#1: Virtual Garage Sale Apps
When you decide to sell your home, the first step is to start getting rid of your junk and selling the furniture that you don’t want. In fact, according to a survey by Sparefoot, more than a quarter of the population tries to sell their things before they move, but only half have tried using the internet to do it. However, for millennials, the first thing the majority of them do before selling their home is list the things they want to sell or get rid of online.
You don’t have to be a millennial to discover the ease and convenience of holding a virtual garage sale as you prepare to sell your College Station home. There are several apps specifically designed for unloading your belongings online:
- VarageSale App – This app is free and easy to use. All you have to do is snap a picture of the items you want to sell, write a description for them, and then list your price. This app is perfect if you have a lot of belongings to sell and don’t want to spend hours uploading information on each item.
- OfferUp App – If you are trying to sell a few photogenic items, OfferUp is the app that you need. It only takes a half a minute to list your items and because items are listed in Pinterest-style tiles, if you have something really eye-popping to sell, this is the app to do it.
- Yard Sale Treasure Map – For people who are not so comfortable allowing strangers to contact them via an app, there is an app that helps you host a physical garage sale. Yard Sale Treasure Map lists all of the yard sales happening in your area and step-by-step directions to get to each sale.
Remember when selling your items online, you still want to be very careful about the people you let come by your house. The smart thing to do is to meet in a public place, preferably near your local police station. You may even be allowed to use the police station parking lot to exchange goods with virtual garage sale shoppers.
#2: Cashless Payment Apps
Cashless apps help ensure that you get paid for the things that you sell without carrying around wads of cash at a physical garage sale. Google Wallet and Square Cash are two of the most popular cashless payment apps. The money shows up practically immediately in your bank account which is important. On average, people like you sell over $4 million worth of personal items through garage sales every week in the U.S. Protect yourself from thieves by avoiding carrying around large sums of cash when selling your items.
#3: Social Media Apps
All social media sites have a mobile app too. Some of the most popular social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are great places to inform people that you have things for sell. You can also promote your garage sale on social media to people in your area using the NextDoor app.
#4: Craigslist App
Horror stories abound about Craigslist, but if you are careful about interacting with those interested in your Craigslist items, you can sell your big ticket items there. If you need to unload a couch, a refrigerator, bikes, cars, desks, etc., Craigslist is the best free listing site for it. Plus, Craigslist reaches a broad audience of about 60 million users every month.
#5: Amazon App
If you are experienced at selling online, eBay is used by around 15% of home sellers getting rid of their stuff. On the downside, trying to get setup on eBay is very time consuming and it costs money to post items there. Amazon charges a dollar plus commission for any item you sell, but if you have a closet full of books, games, and movies that you want to sell, Amazon can make it easier to do.
#6: Junk Removal Apps
Now that you’ve sold what you can sell and kept what you want to keep, it’s time to get rid of some of the junk in your house. There are several apps that can help you clear the clutter. If you have boxes and bags of trash that you need to dump but don’t have the means or the will to get it all to the junkyard, the Takl App lets you schedule a trash pickup any day of the week.
Moreover, Takl has all kinds of other features that all movers need like handy man services to make small repairs in preparation to sell your home. They also have cleaning services and lawn care specialists available to help tidy up the house when you are preparing to sell.
Clutter is the app of choice if you have several items that you don’t necessarily need but you don’t want to trash. You can request someone to come to your house, pack up those items, and then take them to storage for you through the Clutter App.
#7: MLS Listing Site Apps
MLS listing site apps aren’t just good for searching for homes. These apps can help you prepare to sell your house if you use them to help understand pricing and get a general idea about how much your home is worth. You can look at comparable homes on Zillow, Trulia, etc. Realtor.com often has articles and other resources to help you get educated about home buying and selling.
#8: Home Staging Apps
There’s a reason why you have to clear the clutter first before you can begin showing your house. You want to know exactly what you are working with and with the clutter gone, visitors to your open house can start imagining themselves in your home. But if you want to make a really good impression on homebuyers, you should stage your home and there are apps for that too.
One of the top home staging apps is the RoomHint app. The best part about this app is that real interior designers help you figure out the best way to stage your home. You just upload pictures of the rooms in your house and the app figures out what furniture and color schemes work best with your décor.
#9: Word of Mouth
Of course, there is still the original way to prepare to sell your home – word-of-mouth. Traditional word-of-mouth has been given a digital upgrade. Just by telling the friends and family in your immediate social media circle that you are planning to sell your home, you can end up finding a buyer. Even if the people you know aren’t looking, they probably know someone who is. More than a third of sellers find buyers this way.
#10: Realtor® Finder Apps
All of these apps will help you prepare to sell your home, but when it comes to actually selling your home, you need the help of a Realtor® in order to negotiate the best deal for yourself. Homelight is an app that helps you find local Realtors® where you live based on your criteria.
If you are preparing to sell your College Station or Bryan home, you can contact me for expert advice and marketing knowledge for selling your home. Simply click here to get a FREE home value estimate today.
‘Let Myke Help You With Your HOMEwork!’
Email: Homes@AggieRealEstate.com
Brazos County Realty: 979-693-0201