You can’t always choose when you want to sell a home, as many people trying to sell in the current market will tell you. Job transfers, growing families, or older children leaving home are just a few of the reasons that people may decide to sell in any market. The following tips can help if you find yourself selling your home in a difficult market.

Look for local agents who are listing, marketing and selling in your community even if the market is slow. Ask several of them to make a "listing presentation" to discuss your home’s value, justify their numbers and explain how they would market your property

UNDERSTAND THE REAL MARKETPLACE

To negotiate effectively, you need to know up-to-the-minute sale prices – not just what your neighbor’s house sold for last year – and the deal-making behind them. For example, two homes may each have sold for $400,000, but if one owner gave a 3 percent credit for deck repair and a new furnace, that’s a $12,000 reduction. Your agent should be knowledgeable about the details of sales in your area and be nimble enough to revise the marketing plan for your home to reflect changing conditions.

SWEETEN THE DEAL

Sellers are reportedly offering some unusual sales incentives – plasma TVs, cars, boat slips, vacations and golf carts – but cash may still be king. For example, some sellers have agreed to pay condo maintenance fees for the buyer. Other ideas include covering moving expenses or a month’s mortgage payment.

BE FLEXIBLE ON THE DEPOSIT

To "bind" a deal, the buyer should put down a deposit (separate from the down payment), which varies widely depending on the local market. You’d like the biggest deposit you can get, but in a slow market you may have to settle for less.

MONITOR AND UPDATE YOUR LISTING

If it’s April, you don’t want the photo of your house on the Multiple Listing Service displaying a snowman on the lawn. An out-of-season picture is a dead giveaway that your home has been on the market for awhile. And with many buyers doing their first "look-see" on the Internet, the quality of the photos is paramount, too.

Any of these tips are helpful in any market, but crucial if you are selling in a difficult market. If you would like more information on buying or selling a home in today’s market e-mail me at john@bendallgroup.com.