Online House Hunting

How to best compete for house sale?

Out next door neighbor has a house exactly like ours, but with with a few upgrades we do not have. She has it up for sale and we also want to put our house on the market. Any strategy suggestions, other than the obvious slight price difference?

Public Comments

1. Your best bet is to wait until the neighbor's house sells. That way, you will no longer have the competition directly next door. Understand, however, that once her house sells, the sale price is public knowledge and will be used as a comparable for your house. The only difference is that no one will be allowed to see her house as a comparable to yours.
2. Staging and street appeal could help you win out. We once had a home for sale with several other similar homes for sale in our neighborhood but we sold ours first and for full price. We accomplished this through these two elements. The house was immaculate inside and well staged to show off the house's features. On the exterior, our home had better street appeal due to the paint colors (on the trim as it was a brick home) I chose when the home was being finished when we bought it. My wife says I am a black belt colorist. So take a look at how your home is staged and in particular take a critical look at the exterior for ways to kick up the homes street appeal. Street appeal gets lookers into the house, the only way you will sell it. You might need to do a little painting, landscaping or even frame out the windows in 4 to 6 inch flat stock (does wonders for street appeal for many style of home but not sure what yours is). I hope this helps. Good luck with the sale.
3. Make use of as much free exposure as possible to advertise your home. More exposure = more potential buyers for you. If you sell privately, you will be able to sell it for a much lower price than your neighbor as you will save the $15,000 agent commission, and could win buyers that way. Try www.YourHomeYourCommission.com. You can list your home on there for free right now (limited time offer), and it will stay on there until it sells.