Once a person has decided to sell their home, the biggest question on their mind is how? This depends on how fast the owner is looking to move. If they’re trying to sell as quickly as possible, their actions will be different compared to a seller who wants to move months down the road.

For those who want to sell their home quickly, there are tips to get your house seen by buyers and real estate agents before it even hits the market.

Coming Soon:

A coming soon period is the time after you’ve signed a listing agreement with a local Lake Arrowhead Realtor until the time it hits the Lake Arrowhead real estate market. Not every Realtor will offer this period, but the experienced real estate agents will know that this time is critical for selling your house quickly.

When your Lake Arrowhead Realtor puts up the “For Sale” sign on your front yard, ask them to place a “Coming Soon” rider with it as well. This will show your neighbors and tourist (since we are a second home market) that your house will be available.

There may be another house on your street or neighborhood that is up for sale, drawing in more people to see your sign when they’re trying to preview the other home. The “Coming Soon” sign causes intrigue and excitement for buyers. Everyone loves having early access to anything before anyone else.

The buyer knows that if they put in an offer right away, they could have less competition from others. Neighbors are excellent sources for finding buyers too. Some are looking for nearby residents for family members, friends, or vacation rental home.

Previewing:

If you’re open to having buyers view your home before it hits the market, this could be a massive advantage to you. Lake Arrowhead’s market is different than typical markets since it is a secondary home market. Real estate agents who are not local won’t understand the differences, making it a challenge for the sellers.

A coming soon period entices people to want to preview the house before others can, but when you have an agent over an hour away, it makes that an issue compared to having a Realtor who can meet buyers at your house and open the door for them personally. This is especially huge during the busy season when it can take hours to drive up the hill.

Another great way to generate buzz is to have a “preview” open house. Your agent holding the open house can’t officially hold an open house until it’s on the market but you can have a “preview” open house. Utilize social media before to draw in more people. Post on all your personal social media, as well as ask your agent to do the same. Sometimes, a buyer for your house is someone you know personally because they have been in your home and fell in love.

Let your family, friends, and neighbors know the information and keep the buzz going by asking them to share your post! Make sure to note that your house isn’t even on the market yet and only a select few are able to have this chance that many buyers would love to have.

Before your “preview” open house, take down any personal photos you may have up. Buyers want to envision themselves in their house, not in yours. To read more about preparing your home for selling, you can visit our other blog on the topic.

A broker’s open can be part of the previewing period as well. The agent who is listing your home can host a broker’s open, where they invite other agents from the area to come in and view the house. Agents have clients that are looking for homes, and yours might be perfect for their client. It’s a great way to get your house seen by those trying to buy.

The best part is that your agent takes care of the entire ordeal! Both the “preview” open house and broker’s open. They’re detailed steps that you can leave up to your agent. Just inform them that you want both to be held at your house before it goes on the market.

Choose your Lake Arrowhead Realtor carefully:

Every Realtor markets their client’s home differently. There are many ways to advertise that one real estate agent may be using that another may not be. Ask them to see a detailed marketing plan that will explain how they will market your home. Do they do anything before it is on the market?

The Rahill Real Estate Group has a couple of handy ideas, resulting in us being the number #1 team in Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead. Our marketing plans show you precisely what we do, who is on our team, and how we are going to sell your house. Make sure your real estate agent is doing all they can for you.

Selling your home or buying a home is one of the most significant financial decisions you will make in your life. Be positive that you can trust them by reading their reviews. Zillow, Realtor.com, Yelp, and even their Facebook page should tell you what their past clients have to say about their services. You wouldn’t use a lawyer or doctor without a couple of referrals or reviews, right? Why wouldn’t you use the same caution when it comes to selling your home?

The best advice anyone can give a client is to go local. When you do go on the market, your Realtor will post your house in the directory that all real estate agents use to view the homes on the market and get the information about the house.

Lake Arrowhead has their own MLS, Multiple Listing Service, and only members of the Lake Arrowhead MLS (RIM) can see the homes for sale in the area. The MLS systems for off the hill agents is an entirely different system, that doesn’t show the homes in town unless the agent belongs to both MLS databases.

During the coming soon phase, you’re more likely to get full priced offers. When buyers ask the reason behind this, your Realtor can explain that you haven’t been on the market to test it out. Most homes go onto the market and test the amount that will draw in the right buyer. Of course, your Lake Arrowhead Realtor will be suggesting a price, but it is your choice at what amount you want to sell your house.

When your house is on the market, and you want to test the market to see if you can get a higher amount than advised, you’re able to. Obviously, when you’re not on the market, and someone wants to place an offer on your house before going live, you haven’t been able to test the market. You can use this as a reason why you won’t likely submit a counter offer and will only accept full priced offers.

If you’re a first time Lake Arrowhead home seller or you’ve done this multiple times, these tips will help you to potentially sell your Lake Arrowhead home before it hits the market! Make sure you find a great local Realtor to help you with these steps.