If you’ve hired me to be your seller’s agent, thank you. You’ve made a good choice! There are several things we’ll do to ensure we sell your home quickly and for the right price while creating the least amount of disruption and hassle for you. As a seller’s agent in Alexandria, Virginia, we have been in a “hot market” for a while. The home buying process is extremely competitive. As a seller, these top 5 tips can make your home stand out.
Here are my top 5 tips when selling your home:
1. Have Established Goals
During the negotiation process, it can be easy to get “stuck” on matters that are unimportant. Knowing your goals prior to a contract being presented can allow me to work with you to achieve what’s most important to you. Knowing why you are selling the home, why now, and what your goals are allows me to work with the buyer’s agent to get the terms you want at the optimal price for you. Having established goals helps me cut through the distractions to support you and is why this tip the most important of the top 5 tips for sellers.
2. Inspect Before Going to Market
Perform a home inspection before listing your home. Performing a home inspection before listing your home allows us to address any issues that might alarm a buyer. Buyer’s agents often ask for high seller credits to compensate the buyer to make the repairs. This infringes upon your profit and presents inconvenient delays during the buying process. Having a home inspection in advance provides me with the information I need to help you get the asking price you deserve.
3. Prepare Your Home
Prepare your home. Buyers must be able to envision themselves living there. If they have to see your personal items, clutter, bold wall colors, or maintenance issues, it doesn’t reflect your home in its best light. Therefore, proper preparation is mission critical. Not preparing will cost you time and money. Preparing your home starts with addressing maintenance issues, decluttering and removing personal items, sprucing up the home with fresh paint or flooring, and staging. Then we finish the process with professional photography. Buyers can shop online and see your home shine.
4. Price Your Home Correctly
The market ultimately determines what your home will sell for. There are homes that sell and homes that help sell other homes. As a seller’s agent working for you, we want you in the former category. Your home’s list price will be based on the neighborhood, condition of your home, time of year, and your time frame to move, in addition to other factors.
5. Get HOA or Condo Documents Ahead of Time
Organize HOA documents ahead of time. If you live in a covenant-protected community, condominium or townhome association, it is important to have those documents on hand before listing your property. Buyers have 3 days to look over the HOA documents and terminate the contract for any reason. If the association takes weeks to respond, your buyer could walk well into the contract. This increases your home’s time on the market, and may lose another buyer in the wings.
Following these top 5 tips for sellers can eliminate your frustration of snags and delays after your home goes under contract. As your seller’s agent my responsibility is to ensure the process of selling your home is as hassle-free as possible and we accomplish your goals of the sale. If you are seeking a listing agent who understands today’s market and can target buyers for your home, please schedule a call with me today.
