Cape Coral Florida's Real Estate Guide

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If you are looking to sell your Cape Coral property quickly, don't let the current inventory of competing homes put a negative spin on your timeframe. Whether there are 100 homes for sale in the surrounding area or 1,500 actually makes very little difference. The keys to selling your Cape Coral home don't change according to market conditions. Okay, before you attack me for that statement, let me explain: Certainly, during the height of the housing boom, practically any home would sell with very little effort. Market situations like that are few and far between. Those days are over. Now that we are back to the basic foundation of true home selling (instead of operating in a buying frenzy) let's regroup and take a look at the necessary elements of a quick and stress free home sale. If you follow these steps, leaving none of them out, your home will sell in any market.

Note: I can't stress the fact enough that each one of the following keys is equally important. Each one you choose to ignore can add weeks or months to your Cape Coral home sale. By following each one, you will put yourself in front of all the 'trial and error' home sellers.

Keys to Selling Your Cape Coral Home in a Down Market

First of all, are we actually in a down market? Some are saying yes, while others are providing figures of increased home sales and reporting a recovery. Here's a secret for you. Don't listen to the crowd. There will always be educated individuals arguing their point from either side. The bottom line is, you want to sell your home. While others are providing market predictions, you'll be signing the paperwork and closing the deal.

• Price Aggressively - I don't like to make comparisons, but this is one area where it is necessary. Your Real Estate Agent should go over the figures for recent home sales in your area. Using closely comparable homes, look at list price, days on the market, and selling price. Use this information as a guide only. Don't use it to justify refusing to lower your price.

Also, playing the "I'll try it at this higher price first and lower it later," never looks. See my article entitled,  Are You Sabotaging Your Home Sale for more on this topic.

• Stage Like a Professional - Staging your home is not optional. You may not be able to compete with the price of a home in foreclosure, but you can upstage other homes every time by presenting your home as move in ready.

Preparing your home to show it properly can take a week, or it can take months. This varies according to the condition of the home. If you are in a hurry to sell your property, the only option you have is to put in some long hours. If you fail on this key, it will cost you. What's included in staging your home? Your agent should go over these things and provide you with a checklist that you both discuss. Serious sellers will do whatever it takes to look better than comparable properties on the market. There's no excuse for an outdated kitchen, dirty carpets, wild colors, zero curb appeal, or rooms packed with furniture. You need to bring your home to its fullest potential before ever putting it on the market. If potential buyers can look at any part of your home and see "dollar signs and potential work" you are robbing yourself of a quick and easy home sale.

• Use Buyer Incentives - Buyer incentives show that you, as the seller, are willing to go the extra mile and provide an extra perk. You'll still benefit from a fair selling price, but the buyer will see an incentive as an additional reason to choose your Cape Coral property.

Buyer incentives can include: Offering an HOA Credit (for condo sellers). This involves paying the monthly association dues for 6-12 months. Offering a closing cost credit, which involves paying a percentage of the home's sale price. If you present this in a creative way, you'll be able to balance it out in the price of the home and still receive the price you are looking for. A closing cost credit is a powerful incentive for buyers on a tight budget who are right on the edge of their decision. If they have a choice between a few homes, you will get the bid without question. The last incentive you can consider is an interest rate buy-down. With this, you'll pay discount points to the lender to lock in a lower interest rate for the buyer.

Whichever incentive you choose to offer, be sure to use it to attract interest in your home by including the information in both online and offline advertisements.

If you make the above three tips part of your 'musts' for selling your Cape Coral home, you'll put yourself ahead of 99% of the other homes on the market. Remember, it doesn't matter how many homes are being sold or sitting on the market. All you care about is what's happening with YOUR Cape Coral home. SOMEONE is buying the homes in Cape Coral, so it might as well be YOUR home!

For more information or to list your Cape Coral property with a winning team who will get the job done, give us a call today!

In case you haven't heard, there's good news for sellers right now in SW Florida. According to Realtor.com, Florida cities have the largest average list price increases in the country. Florida cities are thriving, and are among the first to bounce back from the housing bubble, as well as the recession.

Among the top 15 cities for highest percentage of average list price increases are Miami at number one, with an increase of 27%, and yes, you guessed it, Fort Myers/Cape Coral in the number two position, with an average list price of $444,500 and a listing price increase of over 26%.

Home sales are also up, with a 16% increase in the number of Fort Myers/Cape Coral home sales in the third quarter of 2011 when compared to last year's figures.

Okay, so this is the time to sell. You've waited until the opportune time, and it's now, right? Not so fast. Even in ideal conditions, like we're currently experiencing, there is a right and wrong way to list your Cape Coral property.  By avoiding common 'self-sabotage' seller behavior, the sale of your Fort Myers or Cape Coral home can be a quick and profitable experience.

Don't Miss Your Sweet Spot

In order to avoid self sabotaging behavior, you'll need to take a look at the psychology of a home sale through the eyes of the buyer.

The minute your Cape Coral property goes on the market, the clock starts ticking. The first week after listing is the seller's sweet spot. Realtors scan the MLS daily and will set up appointments for their buyers as soon as they notice your listing. So, what does this mean for the seller who actually wants to sell quickly and at asking price? It means, stay away from the common mistakes that will cause your home to sit on the market for 20, 30, or 100 days.

