I. Why hire a listing agent?
You may look at today's booming housing market where houses can sell in a matter of days, and question why you should hire a Real Estate Agent to sell your property. And that's a very good question. However, the reasons why you should are fairly compelling.
The Real Estate Agent in a transaction helps in many ways. They serve as a guide through a fairly detailed process. In particular, the Real Estate Agent will plan open houses, advertise in various medias, offer expert advice on sale contracts, and negotiate with potential buyers over contract terms. Listing your home with a listing agent gives the property maximum exposure. Perhaps most importantly, the Real Estate Agent can also help the seller price their home more effectively so that they will receive the highest realistic price.
What RE/MAX 360 REALTORS® Can Do For You.
Selling your home should be as painless and profitable as possible. To that end, we offer the following services to aid you:
- First and foremost, we will be your guide, helping you with the selling process from start to finish.
- We will run a Comparative Market Analysis (or CMA) on your home, as well as analyze current market conditions to help you obtain the maximum possible sale price.
- Your home will be listed on a front-end Multiple Listings System immediately.
- We will market your home to receive maximum exposure to potential buyers. In addition to MLS listings, this includes placing classified ads, advertising online, installing large "For Sale" signs in the surrounding neighborhood, and conducting open houses.
- We will critique your home and offer tips on preparing your home for sale.
- We will present all offers from prospective buyers, including a net sheet indicating an estimate of your take-home profits from the sale.
- We will handle all negotiations with prospective buyers and provide advice on any questionable sale contract terms to make sure your best interests are protected.
- We will be with you at closing.
|
Comparative Market Analysis
No matter how attractive your house, buyers will always be comparing it, and its price, with everything else on the market. Your best guide in pricing is always what the buying public has been willing to pay for similar properties in the surrounding area over the past several months. That is why one of the first things we will do for you is run a Comparative Market Analysis, or CMA on your home.
A CMA will include data on recent sale figures for comparable properties in your area, as well other houses that are presently on the market or pending sale. Included in the CMA is information on nearby homes that failed to sell recently and their listing price. We can then analyze this data with you and suggest a reasonable list price for your property. The decision on the listing price is, as always, yours to make.
Included with the CMA will be an analysis of current market conditions in your area. When real estate is booming, prices are rising and houses sell in a matter of days. However, if the market slows down, houses can be on the market for several months before selling. We can tell you whether your area is currently experiencing a "buyer's market" or a "seller's market". In a seller's market, you can initially price your property a little higher than what you expect to sell it for, just to see what the reaction will be. In a buyer's market, you might have to offer a more attractive price if you really need to sell the house promptly.
If you'd like to get started now, click here and fill out the accompanying form. We will then provide you with a Comparative Market Analysis on your home.
Return to top
II. Set a Timetable
When to sell your house isn't the only thing to consider here. You also need to purchase another home, plan a move, and many other things on top of selling your current property. So sit down and set a timetable of when these things need to occur and in what order you need this to happen. Is it critical that your current home be sold before you purchase your next one? For many people the answer is YES because they need the profits from the sale to purchase their new home.
But say you have a little bit of a time luxury and you'd like to "feel out" the market a bit. Maybe you'd like to try adding a few thousands to the sale price to see what happens. That's fine too, but if there haven't been many prospective buyers viewing your property for several weeks, you need to decide at what point you re-evaluate that decision and what to do next. You may want to lower the sale price. You could also consider offering cash incentives - by paying items such as some or all of the buyer's closing costs - instead of lowering the price. Sometimes this is just as, if not more effective than lowering the price.
RE/MAX 360 REALTORS® can help you with all of this. If you haven't already, please visit our Buyer's Guide too. It's also full of helpful tips to help you plan the purchase of your next home.
Return to top
III. Staging Your House for Selling
Take a Good Look At Your Home
A well-maintained house will sell faster, and for a higher price, than its shabby looking neighbor. So it's always a good idea for sellers to take a good, hard look at their home before putting it on the market. Often, you may fail to see faults in your home that will immediately attract the attentive eye of potential buyers. Take a moment and examine your home carefully both inside and outside. Make note of any problems and decide if they need remedying. Also, take the time to decide what appliances and fixtures, if any, will be staying with the home.
Return to top
How Much Should You Spend?
That's easy - as little as possible! Hopefully, most of what you need to do to stage your home will come down to good old-fashioned elbow grease - a thorough cleaning and maybe a fresh coat of paint. You want your house to shine, but try to avoid major projects if at all possible. As an example, say that your kitchen could use a little work. Prospective buyers are sure to be impressed if you completely renovate your kitchen but they aren't likely to pay enough that it's worth doing. Instead, consider a fresh coat of paint and maybe replacing the cabinet knobs.
When in doubt, ask your Real Estate Agent. They are familiar with buyers' expectations in your neighborhood and can advise you on what specific improvements may be needed.
Return to top
How's the Curb Appeal?
You want to enhance your house's exterior appearance, or "curb appeal" as much as possible. If your home doesn't look appealing to prospective buyers as they pull up to the curb, they may not even get out of the car before moving on to the next house on their list.
|
You can enhance your house's curb appeal by:
- Keeping the lawn trimmed, edged and watered regularly.
- Trimming the hedges, weeding flowerbeds, and pruning trees as needed.
- Cleaning out the rain gutters.
- Replacing any loose or damaged roof shingles.
- Inspecting doors and windows for peeling paint. Apply a fresh coat of paint if needed.
- Repairing loose siding and caulking if necessary.
- Keeping your garage door closed. Consider storing old or beaten up vehicles elsewhere while the house is on the market.
- Eliminating any unnecessary items from yards and driveways.
- Adding some flower pots with blooming flowers when appropriate.
|
Return to top
Staging the Interior
Now that you've got prospective buyers through the front door, it's time to make the most of what you have. We've prepared a list of things to consider that will help you show-off the inside of your home.
|
Let your house shine by:
- Giving it a thorough cleaning first and foremost! Carpets, walls, kitchens, and bathrooms especially need to be kept spotless.
- Removing clutter makes your house appear bigger and brighter. Plus it removes any safety hazards (like your child's roller skates) during the walk-thru.
- Replacing worn carpeting and giving your walls a fresh coat of neutral paint, as needed.
- Illuminating your home. Clean the windows, open the drapes and add extra lighting if needed. This helps add warmth which makes your home seem more inviting to buyers.
- Keeping pets out of the way or outside.
- Replacing broken or cracked windowpanes.
- Repairing drippy faucets and showerheads.
|
Return to top
Back to Residential Home
|
