How to Create Competition When Selling Your Home

Creating competition when selling your home starts well before the property goes on the market.

Most sellers would love to receive more than one offer on their home. But multiple offers don’t happen simply because a property goes on the market. Buyer demand, price range, location and current competition all play a role, and some of those things are outside a seller’s control.

What we can control is how your home is positioned when it reaches the market.

The goal is to create as much buyer interest as possible during the period when your listing is new and getting the most attention.

Start With the Right Pricing Strategy

Pricing is one of the biggest factors in how buyers respond to a new listing.

Price too high and buyers may compare your home with properties offering more for the money. Price appropriately and you give buyers a reason to take a closer look.

That doesn’t mean every home should be deliberately underpriced to create a bidding war.

The right strategy depends on your property, recent comparable sales, current competition and what’s happening in your particular price range.

Before recommending a list price, I look at both what has sold and what your home will be competing against when it hits the market.

Make the Home Worth Competing For

Pricing can get buyers through the door.

Presentation helps determine what happens once they’re inside.

Before listing, we’ll look at what your home actually needs. That may include decluttering, cleaning, repairs, paint, landscaping, staging or other improvements.

But more isn’t necessarily better.

I don’t want sellers spending money on projects simply because they’re preparing to sell. The goal is to identify the improvements that are most likely to affect how buyers perceive the home.

Then we present it professionally with strong photography and marketing from the beginning.

Make It Easy for Buyers to See the Home

A buyer can’t write an offer on a home they couldn’t get in to see.

Selling can be inconvenient, particularly during the first days on the market. Keeping the house ready and accommodating showings isn’t always easy.

But reasonable showing access can make a meaningful difference.

If buyers repeatedly can’t see a property when they’re available, they may simply move on to another one.

We’ll work out a showing strategy that balances your needs with giving serious buyers an opportunity to see the home.

Give the Listing Strong Market Exposure

When a property first comes on the market, I want buyers who may be interested in it to know it’s available.

That means coordinating the MLS launch, photography, online marketing, agent exposure, open houses when appropriate and the rest of the marketing plan so we’re making a strong first impression.

If interest is particularly high, we can evaluate the best way to handle incoming offers based on the circumstances at that time.

There isn’t one offer-review strategy that’s right for every listing.

Remember That the Highest Price Isn’t Always the Best Offer

If we do receive multiple offers, that’s when the details become especially important.

Price matters, but it’s not the only thing we’ll evaluate.

We’ll look at financing, contingencies, the buyer’s proposed closing timeline, credits or concessions, the strength of the buyer’s approval and other terms that could affect the transaction.

A slightly higher price doesn’t automatically make one offer stronger than another.

My job is to help you understand what each buyer is actually proposing so you can compare the complete offers.

Pay Attention to What the Market Is Telling Us

Sometimes a home doesn’t get the response we expected.

That’s information.

Showing activity, buyer feedback, competing listings and offers, or the lack of them, can tell us whether something needs to change.

Maybe it’s price. Maybe it’s presentation. Maybe a new competing property changed the landscape.

Rather than letting a listing sit while hoping something changes, we’ll look at the information we’re getting and decide whether an adjustment makes sense.

Competition Starts Before the For-Sale Sign Goes Up

Creating buyer interest begins well before the home is listed.

Pricing, preparation, presentation, marketing and access all work together.

We can’t manufacture multiple offers or guarantee that they’ll happen. But we can position your home to attract as much qualified buyer interest as the current market will support.

That’s the strategy I bring to every listing.

If you’re considering selling a home in South Orange County, I’d be happy to look at your property and talk about how I’d prepare, price and position it for today’s market.