SELLER’S TIPS
. Pricing a Home
. Making Your Home Look Its Best
. Marketing Your Home
. Considering Offers
. Closing
Pricing a Home
Write down all the reasons for selling your home. Ask yourself. “Why do I want to sell and what do I expect to accomplish with the sale? For Example a growing family may prompt your need for a larger home, or a job opportunity in another city may necessitate a move. For you goals, write down if you’d like to sell your house within a certain time frame or make a particular profit margin.
Work with your real estate agent to map out the best path to achieve your objectives and set a realistic time frame for the sale.
Your next objective should be to determine the best possible selling price for your house. Buyers select by comparison shopping, so your home will have to have a fair market price in order for it to sell. A real estate professional can help you determine the market value of your home while still obtaining the top dollar price for you piece of property.
Some of the things to consider when choosing your home price are:
. What is the age & condition of your home? Does it need updating?
. What comparable homes in your neighborhood are selling for?
. Have homes in your area been increasing or decreasing in value?
. Are there a lot of homes for sale in your area?
Remember, you’re always better off setting a fair market value price than setting your price too high. Studies show that homes priced higher than 3 percent of their market value take longer to sell. If your home sits on the market for too long, potential buyer may think there is something wrong with the property. Often, when this happens the seller has to drop the price below market value to compete with newer, reasonably priced listing.
Making Your Home Look Its Best
When you’re selling your home you want to put forth the very best product. How your home shows to potential buyers cannot only help to sell it more quickly but can often improve the selling price.
Stand out in your Neighborhood.
A well kept, neatly landscaped property can be very inviting to the potential buyer interested to viewing your home. Refuse containers should be out of view and the lawn should be freshly trimmed. Fertilizing a few weeks prior to listing will help your lawn look lush and green. Woodwork should be free of chipped or cracked paint.
Fresh Look
The front door should be clean or freshly painted. Brass knobs should be polished. Consider placing a planter of fresh flowers on your front porch.
Small Repair Details
Repair all loose doorknobs and cupboard hinges, dripping faucets, stained sinks, loose or missing caulking, sticking doors and windows, and damaged or missing window screens.
Tidy up
Tidiness makes a room look larger and helps the buyer visualize his/her décor in your home. Workout rooms, sewing rooms, laundry rooms, and home offices should be as organized and clutter-free as the main living space in your home.
Light up your Home
An open, airy feeling generates comfort and welcomes the potential buyer into your home. Drapes, curtains and mini blinds should be open to allow plenty of light in your home. Turn on all the lights when showing your home at night.
Clean Closet
Net, well-organized closets appear larger. Larger closets sell homes.
Squeaky Clean
Remove stains from sinks, toilets and bathtubs, including hard water spots on shower enclosure doors. If drains run slowly, unclog them. Hang fresh towels on towel rack.
Clean Kitchen
Make the most important room in the house appear larger by cleaning clutter from the counter tops. Avoid dirty dishes in the sink. All counter top appliances should be kept out of view. Replace or repair worn out flooring. Clean the ventilation hood over your stove. A brighter kitchen is always more attractive.
Marketing Your Home
Selling a home takes more than just putting a “for sale” sign out front. You need an agent with experience and training to help you determine the right price. come up with an effective marketing strategy, and anticipate and solve any problems that come up during the selling process. A real estate professional can help you with every part of selling your home, and offer you a smoother, hassle-free experience.
Here are a few reasons why you should use an agent when selling your home:
. An agent will assist you with negotiation with the buyer
. An agent knows the market and can help you set a reasonable price
. An agent has better resources for locating buyers and information or recent sale prices of homes around you
. An agent has a broader range of advertising options
. An agent can screen for buyers who are financially able to purchase your home
. An agent will save you time
Considering Offers
When you receive a written offer from a potential buyer, your real estate agent will first find out whether or not the individual is prequalified or preapproved to buy your home. If yes, then you and your agent will review the proposed contract. The contract, though not limited to this list, should include the following.
. Legal description of the property
. Offer price
. Down payment
. Financing arrangements
. Deposit amount
. List of fees and who will pay them
. Inspection rights and possible repair allowances
. Method of conveying the title and who will handle the closing
. Appliances and furnishing that will stay with the home
. Settlement date
. Contingencies
Most offers to purchase your home will require some negotiating to come to a win-win agreement. Your agent can save you time and money by representing you through the offer, negotiation, and acceptance process. He or she will review the written offer with you to make sure that you thoroughly understand what the buyers are offering and what they are asking in return. They will be able to help you understand the issues and how they will affect you. It is your agent’s primary responsibility to protect your best interest throughout these negotiations
Remember: Once both parties have signed a written offer, the document becomes legally binding. If you have any questions or concerns, be certain to address them with your real estate agent right away.
The Closing
Once you have accepted an offer to sell your house you will need to make a list of all the things you must do, and a list of all the things the buyer must do, in order to proceed successfully to closing. The property may need to be formally appraised, surveyed, inspected or repaired. Depending on the specifics reached during the negotiations, you may pay for all, some, or none of these items. If each procedure returns acceptable results as defined by the contract, then the sale may continue. If there are problems with the property the terms set forth in the contract will dictate your next step. Depending on the contract, you or the buyer may decide to walk away, open a new round of negotiations, or close.
Your agent can save you time and money by coordinating all the necessary items that must be done to finalize the sale. Your agent will be directly involved and keep you informed as to the results of each action and what effect, if any, it will have on the sale of the property. He or she will also help you coordinate any actions you must take to keep the sale moving forward. There are some sales that go smoothly and some that require a lot of work to get to the closing table. Until you get into it, you won't know which one you have on your hands. Either way, your agent will be proving to be a valuable resource to you.
Reminder: A few days before the closing you will want to contact whichever entity that is closing the transaction and make sure that all of the necessary forms and documents have been prepared and are going to be available to sign on the appropriate date. You should also begin to make arrangements for your upcoming move if you have not done so.
“Closing” refers where ownership of the property is legally transferred to the buyer: Your agent will be present during the closing to guide you through the process and make sure everything goes as planned. By being present during the closing, he or she can mediate any last-minute issues that may arise. |
