Talk with any homeowner that is thinking of selling and they most likely feel their home is better than the competition. In fact, I recently heard a story about a seller who felt their outdated Lake Tahoe home with a weird layout, green carpeting and small rooms was comparable to the large, brand new custom home for sale across the street. While it is necessary to be aware of your neighbors homes, it is also important to be realistic. Especially in Lake Tahoe where so many homes were built so long ago and or haven’t been updated. With so many people buying properties and flipping them, you will want to analyze your competition and figure out how to make your home appeal to the buyers. Pricing your home appropriately is the most important part of selling, so be sure to do your homework and look at the comparable properties in your price range-both newly built and resales. Along with suggestions from your Tahoe Keys realtor, this will give you a good idea of how to position your Lake Tahoe home for sale properly from the start.

Here are some key items to look for.

• Property condition: A new construction home will be in perfect condition with all the latest finishes and décor trends. If your home could stand a few upgrades, take a look at these properties for some helpful hints. While a brand new kitchen may not be in the budget, check out the layouts, paint colors and finishes for affordable ideas to make your home more appealing. Also, a tour through one of these homes will help you figure out how to maximize on your best features as well as minimize the features of your home that may not be so great.
• Look at your curb appeal: A custom Tahoe Keys home will usually have nice landscaping, freshly painted trim, new shutters and a pristine new mail box. Most of these can be done to your own home with a quick affordable trip to the local home and garden store. Doing these simple outdoor upgrades can attract more buyers.
• Put yourself in the buyers’ shoes: When a buyer is looking at Tahoe Keys homes for sale, they want to imagine how they would occupy it. In a brand new custom home, this is easy as there is no clutter. Make sure that your home is similar by keeping it clean, de-cluttered and having simple things such as dishes put away before a showing.
• Are there any financial perks and if so, how can you compete? Builders of brand new custom homes sometimes offer buyer incentives. Whether these are paying for optional features or assisting in closing costs, these can go a long way in the competition.  If you feel like you need to bring something to the table, you can offer help with the closing costs, a buyers credit or lower the price. These offerings will be valuable to a buyer, especially in an older home as the extra financial room will allow them to put their own personality into the property with their own upgrades of choice.
• Consult your Realtor: This step may just be the most important. Your REALTOR® can inform you not only of local market trends, but suggest inexpensive home improvements. Depending on what kind of market you are in, you may not need to be concerned because there may be so many buyers and so little properties you can sell as is. However, this type of information is not something you can honestly get from a national website as real estate trends are constantly changing and are different in every area. This type of information should come from a long time, trusted local Tahoe Keys realtor. For more information, call Peter Delilli at 530-308-4331.