Sellers
Important steps to selling your home
Doing it yourself can be a great way to save time and money on all sorts of home projects. But when it comes to selling your home, statistics show doing it yourself will more than likely cost you money instead. And while you can always call a plumber if your efforts to fix a leaky faucet fail, you don’t get any “redo’s” when it comes to selling your home.
Most Realtors aren’t experts when it comes to home repair, but they are experts in buying and selling homes. It’s their job to know the most current laws, rules, regulations and technicalities of all phases of real estate transactions. And it’s their job to know the market, market conditions and trends. Plus, they offer an arsenal of marketing tools and strategies that give your house the best visibility to the widest audience for the best price.
Realtors also offer the objectivity and emotional detachment needed for the timely sale of home at the best price. While homeowners almost always have emotional attachments to a home that negatively affect negotiations at some point, a Realtor doesn’t. Their sole interest is looking after your best interests.
Listing your home – first steps
Get your home in top shape to get top dollar. Touch up paint, both inside and out. Consider replacing worn or outdated carpeting and flooring.
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First impressions are lasting impressions, so make sure your home has optimum curb appeal. Keep your lawn mowed, trim shrubs as needed and keep up with raking land other yard work.
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Keep the inside of your house neat and clean. Make sure to eliminate any signs of pets and to eliminate pet odors and any other odor as well. Store personal items such as family photos away. You want prospects to envision your home as their home.
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Get rid of the clutter. Donate or throw away items you no longer use. And don’t use your basement or garage to store the excess, but rent storage space instead.
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Consider having a home inspection before you list. It’s a chance to head off potential problems before buyers have their own inspection.
Once your home is listed
It’s always best to be absent when your home is shown and if not possible, be as inconspicuous as you can.
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Simple touches like fresh flowers help make a favorable and lasting first impression.
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Let your agent handle offers and by no means reject offers without consulting with your agent. The offer may not be what you want, but can be a starting point for negotiations.
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Be flexible. While a Realtor does his or her best to list your home at just the right price, market conditions as well as your own circumstances can change, and you may need to lower your asking price if the property hasn’t sold in a reasonable time.
Partnering with your agent
It’s important for your Realtor to keep you up-to-date, but equally important for you to keep your agent up to date as well. Refer potential prospects to the Realtor and let them coordinate showings.
