Homes for sale in Portland Oregon.  There are a lot of them out there.  What the heck can sellers do to differentiate themselves from the pack?  After working with buyers for the past six years I’ll share a little on the mentality of many buyers.  They could potentially be grouped into a couple of types:

1. Investor buyer; “I’m going to flip this place” type, wanting to find a place with tons of upside potential.

2. Bargain shopper buyer; ”I want an screaming good deal so let’s make offers all over the city” type, wanting to low-ball everyone.

3. Move-in Ready buyer; ”why would I pick up a hammer if I can pay someone to do it” type, looking for a perfect house and not wanting to deal with any sort of maintainance issues.

4. Average buyer, ”It doesn’t have to be perfect and a few projects are OK” type, wanting a place to call home.

Unless you need to move yesterday market to buyer #3 and #4.

Focusing on a couple of areas can greatly improve your home’s appeal in the Real Estate For Sale marketplace. First off is the paint scheme.  Don’t have an eye for color?  Go walk through a couple of new construction homes.  Agents are happy to show off the latest design, finish and style.  Second, take note of the furnishings, wall hanging, and general decor in these models.  They’re staged for a reason.

One of the most interesting points about home buyers is that few are able to distinguish the difference between personal and private property.  A warmly lit, well decorated home with manicured landscaping sells a piece of junk home better than the empty and unheated jewel down the street.

I’ve experienced staging impact several times while listing properties.  Turn on heat when it’s cold, turn on the A/C if it’s hot!  Temperature is a subconscious factor along with lighting.  If you know that the house is going to be shown turn on a few incandescant lights for glow.  It’s a lot cheaper to pay for a bit of electricity than do another price reduction!

Next comment has to do with market conditions in our area at the time of sale.  There are many Homes for Sale in Portland currently.  Sellers and agents do a CMA (comparitive market analysis) to guage where a particular home should be positioned price-wise.  Houses that are selling are doing so for one reason; the buyer sees the biggest value for his money!  Doesn’t matter which buyer type above makes the purchase.

Today’s backwards sliding home prices indicate that eager sellers can curb the effects of such by pricing agressively.  Look at the comparable sales and listings.  Come up with your theoretical reasonable price then subtract 5%.  Doing so nearly eliminates chasing the market downward.

The bottom line is that you’ll get maximum return on based upon cosmetics, selling to buyers 3 & 4.  If buyer number 1 or 2 purchases your property I guarantee that it’s netting you less in the long run.

Fore more tips on Portland Real Estate feel free to call or visit www.MaxwellSinclair.com