If you’re thinking about selling your home, remember CAPE. Here’s what it stands for.

Today I’ve got some great tips for all of you potential home sellers out there. When it comes to selling your home, whether you’re selling on your own or with an agent, there are plenty of things to consider and plenty of things to remember.

One great thing to know is the CAPE method. It’s an acronym for the four main elements that it takes to sell a home: Condition, Access, Price, and Exposure. Let’s go through each one of these elements.

As for condition, that’s something you’re in control of as a seller. Homebuyers want to imagine themselves living in a home, and the home’s condition is vital to that. Cluttered spaces don’t sell, and the less cluttered a space is, the more imagination a buyer will have about living there. You want to make the home as much of a blank canvas as possible for them.

Next, let’s talk about access. Some people are very strict with when they do and don’t want buyers looking at their home. That’s their right as a homeowner, but the more you limit the access to a home, the more you limit the ability for people to see that home. The more people that you can bring into your home, the more potential it has to sell. Additionally, when buyers are represented by a real estate agent, they are looking at that access level ahead of time. They’ll typically take the path of least resistance and look at the one with fewer showing restrictions over the one with more.

"Pricing too far outside your market value is a huge mistake."

Price is another critical point. If you price too far outside of the market value, you won’t get any showings. If you price it 5% to 10% outside of market value, you’ll get showings but no offers. From pricing 2% to 5% outside your market value, you’ll get showings and offers, but they’ll typically be lowball offers. However, if you price at that target price at market value, you’ll get more buyers, more offers, and ultimately, the best and highest sale price.

Finally, we need to look at exposure. This is where an agent can come in and really broaden the reach of your property online. If you're selling For Sale By Owner, you’ll have to think about this even more. There are over 14,000 agents in the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors, and if the property isn’t on the MLS, that’s a big limitation to your exposure. It’s not just about getting your home on the MLS, though. It’s about making sure that your property is showing up when and where the buyers who are looking for that kind of property will see it. You need broad exposure in this market, especially as things are softening.

If you have any questions for me about selling your home or about real estate in general, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.