Sellers in Surprise AZ often set the price of a house too high. High prices result from comparing local houses to houses in Scottsdale or Phoenix. Phoenix has different market conditions than the West Valley. The West Valley includes cities like Surprise, Goodyear, and Buckeye. Buckeye and Surprise have many new construction projects. Projects from builders include incentives like interest rate buy-downs. Buy-downs make monthly payments lower for buyers. Buyers choose new homes over older houses when the price is similar. Similar prices are avoided by using a comparative market analysis. Analysis provides data on houses sold within the last six months. Six months of data show the actual price buyers pay. Paying the right price starts with looking at the square footage and lot size. Lot sizes vary between older neighborhoods and new developments. Developments like Marley Park have different price points than Sun City Grand. Sun City Grand is a 55 plus community. Communities for seniors have a specific buyer pool. Pool size and maintenance costs also affect the price. Price your house at market value to attract offers quickly. Offers usually arrive within the first two weeks of a listing. Listing a house too high leads to a stale property. Properties that sit on the market for 30 days lose value. Value is lost when buyers think something is wrong with the house. House prices must be adjusted every 14 days if no offers arrive.
Pricing the House Too High
Arrive at the house and check the curb appeal. Curb appeal is the first impression a buyer has of a property. Properties in Surprise AZ face extreme heat and sun. Sun damage causes paint to fade on front doors and trim. Trim and doors need fresh paint to look new. New paint makes a house look maintained. Maintained houses sell faster than neglected houses. Neglect is common in desert landscaping. Landscaping in Arizona uses rock, cactus, and bushes. Bushes grow over walkways and block windows. Windows should be visible from the street. Street views are improved by removing weeds and adding fresh rock. Rock comes in different colors and sizes. Sizes of rock should match the existing landscape. Landscape maintenance includes power washing the driveway. Driveways in Surprise often have oil stains or dust. Dust settles on everything in the desert. Everything includes the house numbers and light fixtures. Fixtures should be cleaned or replaced if they are rusted. Rusted metal looks old to a buyer. Buyers want a house that is ready for move-in.
Ignoring Curb Appeal in the Desert
Move-in readiness depends on the condition of major systems. Systems include the air conditioning and the roof. Roofs in Arizona are often made of tile. Tile roofs have an underlayment that lasts 20 to 25 years. Years of sun exposure cause the underlayment to crack. Cracks lead to leaks during the monsoon season. Monsoon season brings heavy rain and wind to Surprise. Wind can blow tiles off a roof. Roof repairs are necessary before a house goes on the market. Market value decreases when a home inspection finds leaks. Leaks are also common in irrigation systems. Irrigation systems water the desert plants. Plants die if the drip lines are broken. Broken lines also waste water and increase utility bills. Bills for water and electricity are high in the summer. Summer heat puts stress on air conditioning units. Units that are 15 years old are near the end of their life. Life of an air conditioning unit is extended by regular service. Service records prove to a buyer that the unit is functional. Functional units prevent deals from falling apart. Deals fall apart when a buyer asks for a new air conditioning unit. Units are expensive to replace. Replacement is cheaper than losing a sale. Sale prices are protected by a pre-listing inspection. Inspections identify termites and plumbing issues. Issues should be fixed by a licensed contractor. Contractors provide receipts for the work. Work receipts give buyers peace of mind. Peace of mind is a reason buyers choose one house over another.
Skipping Repairs on Major Systems
Another factor is the quality of the listing photos. Photos are the primary way buyers find houses online. Online sites like Zillow are used by out-of-state buyers. Buyers from California and Washington look at photos before visiting Surprise. Surprise AZ is a popular destination for relocation. Relocation buyers rely on clear images to make decisions. Decisions are hard to make when photos are dark or blurry. Blurry photos happen when sellers use a cell phone. Cell phone cameras do not capture the space of a room. Room size is better shown with a wide-angle lens. Lenses used by professional photographers make a house look open. Open floor plans are popular in modern houses. Houses with professional photos get more clicks than houses with bad photos. Photos should be taken when the sun is low. Low sun creates soft light and fewer shadows. Shadows hide the features of a kitchen or a bathroom. Bathrooms should be clean and clear of personal items. Personal items like toothbrushes and towels distract the buyer. Buyer attention should be on the features. Features include granite counters and tile flooring. Flooring should be clean in every photo. Photos must include the backyard and the pool. Pools are a major selling point in Arizona. Arizona buyers want to see the pool equipment and the water. Water should be blue and clear. Clear photos include a floor plan of the house. House floor plans help buyers understand the layout. Layout is important for families with children.