Here it is...the list of self sabotaging seller behavior. If you are thinking any of these things or saying them, stop now.

• "I'm just going to put my house up for sale at the price I'd really love to receive, instead of what's more realistic according to current real estate values (and the advice of my agent). I can always lower the price later, right?" If you find yourself thinking this way, you are headed for disaster. Why? Because, like we said, you need to look at a home sale from the eyes of the buyer. Once your home sits on the market for 20 days or longer, the buyer doesn't think to himself that it may have been overpriced. Instead, the red flags are popping up. Buyers are wondering why it hasn't sold yet and thinking something must be wrong. Don't let your home fall into that 'questionable' stage. Price your Cape Coral property appropriately from day one.
• "I know I need to update the kitchen and probably give it a fresh coat of paint, but let's just list it and see what happens." No, no, no. Do you want to know what will happen? Every single potential buyer that walks through during a showing will mention the outdated kitchen appliances and the shabby paint. They will think about how time consuming painting is, how expensive appliances are, and they will continue to look for a move-in-ready home. This is self-sabotage to the tenth level. If you want to sell your property quickly, have it ready to sell.
• "They made an offer close to my asking price, but I'll hold out for a better one." Okay, maybe you can afford to say this during the first day or two, but if you haven't had a bite in a week and suddenly an offer comes in that is very close to your asking price, you need to seriously consider it. A home sale has to be a win/win situation for both the buyer and the seller. Some buyers automatically think there should be an offer, counter offer, counter-counter offer situation in a home sale. Go with it. Take the advice of your agent and make the sale.

The time to sell your Fort Myers or Cape Coral home is now. Prices are up, home sales are up, and as long as you have the right sales strategy, you're in for a quick and stress-free process.

Selling your home doesn't have to be a trial and error guessing game. If you are about to list your Cape
Coral property (and especially if this is your first experience with selling), you'll want to have a thorough
understanding of the key elements of a successful home sale. In order to do so, let's take a look at the
top two avoidable mistakes involved in selling your home.

Listing Blunders that Can Put the Brakes on Your Cape Coral Home Sale

In order to understand listing mistakes, let's first explain the psychology behind a home sale.

The purchase of a home is largely an emotional decision. Buyers want to purchase the home of their
dreams, yet come into the process looking for potential red flags in order to protect themselves from
making a bad decision. If you keep this in mind and try to look at your listing through the viewpoint of
the potential buyer, you can avoid the top two common listing mistakes:

Mistake #1 - Listing your Cape Coral property too soon - You may have made the decision to sell your
Cape Coral property, but listing your home before it is ready to show can be a mistake that leaves you
dead in the water.

The first 3-4 weeks from the moment your home becomes an active listing is sometimes referred to as
the "sweet spot" or ideal time frame for a sale to occur. Why? Because potential buyers have zero red
flags in their mind.

Listing your home before all necessary repairs or improvements have been made can cause your home
to sit on the market for weeks or months while you are completing these. Once a listing transitions from
the 'newly listed' status into 2-3 months old, potential buyers start to look for reasons why. Is there
something wrong with the home? Is it in an undesirable location? Basically, the psychology of most
buyers is, 'If everyone wants it, it must be good. If no one is interested, there must be something wrong.'
Now, we are not saying ALL buyers think this way, but you will greatly increase the odds of selling your
Cape Coral property by listing it only after it is ready to show.

Mistake #2 - Pricing your Cape Coral home too high - A common misconception among sellers is the
thought that a price can always be lowered, so why not list it high and hope for a hefty profit? This is
completely wrong and can actually cause you to end up selling your home for far less than you could
have gotten if priced properly. Why? Again, let's return to the 'sweet spot' concept. An overpriced home
is likely to sit on the market for months, causing it to fall into that place where potential buyers are
wondering why it hasn't sold. If this happens, you may end up lowering the price several times before
locating a buyer. This wastes time and potential profit for you. When selling your Cape Coral home, fair

and proper pricing is always vital.

So, now that we have the two basic blunders involved in a home sale, here's a quick breakdown of your
selling strategy:

The First Elements Involved in a Successful Home Sale

Currently, home sales are climbing and there are plenty of qualified buyers who are looking to purchase
a Cape Coral home. In order to avoid costly mistakes, look for an agent who will:

Obtain a market analysis of similar homes that have recently sold in your area. In order to
make a proper assessment, this information should include the initial listing price, length of time
on the market, and final selling price of area homes.

Provide you with an analysis and strategy created uniquely for your home. Just because the
house down the street sold for $250,000 doesn't mean yours will. Every home is unique. A
careful analysis of your property's selling points, along with a list of possible improvements that
can increase the value of your home are vital in determining a fair listing price.

Guide you in proper pricing. A qualified and experienced agent will create a win/win situation
for both you and the buyer. Look for someone who has solid reasons behind pricing your Cape
Coral property.

Once you've got these basics in place, your agent can market your property with confidence, knowing
that your home is ready to be shown and priced accordingly.

If you are looking for an agent to represent you in the sale of your Cape Coral property, please give us a
call. We'll make sure you put your best foot forward.