Make sure you do these things before selling your house in New Orleans

It is no secret that selling a house in New Orleans, or anywhere for that matter, can be one of the biggest transactions a person will ever go through.

Before you start marketing your house and bringing potential buyers into it… there are a few things you should do, that we’ve learned over the years here at NOLA Buys Houses, to help increase your chances of selling your house faster and for a better price.

Sell Your New Orleans House Faster By Doing These FIRST

De-Clutter and Take Down Some Of Your Family Memorabilia

You might want to take your time and make the whole place less personal by removing family photos and other memorabilia if you have a bunch of it up. Get rid of that shrine of your child’s sports medals and the fridge full of kids drawings. This is a challenging task because things like that have such great memories attached to them. If you want to sell your house they need to be packed up regardless and more importantly you need to put yourself in the shoes of a potential buyer…they need to be able to picture themselves in that house. If you fill the fridge with pictures and mementos of your family… it makes it harder for the buyer to see the fridge and picture their own things on it.

De-cluttering is always a good idea. If you put your house on the market for sale the idea is that you will cast a wide net for buyers and have potential buyers coming over to view your house. You want them to focus on the house itself, and not necessarily the belongings in it. If your house is cluttered it may be difficult for them to even simply move around within the house. On top of that they may be less focused on the new flooring you installed last year or or the nice countertops you had put in the kitchen. It takes the focus off of the important things. The things that buyers are intending to pay attention to when they go look at a house they might purchase to spend the next 10 or 20 years in. Clutter can even be a subconscious thing, where they leave the house not feeling great about it but not even sure why.

Bottom line, keep it clean, clear, simple and neutral.

Price it Right

While it can be very easy to decide on what you want your home to fetch in the market, it will make more sense if you consider the industry standards when determining its actual market value. Just knowing what you want for your house and what someone in the current market will pay for it may be two different things. Determining an accurate market value is especially difficult right now with the interest rate increase we have seen in the last 24 months and the insurance situation in Southeast Louisiana, which is really and truly the biggest problem of all.

Even with these factors slowing the market down quite a bit, there are still people may be looking for homes. Buyers today have become “smarter” than ever before as they come armed with “research” they found online on websites like Zillow (which tends to value houses lower than what a buyer will actually pay for them). Additionally a lot of these sites are not what we would consider applicable to the New Orleans area as the values can change in some neighborhoods around here every 2 blocks! Still though, research has actually shown that over 90% of home buyers start their search for new homes through the internet…so make sure that you have a solid market analysis based on legitimate comps to justify the price you decide to ask for your property.

NOTE: If you’re looking for an accurate value of your property here in the New Orleans metro area, we can actually help you with that. We buy houses in New Orleans and know the market very well and would love to give you a no obligation offer on your house. Just call us, NOLA Buys Houses, at 504 264 1407 or submit your property information to us through the form through this link here . 

Make the Property More Enticing

Usually once you have the house marketed it will attract the most attention right away so it needs to be up to snuff the second it goes live as a listing. As a matter of fact, studies have shown that over 70 percent of the potentials buyers will see the home within 3 to 6 weeks after its listing. Buyers today are not only smarter than ever, they also have higher expectations than ever. And they generally don’t want to buy a house that will require them to go in and do repairs or upgrades. However, if you’re not getting the attention you want for your house… there are some things you can do to make your house look better to potential buyers, but we really recommend that you do things like this prior to listing a property so you can strike while the iron is hot.

Things like… 

• Do the small things in your yard. Curb appeal is a big deal. Make sure the shrubs and the yard are neatly done and trimmed. You can even go extra mile and you replace the existing flowers with new and fresh ones.
• Do repairs or repaint your house if it’s looking battered and bruised. It’s is more important than you may think.
• Upgrade dated parts of the house. A new kitchen and/or bathroom will go a long way with prospective buyers.
• Put in new flooring. Upgraded flooring is very appealing.
• Open the floor plan. Is there a non-load bearing wall or two you can remove in the living area???
• Remove popcorn from the ceiling. Nothing screams old and dated like popcorn ceilings!
• If you have great furniture… think about including some of the furniture in the sale if the buyer wants it.

The thing about most “retail” buyers out there… is the majority of them have a hard time looking past the ugly parts of a house. Yes, they can repaint it after they buy… or they can re-do the yard… but a first impression is a lasting impression… and most buyers just can’t get past that initial ugly visual.

Don’t have the money or time to do the repairs or upgrades yourself?  It may take a while to sell a house that has been neglected over the years. But local New Orleans home buyers like NOLA Buys Houses, we can buy your house fast, for cash, and you won’t have to do any repairs yourself. We’ll take care of it all, on our dime. If you’re interested to see what we can pay for your house anywhere in the New Orleans area, fill out the form HERE . We’ll make you a fair cash offer within 24 hours. No obligation. No rush.

Have an Inspection Carried Out

To avoid being surprised with problems that exist with your property, it’s a really good idea to have a home inspection done and the key reports prepared in advance of you putting your property on the market. Ensure every single issue is dealt with, or at least that you are prepared to deal with it in negotiations. The more problem-free your house is, the faster it is going to sell.

If you need a referral to a great local New Orleans Home Inspection Service, shoot us an email or give us a call at 504 264 1407 and we’d be happy to give you some names of reputable inspectors who can help you out.

Get All the Paperwork

Although, this step is often ignored, it is surprisingly important. After all, every buyer will actually want to know everything about the house before he or she takes the reins. Who normally does the maintenance and for how long, when were the important systems like the HVAC last serviced, etc. Reports and warranties for major systems in the house are always helpful for a potential buyer to feel more comfortable about the situation.

Selling A House In The Local New Orleans Real Estate Market Can Be…

…tough enough nowadays, and it can be more challenging if you don’t have your ducks in a row.

If you’re having a hard time selling your house as quickly as you want… consider doing some of the things we suggested in this article to make your house more attractive to potential buyers.

Also, if you need to sell your New Orleans house fast and are having a tough time doing so… connect with us.

We buy houses all over the New Orleans metro area. We can pay cash for your house, pay you a fair price we both agree on, and close in as little as 7 days rather than having to wait to sell your house the traditional way.

Get A Cash Offer On Your House – Submit Your Info Here >>