You want to get the most profit from an investment and your home, as one of the biggest investments you make, is no exception. In this Buyer’s market, recent sales show that homes are selling, but are taking longer to sell and selling at a lower price than comparable homes a few years ago. This is great for those buying homes, but more challenging for home sellers.

It’s easy to think your home is worth more than the current market may support, particularly after the steady appreciation in recent years. Home prices have cooled, not only in Lakewood, but in markets around the country. Sellers should prepare to be realistic by considering the need to negotiate on price and to stay flexible on other terms benefiting the Buyer - It’s a Buyer’s market! This reasonable approach ultimately helps to achieve the goal of a successful sale. Of course that's difficult, after all, you’re proud of the improvements, the décor and the many memories attached to your home. Yet to be competitively priced and poised for successful marketing, a Seller has to honestly consider not what they ‘need’ or hope to get for their home- but what the market is saying the current value actually is.

To determine a realistic listing price, your realtor can prepare reports comparing sales on homes in your neighborhood including list prices and actual sales prices and information on what homes did not sell. Actually visiting Open Houses to compare the features and appeal can be helpful to understand the market better.

For your home to fetch the highest sale price, it needs to be clean, well-maintained and to have a décor appealing to the pool of Buyers to which your realtor will be marketing. There are so many demands on our time that the vast majority of Buyers want a home that is in near-perfect condition. Investing time and money to paint, repair, de-clutter and stage will bring the most Buyers to view your home and then help to sell it at the best possible price.

Even if your home is a "fixer-upper" it still competes with others for sale so it has to be priced right to sell. That "as is" price will usually be lower than what it would cost to make the improvements and then sell at a higher price.

Comparing recent sales, making a choice about how much you are willing to do to prepare your home for sale, and then pricing it right the first time, will greatly impact your presence in the current real estate market and your eventual sale price.

Remember, although you may not sell at the price you may have thought you would, you will benefit from this Buyer’s market when you purchase your next home!