In today’s buyer’s housing market, one of the first decisions you have to make is whether it is really the best time to sell. We all remember the days, not too long ago, when everyone put their houseup for sale in order to ride the rising tide of home prices increases. That is far from the case today, when sellers are losing money on their houses;so you should make sure you really need to sell now.
If you have to sell due to job relocation or new family needs or to downsize because you can’t manage the house you are living in or you have retired, go about it systematically and carefully. If you have any choice in the issue, delay the sale as much as is possible. Home prices have gone up and down all through the years, and they will come back again.
Once you have decided you have to sell, you need to decide if you want to sell it yourself or engage the services of a real estate agent. Real estate commissions can be high, and this encourages people to try to sell themselves. Real estate agents have been able in past years to command up to 5 or 6% commissions because they have the time and expertise to give to the sale. If you don’t have the time to devote a great deal of effort to it, the price may be worth it. In addition, in today’s competitive real estate market, many realtors are open to negotiating their commissions.
Pick your agent with a lot of care. Thoroughly research all of the latest listings and sales in your area and contact the ones with the most activity. Check to see which ones had homes closing in the least amount of time.
Once you have chosen the realtor, work carefully and closely with him. Be in touch often about the desires of buyers, and ask when your home will be shown. Your house should always be the first one the agent thinks of when a buyer walks in the door. Make sure you are 100% available to show the house, or use a lock box. You do not want to take the chance that a buyer chose another house because yours could not be viewed.
Treat this as the critical project it is. Get your home in tip top shape. Take care of any issues the home has so it is more attractive to buyers; you may consider hiring an inspector to help you with this. Keep the home spotless always. A mowed and trimmed lawn, and a house with no visible signs of neglect will make sure of a walk through. A buyer will have no issue telling the agent to drive to the next house if yours already looks bad before he even walks in the door.
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