Using Low Quality Photography
Children need bedrooms near the parents. Parents prefer houses that are easy to visit during a tour. Tours are called showings in the real estate industry. Showings are the time when a buyer walks through the house. House temperature must be cool during a showing. Showings in 100-degree weather are uncomfortable if the air conditioning is off. Off-set thermostats save money but lose sales. Sales happen when a buyer feels comfortable in the house. House feelings are lost if the house smells like pets or smoke. Smoke and pet odors are hard to remove from carpet. Carpet should be steam cleaned before the first showing. Showings should be easy to schedule. Schedule a showing through a lockbox system. Systems like Supra allow agents to enter the house safely. Safely securing the house is important for the seller. Sellers should leave the house during a showing. Showings are awkward when the seller is present. Presenting the house requires all lights to be on. Lights make the rooms look larger and brighter. Brighter rooms are more inviting to buyers. Buyers want to look inside closets and cupboards. Cupboards should be organized and not overfilled. Overfilled spaces make a house look small. Small houses sell for less money.
Making House Showings Difficult
Money is also lost when sellers ignore the specific buyer type for Surprise AZ. Surprise AZ has two main types of buyers. Buyers are either families or retirees. Retirees often look for houses in Sun City Grand or Arizona Traditions. Traditions and Sun City Grand are 55 plus communities. Communities for seniors have amenities like golf courses and woodshops. Woodshops and pickleball courts are important to retirees. Retirees want a single-story house with low maintenance. Maintenance is a concern for people who travel during the winter. Winter residents are often called snowbirds. Snowbirds buy houses in the fall and winter. Fall and winter are the best times to list a 55 plus home. Home sales for families happen in the spring and summer. Summer is when families move before the school year starts. Starts of school years affect when a house should be listed. Listed houses in Surprise are often near the Loop 303 highway. Highway access is important for people who work in Phoenix. Phoenix workers want a short commute. Commutes are also shorter for people working at the Taiwan Semiconductor plant. Plant workers are a new group of buyers in the West Valley. Valley residents shop at the Prasada shopping center. Center proximity is a selling point for a house. Houses near shopping and parks have higher demand. Demand is high for houses with four bedrooms and a den. Dens are used as home offices. Offices are necessary for remote workers.
Ignoring the Target Buyer Type
Workers need a real estate agent who understands the local market. Market knowledge is the reason to hire a local expert. Experts in Surprise AZ know the different neighborhoods. Neighborhoods like Greer Ranch and Copper Canyon have different HOA fees. Fees for a homeowner association affect the monthly payment. Payments are also affected by solar leases. Solar leases are common in Surprise. Common mistakes include hiring an agent from a different city. City agents from Gilbert or Chandler do not know the Surprise area. Area knowledge helps with negotiations. Negotiations involve repairs and closing costs. Costs for closing are paid by the buyer or the seller. Seller concessions are used to buy down interest rates. Rates are a major factor for buyers in the current market. Market trends are tracked by agents who use the MLS. MLS is the Multiple Listing Service. Service providers like Teresa Rubio-Acuna specialize in the West Valley. Valley experts provide a marketing plan for the house. Plans include professional staging and ads. Ads reach buyers who live outside of Arizona. Arizona real estate is competitive. Competitive sellers hire an agent with a track record of success. Success is measured by the number of houses sold. Sold houses provide data for future listings. Listings that are managed well sell for more money.
Hiring an Agent Without Local Expertise
Money is saved when a seller avoids common errors. Errors in pricing and maintenance lead to lower offers. Offers are more likely when the house is in top condition. Condition of the house is the responsibility of the seller. Sellers can find more information on the Az by Teresa website at https://azbyteresa.com/sellers. Website resources include a mortgage calculator and local guides. Guides help buyers and sellers understand the Surprise AZ market. Market conditions change every month. Months of preparation help a seller get the best price for the house. House sales are easier when you have a plan.