As we step into the dynamic real estate landscape of 2024, homeowners looking to list their properties need to be strategic and well-prepared. The market is influenced by various factors, including technological advancements, changing buyer preferences, and economic conditions. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to best prepare to list your home in 2024 for a successful and lucrative sale:

**1. Embrace Technology for Marketing:**
In the digital age, an online presence is paramount. Invest in high-quality professional photos and consider virtual tours or 3D walkthroughs to provide prospective buyers with an immersive experience. Leverage social media platforms and online listing sites to maximize your property's visibility.

**2. Conduct a Pre-Listing Home Inspection:**
Proactive homeowners are opting for pre-listing home inspections to identify and address potential issues before listing. This not only streamlines the selling process but also instills confidence in buyers, making your home stand out in a competitive market.

**3. Enhance Curb Appeal:**
First impressions matter, and the exterior of your home sets the stage. Invest in landscaping, fresh paint, and minor repairs to enhance curb appeal. A well-maintained exterior creates a positive perception and draws potential buyers in.

**4. Declutter and Depersonalize:**
Create a neutral canvas for potential buyers by decluttering and depersonalizing your home. Remove personal items and excess furniture to showcase the space and allow buyers to envision themselves living there. A clean and uncluttered home often appeals to a broader audience.

**5. Invest in Energy-Efficient Upgrades:**
With a growing emphasis on sustainability, consider making energy-efficient upgrades to your home. This could include installing smart home devices, energy-efficient appliances, or solar panels. Such upgrades not only appeal to environmentally conscious buyers but can also result in long-term cost savings.

**6. Set a Competitive Price:**
Accurate pricing is crucial for attracting potential buyers. Conduct a comparative market analysis (CMA) to assess the prices of similar properties in your area. Consider consulting with a real estate professional to determine a competitive yet realistic listing price.

**7. Highlight Smart Home Features:**
Incorporate smart home features to appeal to tech-savvy buyers. This might include smart thermostats, security systems, or automated lighting. Highlighting these features can add a modern touch to your home and attract a broader range of buyers.

**8. Address Home Office Needs:**
Given the continued rise of remote work, having a dedicated home office space is becoming increasingly desirable. Showcase the versatility of your space and highlight potential office areas to appeal to buyers looking for a comfortable and functional remote work environment.

**9. Consider Flexible Showing Options:**
In a fast-paced market, flexibility is key. Consider offering flexible showing options, including virtual showings, to accommodate potential buyers' schedules and preferences. This demonstrates your willingness to work with buyers and makes your home more accessible.

**10. Work with a Real Estate Professional:**
Partnering with an experienced real estate agent is invaluable. A seasoned professional can guide you through the process, offer valuable insights into market trends, and assist in negotiating the best deal for your home.

By strategically addressing these key aspects, you'll be well-prepared to navigate the real estate market of 2024 and position your home for a successful and timely sale. With careful planning and attention to detail, you can make the listing process a smooth and rewarding experience.

It’s becoming a pretty well accepted reality that people are using their cell phones, computers, and tablets to shop for homes online. Sure people resisted, but the internet won, and fading medias like newspapers and magazines have been dead for years. Establishing a solid first impression begins by telling your homes story with high quality photographs and video. That story is told online.

High Quality Photos

And we’re not talking about using an iPhone, even the newest one. Buyers make a their decision on whether or not they are interested in your home typically within the first 3-7 pictures. To capture the best image possible, your home should be photographed using professional equipment. That means with a Mirrorless or Full Frame type camera, using a stable tripod, with a high quality wide angle lens. This does a few things, mainly creates a consisted image perspective, allows you to capture the most of a given room (even smaller rooms,) and lets the appropriate amount of light into the photo. There is nothing worse than looking at home online and seeing dark/crooked photos. It’s a major turnoff to buyers and will cause them to discredit your home without scheduling a showing. Check out more photo examples

Edited Photos

Those photos then need to be edited. We aren’t talking about doing anything misleading here. A good photographer will process their work using computer software. This way they can preserve a rooms tone, lighting, and clarity, while creating a standard look throughout all rooms. The better photographers photograph using bracketing that create wonderful HDR type pictures. These photos look outstanding online and certainly captures a buyers attention.

Video

At the very least you should be uploading a digital photo album to youtube and facebook. If you want your home to stand out, you should arrange a professional tour video. Using a 4K camera on a 3 axis gimbal or steadicam is great way to create a virtual walk though of you home. This gives potential buyers a true sense of the home. Check out the example below.

Drones

If you live in a unique neighborhood, close to a park, village, golf course, or body of water, drones a must. It gives the potential buyer a really unique viewpoint of the proximity to neighborhood amenities and certainly helps your home stand out. It could mean the difference between them setting an appointment or not.

Great photos won’t necessarily sell your home, but they will sell the showing. Using the best available digital media sources to help spread the word about your home is always encouraged. As technology evolves, its important to hire a real estate professional that is willing to try new things to help your home stand out. It’s important that your home’s best is captured in a way that attracts potential buyers, and that means not taking shortcuts because it’s easier. Remember, first impressions matter and that first meeting happens online.

