4 Ways To Get The Most Money For Your San Diego Home

San Diego real estate is still strongly on the rise. Even though the number of sales in the area decreased slightly in June follow a big spike in May, more homeowners are deciding to take advantage of increased housing prices in San Diego each day. If you want to get the most money possible for your home, here are four tips that can put a significantly larger amount of cash in your pocket.

1. Invest In A Professional Cleaning Company

According to many experts, one of the biggest ways to immediately add value to your home in the eyes of a potential buyer is to conduct a thorough cleaning. Not only should this consist of opening up spaces and getting rid of unnecessary possessions, but also cleaning and scrubbing everything. Many times, homeowners are so familiar with their homes that some things which may stand out to buyers looking at a home for the first time are easily overlooked as “normal” because property's owners see it every day.

When it comes to making sure that your house is in the best visual condition, invest in the services of a professional cleaning company. These companies are experts in what they do, and can approach your home objectively to perform the most thorough cleaning possible.

Another idea to help ensure your property is in tip-top shape is to enlist the help of friends and family members who are not frequent visitors. By asking them to come through and give you an honest critique of your home through the eyes of a potential buyer, you can identify cluttered or dirty areas that could use some additional work.

2. Hide The Pets

According to PetFinder, approximately 57% of American households have a pet. This means that 43% of households (and potential home buyers) do not. While some simply choose not to have a pet because of their lifestyle, others do not because of allergies or a fear of them. Sometimes, certain buyers can lose interest in a home because of pets being there. It may be hard for some potential buyers to enjoy the benefits of a home while touring it when worrying about the dog meandering throughout the home.

Simply keeping your pets in the other room may still stray away some buyers that worried about the long-term effects of having animals in the home – even if there are no actual problems with the property. Home staging companies often recommend removing things such as dog beds, toys and animal food and water bowls when showing your home. This allows buyers to see the highlights of the property without focusing on any un-substantiated problems in their mind.

Even though there are countless buyers in the San Diego real estate market right now, maximizing the number of them competing for your home will drive up your property's value.

3. Visit Other Comparable Homes On The Market

In order to get the highest premium on your home, you need to make it stand out from the competition. Take time with your Realtor to tour other, similar San Diego homes for sale. Note down what they have in common and how each property stands out. After you compile your list, sit down and decide how you can adapt techniques used in the other properties in your community to your home, and at the same time make the small changes needed to make it stand out uniquely among the competition.

Changes or unique advantages do not necessarily have to be repairs or work done on the home. Sometimes, simply changing the terms of your offing can have a big impact. One example would be a home likely to get attention from first-time homebuyers. If other, similar properties are not offering to include appliances such as a washer and dryer, you might want to consider adding this to the sale of the home. For you, this may be a minor cost, but for a first-time homebuyer who likely do not have these appliances and already has enough to worry about on their plate, this convenience may be worth a lot greater value in their eyes.

4. Sell While Demand Is Strong

Across San Diego, real estate sales saw a downturn in June – something that most industry analysts attribute to rising interest rates. Between May and June, rates increased nearly 15% after staying at historical-lows for almost two years. Right now, we are still seeing some of the lowest interest rates in history, but that may change over the next year or two. At current levels, interest rates are very un-likely to keep many potential buyers out of the market, but steady increases may mean the current seller's market will cool down eventually.

If you've been on the fence about deciding whether or not to sell your home and take advantage of relatively high San Diego home values, taking action sooner than later may be a wise choice. Although prices are expected to continue to rise into the future, eventually there will not be as much competition among buyers as interest rates rise and the local inventory level increases. By getting into the market while demand is strong, you can take advantage of great contract terms and high buyer competition.