Contour Mortgage News

Fall Refresh for Long Island Realtors

Written by Contour Mortgage | Sep 24, 2015 4:21:00 PM

Homes are so beautiful in the fall.

The warm colors of the season tends to be a perfect backdrop for setting the stage up for buyers to imagine how inviting their home can look.

Generally speaking, the fall is a good time in real estate. Although springtime is widely regarded as the busiest season, the fall tends to be in a close second. With less homes on the market than in the spring, there will also be less competition from the sellers standpoint - and although there are fewer buyers, the ones that are looking are ready to make their move and buckle down by Thanksgiving.

Long Island realtors looking to make some new deals before the winter holiday season, or looking to shed a new, warmer glow on current listings that haven’t sold yet, or for buyers who haven’t signed a contract yet, we’ve put together some insider tips on what realtors do in the fall.

List with the right words:

According to findings from Zillow.com, the wording used in the listing of a home is crucial to the outcome of a sale.

Avoid using words like “unique”, “investment”, “TLC” or “potential” as they have been found to lower a home’s sale price by as much as 7%.

Words that have a positive effect are “luxurious” and “captivating”, which can increase a sale price by as much as 8.2%.

Something else to focus on? Details. In general longer, more detail-oriented listings sell more than listing’s that don’t have much verbiage.

Psychological Pricing:

If you’ve had a home listed for a while with little to no movement, try changing the price slightly. According to Zillow.com research, having the number nine in the thousand digit spot  (ie. $149,000 –vs- $150,000) will sell anywhere from four days to an entire week faster than ones that are rounded up to the nearest zero.

Show Homes Before Dark

It’s better for buyers to see homes in daylight. Not only will the exterior look its best amongst the seasonal colors, but the interior will be bright and welcoming. Being that the days start to get shorter in the fall, keep your timing in mind when showing a home or hosting an open house.