Posted on Mon, Jul 12, 2010
In a down economy, sellers must compete not only with other homes in the market, but also with buyer's fears and concerns. Selling incentives have always been a way to create additional interest in your property. Today, incentives can help motivate reluctant buyers to make that next step in the face of the present environment.
Below are a few of the more frequently used incentives that can be used to draw attention to your home.
Paying Points
Lenders charge fees known as points, with each point equal to 1 percent of the total loan amount. The base fee charged (called origination points) typically ranges between 0 and 3 points, depending on the interest rate given and other terms of the loan. Points can add up to a significant up-front cost for the buyer, particularly for larger mortgages. Offering to pay some or all of the origination points on behalf the buyer can help generate offers from cash-conscious buyers.
Buying Down the Interest Rate
Many buyers don't understand that they can receive a lower interest rate from their lender by paying additional points at the outset. Buyers can typically pay up to four "discount points" to bring down the interest rate. Offering to pay discount points can increase your home's affordability for many prospective buyers.
Providing a Home Warranty
A home warranty can help assure wary consumers that they won't be stuck with expensive repair costs shortly after buying a home. Home warranties usually cover the repair or replacement of core systems such as plumbing, heating and electrical, along with major appliances. Providing the first year (or two) of a home warranty can add to your home's appeal, especially if you are competing against newer homes on the market. The relatively low cost of home warranties ($250 to $600 annually) offers great value as an eye-catching incentive.
Paying for Closing Costs
Closing a real estate sale can result in a long list of charges, from inspection costs to attorney's fees. Closing costs for the buyer can easily total several thousand dollars - adding to the up-front cash required as a down payment. Sellers can offer to pay for the buyer's side of closing costs to help ease the burden. When doing so it is wise to either put a cap on the dollar amount you will contribute to closing costs, or specify exactly which individual costs you will be paying for.
Upgrade Allowances
Offering cash allowances for specific upgrades can sometimes be a creative way to appeal to buyers. Upgrade allowances are commonly offered by new home builders, and some homeowners are now employing the technique to help set their properties apart from the competition.
For example, if your home has older carpet you may offer to pay the price of new carpet and installation. By not replacing the carpet yourself ahead of the sale, you avoid the hassle of having the carpet installed and the pain of keeping the new carpet clean during showings. You also give the buyer the chance to select a carpet that matches their taste.
Other upgrades offered by sellers include allowances for kitchen facelifts, bathroom remodels and new landscaping.
New Appliances
Another flashy way for sellers to sweeten the deal is to provide buyers with their selection of brand new appliance packages. Updated appliances help your home compete with newly built properties. Allowing the consumer to choose their desired appliance gives them another opportunity to personalize the home to their liking. You can even lay out brochures of some example appliances to help buyers visualize your home improved with the newest gadgets.
Posted on Mon, Jun 21, 2010
One of the most common and costly mistakes made by sellers is setting an unrealistically high asking price. Every seller wants to receive the highest closing price possible for their house, but losing sight of fair market value can have serious repercussions.
In some cases a lack of objectivity results in overpricing the home, other sellers may subscribe to the theory that pricing high initially leaves room to negotiate lower later. Overpricing from the outset could actually force you to end up settling for a lower price than you would have received by setting a realistic asking price based on market research.
Common Results of Overpricing
Fewer "Eyes" on Your Listing - Mispricing your home can prevent it from ever being seen by a certain percentage of potential buyers who might otherwise be interested in your home. Savvy buyers today research the local market even before acquiring an agent. Buyers will search available listings both online and offline in real estate publications, and in most cases they will set a price range to limit the listings they review. If your home is outside of their range even by a few thousand dollars, it may not be on the buyer's radar.
Most buyers will then hire a specialized buyer's agent, and together they will develop a strategy to evaluate homes that match the buyer's needs within their acceptable price range. Occasionally an agent will provide information on a home above the buyer's maximum price point, but rarely will they stray too far above that boundary.
Lack of Showings - Agents who work with homebuyers will know local market conditions and the listing prices of comparable homes. If they feel your home is overpriced, they will be reluctant to show your home to their clients for fear of wasting their time.
Helping Competing Listings - It may not be your first thought, but overpricing for your home for the market can actually help the competition. Your home's higher asking price will make other nearby homes of equivalent size and quality look like steals in comparison. Astute selling agents for other properties will use the price gap between your home and their own as a further selling point of their listings.
