Everyone likes a bargain, a sale, or a giveaway. What’s not to like? In real estate sales incentives can be a great way to motivate a reluctant buyer to take the plunge and consider making an offer on your home despite the current economic downturn. So as a seller what are some ways you can use sales incentives to drive up interest in your property?
Let’s take a look at 10 selling incentives to motivate buyers in a down economy:
- Pay the points
What are points? Points are fees charged by lenders to provide financing. In general one point equals one percent of the mortgage balance. For instance a buyer paying 1 ½ points on a $200,000 loan will pay $3000 in loan fees. As an incentive to write an offer, some sellers offer to pay points on behalf of the buyer. - Buy down the interest rate
Many buyers are unaware that they can secure a lower interest rate by paying additional points at closing. Just like the points discussed above, a point, when buying down the interest rate, is one percentage point of the sales price. For example, a buyer who is securing a $300,000 mortgage, paying one point in loan fees, and then another two points to buy down her interest rate will pay a total of $9,000 dollars in loan costs at closing! If she can save any portion of this amount by choosing one home over another it might very well sway her decision.