Homes in Mueller Austin will be under construction for just a little bit longer.
In this third part of my selling at Mueller series, I look at seven winning strategies that you can use to sell your home, and beat the builders. In Part I, I looked at the Mueller build timeline, and in Part II I discussed the challenges of competing with active builders at Mueller.
- Pricing Right. The price is perhaps the largest lever you can pull to beat the builder. You have to be realistic and competitive to be noticed. And that means accepting that the options that you paid the builder to add to your home may not see a 100% return. Given the builders are offering a new home that can be customized, you will have to be aggressive with pricing. Take into account Mueller’s appreciation and the depreciation of your home. And whatever you do, don’t pad the price for negotiation room.
- Financing. The builders will typically offer financial incentives in different ways – they may pay points and pay for the owner’s title policy if you use their preferred lender. You will do the same if you want to compete on financing. Advertising that you will pay $3,000 towards closing costs, and partnering up with your lender can give you the same advantage – illustrative scenarios where you pay points and lower the buyer’s payment.
- Availability. The builder might not have inventory homes, and completion dates may be months away. Having your home “move-in ready” can be a big factor to a buyer who wants to move right now, especially if your floorplan is scarce.
You need to demonstrate that your home is “move in ready” through preparation and staging. And as the Mueller model homes are open 10am-7pm most days you need to allow buyers to come visit at these times and more. If the Mueller builders are having an open house event, your house is open.
- Staging. This is the art of making your home look like a model home, or in this case better. Prospective buyers can more easily picture themselves living in a home with furniture. There are many tasks that constitute good preparation and staging, and I recommend getting a professional stager to give you advice on where to spend your energy.
Because you’ve had it inspected and are making the inspection report available for viewing. Full disclosure is part of good marketing – you can show that you have maintained the home, and that everything is in tip-top shape, and anything found on an inspection report has been fixed already.
Home warranties are typically paid for by the seller, but not all buyers know this. It doesn’t hurt to stress that you will be providing a home warranty.
- Upgrades and Unique Features. This is where you can really stomp all over the builders. If you have upgraded your home in a way that the builder doesn’t offer, then you have a unique offering.
If you are in a unique location, such as on Mendez by Ella Wooten Park, and no other homes are available there, you have something unique to offer. Other great examples of upgrades to consider are landscaping, decking, and better paint colors than those offered by the builders.
- Agent. Choose a Realtor® who knows the builders’ inventory, floorplans, the area, and how to compete with builders. This choice is probably the biggest factor in beating the builders. Don’t be afraid of asking for guerilla marketing – if there is an event at Mueller, will your Realtor® be there handing out marketing materials?
Meet Kathy
… a cat lover and local aficionado, she goes out of her way to discover the best that the Mueller neighborhood has to offer: from local businesses to events to entertainment …
Kathy knows Mueller.
Kathy knows Community.
Kathy knows Home.
You want to know what Mueller has to offer, and when homes are hitting the market, you want to be first to know.
Having lived in Mueller since 2008…
Kathy is your key to unlocking Mueller. Interested in moving to the area? Book a chat with Kathy!