Recently I was meeting a homeowner in a community where there were quite a few homes listed as short sales and foreclosures. Foreclosures in this community where flying off the shelves so to speak, so the home owner asked me, “How can your Lakeland Fl home for sale compete in a market dominated by short sales and foreclosures?

1. How Your Lakeland Fl Home for Sale Can
Compete With Short Sales and
Foreclosures?
Authored by: Petra Norris

2. How Your Lakeland Fl Home for Sale Can Compete With Short Sales and Foreclosures?
Recently I was meeting a homeowner in a community where there were quite a few
homes listed as short sales and foreclosures. Foreclosures in this community where
flying off the shelves so to speak, so the home owner asked me, “How can your
Lakeland Fl home for sale compete in a market dominated by short sales and
foreclosures?
First, you have to know that your Lakeland Fl home for sale’s market value is directly
affected by distressed properties in your neighborhood.

3. How Your Lakeland Fl Home for Sale Can Compete With Short Sales and Foreclosures?
Appraisers now pay close attention to the number of closed sales of distressed
properties as well as those that are currently listed. What is a regular seller supposed to
do to compete?
Pricing a regular home for sale in Lakeland Fl against short sales and foreclosures is a
mix of science and emotion. You have to be able to think both like a seller and also a
buyer. It doesn’t really matter how much you think your Lakeland Fl home for sale is
worth if the buyer does not agree.

4. How Your Lakeland Fl Home for Sale Can Compete With Short Sales and Foreclosures?
Here are three questions to help guide you in pricing your home for sale in Lakeland Fl:
1. What would make the buyer choose your home over a short sale or foreclosure?
2. Why would the buyer’s lender appraise your Lakeland Fl home for sale higher than a
short sale or foreclosure?
3. How much more is your Lakeland Fl home for sale worth than a distressed property?

5. How Your Lakeland Fl Home for Sale Can Compete With Short Sales and Foreclosures?
You may be surprised with your answers. You will find out that your Lakeland Fl home for
sale is worth not much more than a foreclosure, even with all the upgrades you add in.
Appraisers don’t really care too much about upgrades anymore. If all the recent sales in
your area are short sales or foreclosures, then it will greatly affect your home’s value
even with equity.
Home buyers now are looking for bargains, that’s why short sales and foreclosures sell.
Even if they need a bit of repair, buyers think they will still end up with a good bargain. If
your Lakeland Fl home for sale with equity is in good shape and priced within the range
of distressed properties, then buyer will most likely choose your home over the short
sales and foreclosures.

6. How Your Lakeland Fl Home for Sale Can Compete With Short Sales and Foreclosures?
One very useful tip is to examine comparable sales of short sales and foreclosures in the
neighborhood over the past 3 months. Make sure to compare apples to apples. Pay
attention to homes with similar square footage to your home for sale, within 10% more
or less from your home. Compare homes with similar ages.
Once you get the values of comparable sales, make sure to price your Lakeland Fl home
for sale among distressed properties a little below market value. This will drive more
offers to your home, with more buyers trying to outbid each other and eventually
bringing your sales price higher in the end.

7. Petra Norris Realtor®
Lakeland FL Homes for Sale CDV TransAtlantic, Inc.
PO Box 92050, Lakeland, FL, 33804-2050
Office Phone: (863) 619-6918
Cell Phone: (863) 712-4207