do to make the front of your house look the best that it can. Sometimes it’s just a matter of cutting the grass, trimming the trees, and adding a few flowers with fresh mulch. Many buyers won’t even go in the house if they don’t like the way it looks from the outside.
Give the buyers what they want. Buyers are expecting that clean, new and fresh feeling when they walk in, not the lived-in feeling. If your goal is to sell your Orlando home for the highest price, give the people what they want!
For more helpful advice on how to compete with new homes when you’re selling your home, visit us at https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/sellers/ or call 407.902.7750 to speak with an Orlando listing specialist.
