Thanks to longer days — and sub-100-degree temperatures — spring in Las Vegas is a peak time for house hunting. But that doesn’t mean putting your house on the market once the weather starts to warm is a guaranteed sale.
To help you sell quickly at the best price, U.S. News connected with some of Las Vegas’ top real estate agents, as identified by Agent Explore, a real estate technology company (and a U.S. News partner), to bring you five things you can do to make your property more competitive.
[Read: 4 Ways to Sell Your Las Vegas Home Fast.]
Get the price right.
Even before a new countertop or a freshly cleaned carpet, a buyer will first notice the property’s price, so it’s important to get it right. Your real estate agent will run a report to help you understand what comparable homes in your area are selling for to ensure your price is in line with the market.
Real estate agent Deven Carlock with Synergy Sotheby’s International Realty recommends another approach: appraise before you list. Usually, the official appraisal happens after the house is under contract, and the buyer pays for it. But Carlock suggests the seller pay for an appraisal (the cost depends on square footage but starts around $400) before even listing the property. “That way you cut out the guessing game,” he says. Typically, a bank will only lend a percentage of the appraised value, often 80 percent, so getting one upfront could reduce the risk of your buyer backing out.
Increase the curb appeal.
Curb appeal factors heavily into whether a buyer decides to view a home. “A great thing to do that is low-cost and where you’ll yield your highest return is landscaping,” Carlock says. Those types of fixes don’t necessarily require help from a professional. Do-it-yourself projects such as adding color with flowers, clearing out dead foliage, power-washing the driveway and even putting a fresh coat of paint on the front door could be enough to increase buyers’ interest in your property.
Declutter the house.
Buyers are attracted to spacious homes they can imagine themselves living in, but clutter can distract from that vision. You may love your hot pink toaster, but you want buyers focused on the expansive counter space. Plus, because there is a large inventory of new homes on the market in Vegas, you want to do everything you can to make your home feel like a model home.
“The new home market increased by 50 percent last year as far as sales go, so that is a true competitive issue for the resale market,” says Corey Geib of Re/Max Benchmark Realty. To be competitive, sellers should scale down, he says. “Anything you don’t absolutely have to have to live your daily life, pack it and store it now.” As Geib tells his clients, you will be packing it up anyway if all goes well.
[Read: Planning to Put Your Home on the Market This Spring? How to Prepare Now.]
Rinse and repair. Repeat until ready.
Experts agree that making your house feel clean and new will go a long way toward selling your home quickly and at the best price. “Realistically, it comes down to keeping the macaroni and cheese off the stove when it’s time to show,” Geib says. “If a house is kept clean and shows nicely, you will be competitive.”
Carlock explains, “Repairs, repairs, repairs. Any little thing that needs to be fixed or replaced, maybe a door hinge or a squeaky window, whatever it may be, fix it. And, touch up paint — hit those corners and those edges, maybe where the dog brushes up against the wall.”
Invest in the right upgrades.
With so many upgrades you could make to your home — from installing new laminate floors to remodeling the kitchen — it’s best to focus on the improvements most likely to yield a return.
Neutralizing the paint scheme is good place to start, but even with neutrals, there are trends. Lately, the trend is gray. “If you walk into any new home or any model home, they will have a lot of grays. You also see it in home magazines,” Carlock says. As a result, buyers like homes with gray walls and accents, so if your budget has room for paint, go gray.
Updating a home’s counters also can pay off for sellers, Geib says. “Last year in three different instances, I had people put in granite countertops, and it ended up being cost-effective. We sold all of those homes relatively quickly because it was something the neighbors didn’t have,” Geib says. He adds that if you can upgrade your countertops for less than $3,000, it’s worth the investment.
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But, if all this seems like too much to accomplish before spring, don’t fret. “The only time we’re really slow is the second week of December through the end of the year,” Geib says. “Other than that, Las Vegas does not get affected by Mother Nature too much, so we’re pretty much an 11-month market.”
Looking for a real estate agent in Las Vegas? U.S. News’ Find an Agent tool can match you with the person who’s most qualified for the job.
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5 Ways to Prepare to Sell Your Las Vegas House This Spring originally appeared on usnews.com