A new home is recently on the market, and is priced below market value, in a prime location, or just flat out awesome. It is sure to drive buyer attention and create competition. Navigating through a multiple offer situation as a buyer can be one of most exhilarating and stressful parts of home shopping. Needless to say, only one group will prevail and win the bid. Here are some tips to help you navigate correctly.

Do your research
If you find the property of your dreams, first you need to determine the how much you are willing to pay for it. Work with your real estate broker and review recent sold comps in the area. Often in any given neighborhood, especially in the city you will have similar homes that have sold on the same street within the past 6 months. You can then make adjustments based on material facts like lot size, square footage, features, and updates. The key to this is to use the comps to determine a price you think the house will sell for, and then determine how much you are willing to offer to ensure you will win the bid.

Determine the max price you are willing to pay
A multiple offer situation can turn unpredictable. People may do some crazy things in order to win the bid, such as offering well over list price and waiving contingencies. This may cause problems down the line especially if you are financing the purchase with a mortgage, and may force you to come out of pocket to make up the difference on appraised value. The rule of thumb is to work with your agent and determine how much you are willing to pay. If you lose out you know you took your best shot.

Come up with creative ways to make your offer stand out
An escalation clause is one way to jump ahead of the buying competition. You can work with your broker and determine the range you think the home will sell for. For example, a very hot listing comes to market for $350,000, multiple buyers are interested, and you are asked for your best and final offer. You can offer list price, but also include an escalation claus where you would be willing to beat any other offers by x amount up to $365,000. It doesn’t always work but its a good way to win a bid, and to ensure you don’t miss out on a deal by a couple thousand dollars.

If you are on the winning end of the multiple offer situation, congratulations. If you are not, it’s okay to feel bummed. I’ve been on the losing end of a multiple offer situation as both a buyer and an agent plenty of times. The one thing I am 100% sure of is that although it doesn’t feel like it now, this will work out in your favor. Something better will come along that you will love more. It always does.

Congratulations! You have decided to become a home owner. You’ve searched zillow and trulia endlessly. You found some pretty cool places, Now what? 

Meet with a potential real estate agent

One of the first things I do with all my clients, is schedule some time over Breakfast/Lunch to discuss why you are looking to buy. After we discuss your goals, we can come up with a plan of action. We can discuss what, where, when, and how you want the process to play out. We will develop a wish list of needs and wants. We will discuss potential neighborhoods and buildings based on your desires. We will discuss how to get pre-approved for a mortgage. Throughout the process, I’ll answer any questions you might have about the home buying process. You will also be able to able to interview me to make sure I’m a good fit for you. My ultimate goal is to make for an outstanding home buying experience. and this meeting lays a solid foundation for us to build upon. 

The next steps

Whether you prefer texts, emails, phone calls, or face-to-face, you can determine the best way for me to communicate with you. You will leave our meeting with a solid plan for the upcoming weeks. For every client, I’ll input your search requirements into the the real estate MLS and begin to send you properties that meet your requirements. From here you can decide what you like or dislike, and we can setup a day to check out the properties in person. 

Finding the right place

This is the most fun part of the process. We may find you the perfect home on our first outing, or it may take 50 outings. Never get discouraged. New properties hit the market every day, you’ll know right away when “IT”S THE HOUSE.” 

Making an offer

Once we find you the right home, I’ll work with you to determine how much you’d like to offer to buy the home for. We will look at a number of factors and come with a smart plan to begin negotiations and ultimately get you the best price possible. 

Getting to close

My job doesn’t end at an accepted offer. From Home Inspection, Attorney Review, Appraisal, and Loan Approval. I’ll help facilitate the process and make sure everything is on track so we can make it to close.

Taking possession

Handing you the keys to your new home is the most rewarding experience for any realtor. Sure we earn a commission from the transaction, but we’ve had the opportunity to participate in your huge life experience. Thank You!

Enjoying your new home

You’ve learned a lot about the home buying process, now it’s time to enjoy your new home. 

Selling your home doesn′t just mean hiring a realtor to stick a sign out front. There are a lot of preparations you should make to ensure you get the best offer possible in the shortest time.

Repair. Just because you’ve gotten used to the cracks in the walls and the rattles in the radiators doesn’t mean a buyer will too. If you have hardwood floors that need refinishing, be sure to get it done—hardwood is a huge selling point. Buyers like to snoop around, so be sure to fix any sticky doors or drawers as well. Finally, don’t forget to address any issues with the exterior—fences, shingles, sidewalks, etc. After all, without curb appeal, some buyers may never get to see the inside.

Neutralize. You want buyers to see themselves in your home. If your living room has lime green shag, wood-paneled walls, and all your collectibles and personal photographs, this will be much harder for them to do. Try replacing any bold color choices in your floors and walls with something more neutral—beiges, tans, and whites. Repainting and reflooring will make everything look fresh and new, and help prospective buyers imagine all the possibilities.

Stage. Once your house is clean and updated, it’s time to play dress up. Home stagers can add small details and décor touches that will bring out the possibilities in the various spaces in your home: lamps, mirrors, throw rugs and pillows, flowers, decorative soaps and towels, patio furniture. Home staging can be particularly useful if your home is especially old or if the exterior looks dated. Think of it as a little mascara and rouge—if it’s done right, you notice the beauty, not the makeup.