Mahoney Knows Homes: 10 Things That Actually Sell Your Home In This Market

Whether you’re a nosy neighbor, a casual browser or a real estate pro, you know that changes are happening in the real estate market. If you only read the headlines, you may be alarmed by higher interest rates, more homes for sale and reports of softening prices in some areas.

As someone who is heavily involved in the market and sees firsthand what is happening, I am here to tell you: yes, it is becoming increasingly difficult to sell a home.

But homes are still selling every day.

Based on what I’m seeing in this market, I’ve put together a brutally honest list of 10 things that will actually help sell your home.

1. Correct pricing from the start

Unless you crave the attention of strangers swiping through photos of your home for months on end, pricing your home correctly from the beginning is one of the most important things you can do right now.

This is not the market to casually shoot for a neighborhood record and see what happens. You can try, but if buyers don’t agree with your price, eventually you’re going to have to come to terms with reality and adjust downward to attract them.

The longer that takes, the harder the sale can become.

2. Everything should function properly. If it doesn’t, fix it.

Buyers have more choices today, and when someone is already stretching their budget to purchase a home, they generally don’t want to pay top dollar just to inherit your broken stuff and unfinished projects.

Leaky faucet? Fix it. Broken light fixture? Fix it. Door that hasn’t closed properly since 2019? You know what I’m going to say.

You can absolutely sell a home with issues, but those issues need to be reflected in the price.

3. Your home is clean

Getting buyers through the front door is hard enough. Once they’re there, remember that you are presenting a product.

A dirty, disheveled or messy home gives the impression that the property hasn’t been cared for. Fair or not, that perception can quickly become part of how a buyer values the house.

Clean it like your mother-in-law is coming over.

4. Make sure your home doesn’t smell

For every cat you own, there is a direct correlation with the number of candles I’m going to recommend you buy.

You are used to the way your house smells. Other people aren’t.

Before listing, have your brutally honest friend come over and give you their opinion. Clean the carpets, address pet odors, change the filters and do whatever needs to be done to make the house smells clean and neutral.

And if you want to bake some cookies before a showing, I’m certainly not going to stop you.

5. You aren’t difficult to work with

Buyers are not a dime a dozen right now.

If someone is seriously interested in your home, take them seriously. You might not have another interested buyer come along for weeks or even months.

That doesn’t mean giving the house away. It means being responsive, accommodating and, most importantly, reasonable.

6. Your Realtor isn’t difficult to work with

The Realtor you hire to sell your home becomes your voice in the transaction.

If they aren’t responsive to other Realtors or buyers, lack professionalism or spend too much time trying to play hardball, they can push potential buyers away instead of drawing them in.

This is more common than you might imagine.

You want someone representing your interests aggressively, but there is a big difference between being a strong negotiator and simply being difficult.

7. Your home is marketed properly

Have professional photos taken. Present the home honestly. Highlight what makes it special and don’t try to hide obvious shortcomings.

Buyers are eventually going to see whatever you’re trying to hide anyway, and now they’re just irritated that you tried to hide it.

Also, for the love of God, please don’t doctor every photo with AI.

In my opinion, showing buyers an AI-generated version of every room with imaginary renovations is basically an advertisement for everything you think is wrong with the house.

Sell the home you actually have.

8. When the market speaks, listen

If a dozen people walk through your home and none of them express interest in writing an offer, that is feedback.

If you list your home and nobody schedules a showing, that is feedback.

If buyers repeatedly mention the same concern, that is feedback.

The market doesn’t care what you paid, what you spent on the kitchen or what Zillow told you six months ago. Buyers will tell you what they think your home is worth through their actions.

If you actually want to sell, you have to listen.

9. Curb appeal

First impressions matter.

The exterior of your home is the cover photo. It’s the dream builder. It’s the photo buyers go back to late at night when they’re thinking about the house and imagining themselves living there.

You don’t need to spend $20,000 landscaping the property. Mow the grass. Trim the bushes. Pressure wash what needs it. Add some mulch.

And pull those weeds.

10. Decluttering and depersonalizing

We know you love your home and have spent years making it fit you.

When it’s time to sell, it’s also time to remove some of that personality so a buyer has room to imagine themselves living there.

You don’t need to make the house look sterile. You just want it to feel clean, open and easy for someone else to picture as their own.

At the end of the day, there is no magic trick to selling a home in a changing market. Price it correctly, prepare it properly, market it professionally and pay attention to what buyers are telling you.

If you are considering selling your home and would like to know exactly what you need to do to have a smooth, seamless experience, please call me or send me an email.