Earlier this year, Tulsa homes sold like hotcakes. While the way of selling properties may have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we still see buyers looking for properties in the Tulsa real estate market. But if you want to achieve success in your Tulsa home sale, you need to think like a buyer. Appeal to a buyer’s sensibilities and you’ll receive an offer before you know it!
Think Like a Buyer
Talk to Your REALTOR®
When they first spoke to you about marketing your Tulsa home, they probably quoted statistics based on buyer trends in your area. How much homes sold for. How long listings stayed on the market. The kinds of things buyers seem to look for in homes right now. Etc. Feel free to circle back to that conversation. This helps determine where to focus your marketing.
Do you live in a smaller home in a family-friendly neighborhood? Your target could be younger families or couples just starting out. Do you live in an older neighborhood with a primarily elderly population? Market to retirees or people looking to downsizing. Perhaps your home offers much more living space and bedrooms. Larger families are most likely your target audience. If you live in a condo or townhome closer to the downtown area, play up the lifestyle afforded those who live in that area. Discuss which marketing strategies work best for the buyer trends in your neighborhood with your REALTOR®
How You Can Help With Marketing
Yes, you hired your REALTOR® because they know their stuff. But there are ways you (the seller) can help them. Strip away all emotion from “your house” and think like a buyer. If you were stepping into this house for the first time as a buyer, what would you see? A nice turn-key ready home or peeling paint, ratty carpet, and holes in the walls?
Work on your curb appeal since that’s the first impression your house makes. Every home ends up with dings and dents from normal wear and tear. Go around your house to identify these problem areas. Repair the holes and use touch-up paint on walls and baseboards.
Home staging is very important. You want each room, closet, and countertop to look spacious. That may mean packing up anything you don’t use on a daily basis. In the kitchen, stash anything and everything you can out of sight. Remove at least half of your clothing in your closets to show off the space. Get everything off the shelves and floors as well in there. Git rid of any extra furniture you don’t use or don’t plan on taking with you when you move out. Yes, this can be inconvenient. But, if you want to sell your property as quickly as possible, you and your family will just have to endure it for a bit.
How to Help Negotiations
One important area of the Tulsa home sale is the negotiation portion of the process. Again, think like a buyer. Would you feel comfortable saying what you think if the seller was right there listening? Keep away from any showings of your house. Leave any conversations about pricing between your agent and the buyer’s representative. You might end up agreeing to a timeline or contingency that works against you without even knowing that. Leave that up to your agent to discuss.
Don’t worry. Your REALTOR® will come to talk to you about everything before agreeing to anything. So, you’ll never be left out of the loop. However, it is much easier for them to discuss the business part of the deal because they don’t have the emotional investment in your home that you do. And that actually works to your advantage.
Lori Cain, REALTOR®, Serving Midtown and the greater Tulsa, OK area. Call 918-852-5036.
