Selling a home using either a traditional Realtor® or For Sale By Owner model through a discount or flat fee Realtor® means that a seller needs to take some initiative on their own to ensure their house is presented on MLS® in the right way. While it may not be you taking the photos, you want to be sure that your home looks the best it can look to attract more buyers. The following are essential tips to boost your MLS® listing regardless of the current economical climate.

Quality Photographs

If a real estate listing on MLS® contains either no or poor photographs, there’s a good chance the listing will be overlooked. Potential buyers searching MLS® often outright ignore listings without photographs. BC real estate is such a competitive market, there is no reason why you wouldn’t want to show off your MLS® listing with your best photo to represent your home. Take your time and properly prepare to get the perfect shot for the perfect MLS® listing.

Curb Appeal

Included in your MLS® listing will certainly be a photo of the outside of the home you’re selling. Curb appeal is particularly important to lower mainland and Vancouver home buyers. With cities like Vancouver taking such large strides in green initiatives, there’s is a good chance that a Vancouver home buyer will want to have a good look at their future personal green space. Find the best looking real estate listings on MLS® and think of it as a contest.

Focus on trimming and edging your lawn, removing weeds, pruning hedges

and trees, removing dead or dying plants and flowers, filling cracks in sidewalks, updating paint issues, and doing a general cleanup to make the house and property look tidy and well-kept.

Floor Plan

When selling real estate, adding an up-to -date image of a floor plan to your MLS® listing can do wonders by increasing walk throughs for serious buyers.

Staging

While some people truck half their belongings into storage, the most important thing when it comes to staging is to ensure the surfaces in your home are clear. You don’t need books, papers, toys, and clutter to take a potential buyer’s eye away from what’s important – the fact that they need to imagine their own belongings in the home. Potential buyers will be looking for how they can use the home to their advantage, whether they plan to live in it or rent it, so make it easy on them and minimize your belongings – or at least clear the surfaces while you’re taking pictures!

List What’s Unique

Make sure to check the right options on MLS® and include everything that’s in your home. When writing your listing, avoid words that people know to look for (you don’t want anyone dismissing a truly “cozy” space because they assume it’s too small) and emphasize phrases that people want. Whether you have a corner suite on a top floor, a home with a garden entrance and wheelchair access, or are selling a pet-friendly condo with no size limit on the pet – you need to advertise that information to your audience!