Are you ready to join others who are tired of waiting to sell their Rancho Santa Fe homes due to the pandemic and are ready to finally list them? The real estate market has transformed in the past year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still effectively market and sell your home. In fact, it may be easier than ever to sell as most areas of the nation are experiencing low inventory and high buyer interest. When you follow these tips, you can sell your home both safely and effectively in 2021.
Deep Clean
It’s more important than ever for Rancho Santa Fe homes to be pristine when shown to potential buyers. Just the hint of dirt may send buyers running out the door as fear of germs is at the highest it’s been in recent history. If you’re comfortable having strangers in your home, consider hiring a cleaning service to deep clean your home before listing. If you’d rather do it yourself, make sure you have the right equipment and take extra time to ensure you are giving every inch of your home the attention it needs.
Use Virtual Staging Services
More than 77% of buyer’s agents state that professional staging makes it easier for their clients to visualize living in a new home. Staging usually includes a professional coming into your home to rearrange furniture, add or take away décor, and ensure your home is as appealing as possible to buyers. However, many of those currently selling Rancho Santa Fe real estate want to limit the number of people coming in and out of their homes and are hesitant about using staging services. Fortunately, virtual staging is now an option. Virtual staging is the process of taking digital photos of rooms and using photo-editing software to add in furnishings and décor. Not only will virtual staging take away the need to have people in your home, but it’s also less expensive than traditional staging and offers endless options for making your home shine.
Hold Meetings Online
Meeting with your Rancho Santa Fe real estate agent frequently is an important part of the selling process. However, that doesn’t mean you need to meet with him or her in person. Technology allows you to virtually meet with your agent whenever you need to via Zoom, Google Meets, or other platforms. This takes away the risk of exposure from going to the agent’s office or having them in your home. In addition to meeting with your agent, you can also virtually meet with mortgage lenders, contractors, landscapers, title companies, and other professionals you need to work with throughout the selling process. It’s even possible to e-sign documents, which means you can conduct the entire process of selling Rancho Santa Fe homes in the comfort and safety of your own living room.
Market Your Home with Virtual Tours and Showings
Tours, showings, and open houses have made many sellers of Rancho Santa Fe homes uncomfortable since the pandemic hit. Having multiple strangers traipse through your house used to be necessary for those selling their homes until recently when technology allowed for virtual tours and showings. Not only are virtual tours and showings safer for you and the potential buyer, but they also allow your Rancho Santa Fe real estate agent to market your home to a much broader range of potential buyers. Those who live outside the Huntsville area no longer have to drive for hours to see your home in person. Even those who live out of the country can easily take a tour and decide if they’re interested in buying.
Limit Contact During the Home Inspection
Most buyers will want to make sure your home is inspected before they move forward with closing the deal. To stay safe, you may want to make sure you leave your home when the inspector is scheduled to visit. You may also want to schedule other inspections such as termite or radon inspections at the same time to minimize any exposure risks. Remember to thoroughly sanitize your home after each inspection to be safe.
Host In-Person Showings Safely
Though some buyers will purchase Rancho Santa Fe homes sight unseen, a trend that has only increased since the pandemic, others will insist on seeing it in person before they make an offer. To limit exposure and make sure in-person showings are safe, limit in-person showings to only those who have a letter of preapproval from their lender and who have already taken a virtual tour. This will eliminate those who are not interested in your home or who won’t afford it. When potential buyers are in your home, provide them with masks and gloves, have sanitizer available in each room, and ensure everyone stays six feet apart.
Before every showing, do a thorough job of sanitizing and make sure to pay extra attention to high-touch points like light switches, doorknobs, and countertops. Leave lights on and cabinets open to minimize the number of surfaces potential buyers have to touch.
Work with an Experienced Rancho Santa Fe Real Estate Agent
Selling a home during COVID-19 can be a nerve-wracking experience for sellers—especially if they are trying to do everything independently. When you work with an experienced agent like Polly Rogers, who is knowledgeable about COVID-19 guidelines and committed to keeping you and any potential buyers safe during the selling process, you can relax and leave all the details to a pro. When you’re interviewing potential agents to work with, make sure you ask them about what steps they plan to take to limit exposure for everyone involved. When you work with a pro, you can put aside your fears and focus on what’s most important: selling your home. Now is a great time to sell a home as interest is high among buyers who want to take advantage of the mortgage interest rates before they go up. When you follow the above tips, you can safely list and sell your home so you can move on to the next stage of your life.
