Cape Coral Florida's Real Estate Guide

Okay, you've made the decision to put your Cape Coral, Florida home on the market. That's the first step. Once that decision has been made, there are several practical steps your listing agent should take you through in order to achieve the results you are after. Of course you want top dollar for your home, a smooth transaction that involves qualified buyers, and you also want to accomplish this in the least amount of time possible. That's the ideal situation for any Cape Coral home sale.

Unfortunately, many uneducated sellers make critical mistakes along the way, and somehow, the home they thought would sell without a hitch sits on the market without an offer. If you want to avoid this scenario, (and who wouldn't?) then you need to be aware of the two most important factors involved in the selling process. Today we are going to look at one of those factors...Timing.

Timing is Everything

Basically, timing has to do with when you actually put your Cape Coral property on the market, or when it becomes an active listing. You may want to put your home on the market as soon as possible, because the sooner its listed, the sooner it will sell, right? Wrong.

The purchase of a home is largely an emotional decision, much like the purchase of a car. Certainly, when home buyers are viewing properties they are taking into consideration the square footage, the location, the convenience of the neighborhood, as well as the age and value of the home...but, while a potential buyer is taking all of these external factors into consideration, they are also asking themselves if the home appeals to them emotionally. Can they see themselves living in this home? Raising a family? Cooking dinner? Entertaining guests? If your home doesn't appeal to these emotional needs, it's very likely that your potential buyer will walk, and move on to the next property. How does this tie in with timing? I'm glad you asked.

First of all, a good listing agent will make sure that your Cape Coral property is ready to enter the market before listing.

• Is your property in need of updated appliances?
• Does the exterior need landscaping for additional curb appeal?
• Are there certain repairs that must be made?

Your listing agent will go through all these details with you and suggest necessary improvements.  These improvements are often much more important than the seller realizes.

Once an owner has lived in a home for a period of time, they become used to certain things that may not be attractive or acceptable to potential buyers. They may overlook those four broken tiles in the kitchen or the fact that the shrubbery didn't survive the last frost. They may not notice that water stain on the ceiling anymore. On the other hand, a good listing agent will look at the property with fresh eyes since they are well acquainted with the features potential buyers are looking for, as well as the problems that will have the buyer moving on to the next property.

Once your listing agent has assessed your home, it is vital that you make all necessary improvements and repairs before listing your Cape Coral property. Why? Because once your property is listed, the timer starts ticking. Every day that passes can raise red flags in the minds of potential buyers. When a home sits on the market too long, buyers will ask themselves...Why hasn't the home sold yet? Is there something wrong with it that I don't know about? If this was such a great deal, wouldn't other offers have come in by now?

Your home should be 100% ready to show and sell before it becomes an active listing. Don't make the mistake of putting your Cape Coral property on the market before it is move-in ready. Doing so can cause a domino effect of red flags, price reductions, and wasted time.

Ready to List Your Property?

When you list your property with us, we will take the time to make sure you are fully aware of the critical points of the selling process. We will assess your property, suggest repairs, and take you through the steps that will get you the price you are looking for in the least amount of time possible. With decades of experience buying and selling right here in Cape Coral, Florida, we guarantee your results!