Stagnation and Stigmatization - If your home is priced higher than what buyers in your market are willing to pay, it runs the risk of sitting on the market for a longer period. The longer your home sits on the market, the more likely it will become stigmatized as "overpriced" in the real estate community. Once that happens, removing the stigma and restoring interest in your home can be a difficult task. Even dropping the price later will not have the same level of impact as the initial, negative, impression of your listing.
Tough Negotiations - A high listing price can be a warning flag that buyers use for leverage during the negotiation process. If the asking price seems high without home improvements or features to warrant the difference, buyers may assume that you are either A) not well informed about the market, B) not a highly motivated seller, C) have a need for money (perhaps forced by a move to a higher-priced area), or D) are simply creating some bargaining room. If the buyer believes any of these, they are likely to fish to determine how low of a price you will accept.
On the other hand, if your home has languished on the market as a result of a high price, buyers may believe you are becoming desperate. Interested buyers will make lower offers as a result.
Appraisal Problems - Should you be fortunate enough to find a motivated buyer willing to pay your overestimated asking price, you still run the risk of having the deal fall apart prior to closing. Most buyers will use some kind of financing to pay for their home purchase, and every lender requires an appraisal of your home's value.
The appraiser will review your home in person to assess its value based on similar homes that have sold (usually within the last six months). If the appraised value is below the agreed selling price, the lender will only approve a loan for the lower amount. You may be forced to reduce the selling price or risk having the deal collapse, and your home return to the open market.
Overpricing and Today's MarketToday the tendency to overprice relative to the current market can be even more tempting. Home prices have dropped since the high peaks in the summer of 2006, and as a result many are in denial about the current market value of their home. Homeowners who bought within the past five or six years in particularly may be overly influenced by the purchase price they paid during the real estate boom.
This comes at time when overpricing couldn't be a worse strategy. There is a smaller pool of highly motivated buyers, and today's buyers tend to be well educated about the market. Without the assumption of price appreciation, few buyers are willing to gamble and overpay for a home. In addition, credit tightening has reduced both the number of buyers who can qualify for a mortgage as well as the size of the mortgages available.
Creating a Pricing PlanWhen pricing your home, the best strategy is to remain objective and compare your home closely to similar properties on the market. Take the opportunity to visit open houses and pay attention to recent sales in your area. Are you more focused on selling quickly, or on receiving the highest possible selling price? Is the price you have in mind reasonable when compared with what other homes are asking for and selling for?
Priced Too High: CorrectionsIf your home has been sitting on the market with few offers or showings to its name, consider whether or not it is priced correctly. Review recent sales of comparable listings, especially those that have sold since your home went on the market. Another method is to ask agents who have shown your property for feedback they received from their clients. Have buyers who looked at your home in person purchased other homes in the area instead?
Acting quickly to adjust the asking price is the best way to keep as much of your marketing momentum as possible. Depending on how long your listing has been on the market, additional marketing may be needed to help repair some of the "damage" done to the reputation of your home's listing at the higher price. In some cases, you may be forced to slightly under price your listing to create additional interest.
Posted on Thu, Feb 11, 2010
Just over 40% of available homes for sale had reduced prices in January 2010, compared with 44% in December 2009, according to a monthly survey of home listings in 27 markets.
With fewer reduced price homes available in January, sellers were able to ask for their original list prices, rather than cut them to attract buyers.
"Sellers are taking a realistic look at current market conditions before listing their homes," said Pat Lashinsky. "We have a lot fewer homes for sale right now than we did last year, and we are seeing more sellers sticking to their original list prices, rather than cutting them to try to attract buyers."
Results of the survey include:
- January was the fifth consecutive month of fewer priced reduced homes on the market, with sellers reducing list prices by $21,925 on average across 27 markets
- Homeowners in San Diego reduced prices by the highest dollar amount, cutting an average of $44,901
- Homeowners in Houston reduced prices by the lowest dollar amount, cutting an average of $10,000
- Markets with the lowest percentage of price-reduced MLS-listed homes were Los Angeles and San Diego (both at 32.6%), San Francisco (31.9%), and Denver (29.5%)
- One out of every two home listings in Jacksonville (49.9%) and Phoenix (48.8%) had cut their list prices, the highest percentage in the survey
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