Historically, summer is the hottest season for real estate. Homebuyers with children search in spring and early summer to have a house sale secured before the school year starts in September. Once the holiday season hits at the end of the year subsequently, the market has cooled.
However, there are two types of buyers that are out and about during fall that don’t fall into this category. Families aren’t the only homebuyers on the market, there are also young millennials and older couples looking to downsize who you are more likely to encounter this time of year.
If you’re putting your home on the market this season, then here are some tips on how to attract the shoppers you’re likely to encounter.
Millennials
Millennials refer to homebuyers roughly between the ages of 18 to early 30s born from 1980 to 2000. These young house hunters are tech-savvy, fast-paced and a whole new breed of buyers.
Be ready 24/7
Smartphone in hand, millennials are always on the market. That means they will search for listings and consider buyering at any time – so be ready for them. Keep your home in tip-top shape and show-ready because a young buyer can be searching after work, text their agent and be ready to view your home in 5 minutes. You don’t want to turn them down because you weren’t ready yourself.
Great Photos Online
Millennials are visual and starting their home search online. That’s why you’ve got to have great photos to show off your property and capture their interest right out the gate. If you don’t have any photos, it’s like your property doesn’t exist. It’s photos – and good ones at that – that will get buyers in the door.
Take the time to stage
Another way to make your photos look great is with staging. This will also help your millennial buyers visualize themselves in your home. Among REALTORS® who typically represent the buyer, 49% report most buyers are affected by home staging according to NAR’s 2015 Profile of Home Staging.
Downsizers
Empty nesters or people looking to downsize are more old school than millennials in their approach to home buying. They are likely between the ages of 55-70 and looking for a smaller retirement home.
Highlight neighborhood amenities
According to the NAR profile of Buyers and Sellers for 2015, 69% of all buyers choose a home based on the quality of the neighborhood and older buyers put a greater emphasis on homes nearby health facilities. Highlight the things that not only make your house great but the neighborhood area as well.
Play by their rules
This group of homebuyers may not be as responsive as others via text or email. Accommodate their response times so they don’t feel rushed or pressured. They will also most likely need to sell their current home before they can move in so give them time to plan and process everything. If they feel rushed, you run the risk of having them walk away.
The best seller meets the needs of each buyer, no matter how different. That applies whether you’re selling cell phones, razors online or real estate. As a seller, be prepared to meet a buyer that may be different than you.
To find an agent who can help sell your home for top dollar any time of the year, search on FirstTeam.com. Don’t feel like searching? Chat us and we’ll do it for you to find a top producing agent in your neighborhood.
