December 18, 2008

Sell now, hire a REALTOR!

If you are considering selling your home in this market, there are several factors that will help you determine a competitive and viable sales price. Is your home in a good location? What is the quality of your home (poor condition, good condition, excellent condition)? What type of market are we in (sellers or buyers)? How is the curb appeal? Does your home smell pleasant (see my blog about staging)? Your answers to these questions will affect your final sales price. You want your home priced in a way that will have buyers wanting your home most in that particular price range. If your home is the least attractive home in a price range, you won’t have as many showings and fewer, if any, offers. However, your home will always sell as long as it is priced right! If it’s in a poor location or in poor condition, it will need to be priced lower to sell. Remember that, you, Realtors or appraisers don’t determine the price your home will sell for. The only one who determines this price is the person who is willing to pay for your home. I have seen homes that have appraised for $250,000 that sat on the market for months and couldn’t sell until the price was lowered $20,000. You must be willing to lower your price if you aren’t showing it or getting any offers. It is better to start your home lower and receive many offers than it is to list it high and not receive any.

Surveys show that 90% of buyers now use the internet to find their homes. Marketing your home and getting your property seen can be very time consuming, expensive and is extremely important these days. You can’t just put a “For Sale” sign in your front yard and expect it to sell. Make sure to answer phone calls and be available for showings. There is a lot of inventory on the market and buyers will pass you up if you aren’t available.

Although selling a home on your own is very attractive to some sellers, there are great benefits from hiring an experienced real estate agent such as: Pre-qualifying buyers, marketing your home, providing an electronic lock box, taking all calls, scheduling appointments, coaching you on staging your home, negotiating on your behalf, providing legal contracts and paperwork, meeting contract deadlines, and more. Hiring an experienced real estate agent will help your home sell faster, save you money and protect you in the long run.

Posted By: Brad Sears