Ways To Boost Your Saleability If You're Desperate

Here are some tips for selling homes quickly in slow-moving markets:

1. Be the best buy on the block. Run an accurate market analysis for the last six months and price the property accordingly.

2. Schedule your discounts. If someone has to sell in say, six weeks, start with a 10 percent or 15 percent discount from the comparables and then reduce the property another 5 percent to 10 percent each week.

3. Clean-up time. Scrub the house until it shines. Paint anything that needs it, and manicure the lawn.

4. Don’t sound desperate. When a buyer asks why the house is for sale, an effective response is, “I have a new opportunity in another city.” This answer sounds hopeful while selling in the midst of a divorce or other emotionally difficult time which otherwise could make the buyer leery about the home.

5. Offer to hold the mortgage. If a seller can live without the proceeds from a sale, a seller-financing arrangement may make sense. This helps those who can’t qualify conventionally and increases the pool of buyers.