6 Tips for Selling Your Home Fast in Today's Wasilla Market

In the Wasilla market where frustrated home sellers often endure 6 months or more to sell their homes, there are some techniques to position your home ahead of others in the Wasilla - Palmer area.

1. Price your home aggressively — Look at the other homes in the Wasilla or Palmer  area that have sold in the past three months (except for distressed sales) and price your home just below the lowest sales price. If there are active listings in your neighborhood the price you select must also be below that of the most comparable home to yours.

2. Make your home the neighborhood showplace — Updated kitchens and baths are what hook most new home shoppers. Consider installing granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and new ceramic or hardwood floors. Carpets should be as nearly new as possible. Add a new coat of paint to your home's interior and exterior.

3. Enhance Your Home's "Curb Appeal" — A beautiful yard is far from our thoughts while in the middle of an Alaskan winter but it's not to early to start planning.  Avoid the appearance of a "drab" yard by planting colorful flowers in selected locations. Seed or plant sod in areas lacking grass. Make certain the yard is mowed, edged and mulched.

4. Clutter Must Go — This is a biggie, it should actually be #1!  Get serious about packing up things you do not absolutely need.  Even the most up-to-date house will look disorganized if it is filled with unnecessary furniture. Remove it.  Also, remove personal items (including family photos and portraits). Make it easy for prospective buyers to imagine a house with their own things in it, not yours.

5. Make Certain Your Home is Properly Staged — If your Wasilla Realtor cannot give you advice on staging get someone who can.  Consider hiring a designer to "stage" your home before prospective buyers begin coming through your door, especially if your house has been vacant for a while. An experienced Realtor or designer can arrange home furnishings so prospects can more easily envision their own furniture in the house. At the same time, an experienced stager can add a touch of class to your home.

6. Don't Forget Financial Incentives — Offer the buyers' Realtor a four percent commission rather than the traditional three percent, along with closing cost assistance to buyers.  "Closing cost incentives are especially attractive now that credit has tightened significantly" says Cris Skinner at Residential Mortgage.  "100% financing is almost impossible to obtain unless the borrower has VA entitlements".

Homes that take months to sell often require the asking price to be cut multiple times. Additional costs to the seller include continuing mortgage payments, utilities, taxes and insurance, repairs and other associated costs. Following the six tips outlined above can help to greatly reduce the amount of time it takes to sell a home in today's market.