What’s Your Home Really Worth?

The most straightforward and quickest way to sell your home is to list with a local realtor. Local realtors have the most accurate and up-to-date information, and by being a licensed active real estate agent near you, they can place your home for sale in the local MLS (Multiple Listing Service), which lists your home on Realtor.com. As a realtor with Sand Dollar Realty, I get you listed on Realtor.com and list your home on every third-party real estate website available for maximum exposure. These also include Zillow, Trulia, and Redfin, as well as every real estate company that list all active listings in their local real estate board.

The timing can be tricky when selling your home and buying a new one. Ideally, you’d transition seamlessly from selling your current home to moving into your new one. However, life and the housing market rarely cooperate. Have a contingency plan so you know where you will live during this in-between period. This is precisely why you need a realtor on your side who gets your dilemma and will guide you through each step.

Selling your home can be daunting, but with the right preparation and strategy, it can be a smooth and successful process. 

Identify the Current Real Estate Market Trends in Your Area

Contact a local realtor and ask for the current 90-day trends in your county: Number of closed sales, are they trending upward or downward? Pending Sales, total listings, months of inventory, the sale price to list price ratio. Know your local trends! See local county reports. 

Determine the Current Market Value

One of the key steps in selling your home is to determine its value. You can do this by researching the local real estate market, looking at recent home sales in your area, and consulting with a real estate agent or appraiser. Pricing is perhaps the most important issue when selling your home. See Accurate Pricing: The Key to Selling Your Home

Identifying the Current Condition of Your Home

Get a recommendation from a local realtor for a home inspector to do a four-point inspection: Roof, HVAC (AC), plumbing and electrical.

Make Necessary Repairs and Improvements

Before putting your home on the market, it’s important to make any necessary repairs and improvements. This can include fixing leaks, replacing outdated fixtures, and repainting walls. What repairs/upgrades are necessary to prepare home for sale? A local realtor should have contacts for roofers, plumbers, electricians, and cosmetic upgrades.

Declutter and Stage Your Home

It’s important to make your home look its best before showing it to potential buyers. This can include decluttering your home, removing personal items, and staging your home to showcase its best features. See Downsizing 101

List, Market, Show, Negotiate, and Close.

Once you’ve made necessary repairs and improvements, it’s time to list your home. Your real estate agent will help you create a listing that highlights your home’s best features and attracts potential buyers. This will include staging (for photos and tours, as well as showings.) 

Show Your Home

Be prepared to accommodate potential buyers for viewings and open houses. Keep your home clean and tidy for these events.

Receive and Review Offers

Once you receive offers on your home, your real estate agent will help you review and negotiate each offer. It’s important to consider not only the price, but also the terms and contingencies of each offer. 

Accept an Offer

Once you’ve found a buyer and agreed on terms, sign a purchase agreement and all disclosures. The first week or so will be home inspections, then the appraisal. Hopefully, your pre-listing home inspection caught any necessary repairs. The appraisal is usually the final contingency to the sale.

Closing Day

Once you have received the “clear to close” from the closing agent, you can be confident that the deal is going to close. It is important to financially be prepared if the buyer is unable to close until that notice. Most contracts have a 24 hour walk-through (swept clean) contingency, have home (swept clean) and ready for closing day.

In summary, selling your home requires careful preparation and a well-executed strategy. By following these steps, you can ensure a successful and profitable sale. Good luck!