Thinking about Selling?
Is it Time to Sell?
Making a big decision is never easy, how do you know if it’s the right time for you to sell your property, the place where you most likely spent many years and is filled with memories? This is always a serious step and it’s best to have someone you can trust guiding you throughout the process. Our team is eager to support you during your journey - from the beginning until the deal is closed. Here’s a guide we’ve prepared to help you decide if you’re ready for the next step - Listing your home.
PREPARING YOUR HOME FOR SALE
Home is where the heart is. Houses, on the other hand, are commodities sold on the open market. You are getting ready to sell a house. Most people do not really see their houses after they have lived there for a while. They do not notice the effects of gradual physical deterioration and personal accumulation. Little stuff to them; not so little stuff to a buyer! If you make the right improvements when preparing your house to sell, you increase the odds of selling it quickly for top dollar. If you do nothing or if you make the wrong changes to your property, you waste the time and money you spent, prolong the sale, or reduce the ultimate sale price.
THE EXTERIOR
Buyers generally decide if they want to see the inside within 20 seconds of viewing the external attractiveness (curb appeal) of your property. No matter how magnificent your house is on the inside, many buyers will drive by without even stopping if the curb appeal doesn’t say. “I’m loved and I’m cared for.” Attractive landscaping, mowed lawns, refreshed flower beds, fresh paint, clean gutters, siding and decks will draw in buyers.
THE INTERIOR
Exteriors attract, but interiors sell! Curb appeal draws buyers into your house, but appealing, well cared for interiors make the sale. You do not usually have to spend thousands of dollars on your house prior to putting up the For Sale sign. On the contrary, little things like updating the hardware throughout the house can improve the value of your home. Concentrate on the three C’s - clean it up, clear the clutter and make cosmetic improvements.
PROPERTY INSPECTIONS
COUNT ON IT! Purchasers will have your property thoroughly inspected before buying it. The question is, what do you, the seller, do about inspections? Pre-inspect before the buyer, or wait until the buyer inspects to respond? You can find a nugget of truth on both sides of this discussion. Consider these four reasons for having your property thoroughly pre-inspected before marketing.
1. DAMAGE CONTROL
Discover the problem before marketing the house, you can either disclose it to prospective buyers with a repair estimate and price accordingly; or you can have the work done by a competent specialist (with work order, costs and guarantees) before putting the house up for sale. Either way, your negotiating position is much stronger if you know about the problems in advance and accurately know the cost to correct them.
2. FINANCIAL PLANNING
Asking prices aren’t sales prices. If your house needs major repairs, you will pay for them one way or another. You can have repairs done before the sale, reduce your asking price to reflect the cost of the repairs, or give buyers an escrow credit to do the work themselves. Remember, buyers will always ask for more dollars than the repairs may actually cost!
3. FINE TUNING
Professional property inspectors can help you spot minor defects such as dirty filters in the heating system, ventilation problems in the garage or crawl space, blocked gutters, loose door knobs, stuck windows, a missing or rusty chimney hood and so on. Eliminating small maintenance problems like these give prospective buyers who tour the property a favorable and correct impression that your house is extremely well maintained.
4. PEACE OF MIND
Flaws hidden out of sight behind walls or concealed in inaccessible areas, such as under your house or up in the attic where you can’t see them are time bombs. Defects you cannot see and do not know about such as faulty wiring, termite damage, a cracked heat exchange in your furnace, dry rot, asbestos insulation, lead in your water pipes, and so on, are potential deal killers and also health and safety concerns. Correcting these will not only make your home safer for the next owner it will be safer for you as long as you continue living in it.
NOTE: As the seller, you do have the option to market your home “as-is.”
