TIMELINE OF A HOME SALE
STEP 1
Hire a REALTOR®
Usemarketknowledge andpricesofcompeting homestosetthelistprice.
STEP 3 Preparation
Startmarketingthehome usingathoroughproperty marketingplan.
STEP 5 Showings
Evaluateoffersonyour home,andnegotiateto getthebestbasedonyour criteria.
STEP 7 Manage Closing
Hireaprofessionalwho knowshowtolist,market, andsellyourhome.
STEP 2 Assess Home Value
Getthehomereadyfor staging,photography,and showing.
STEP 4 Marketing
Buyerswilltourthehome, askquestions,and determineifyourhomeis arightfitforthem.
STEP 6 Negotiate Offers
Workwiththebuyer's agent,lawyers,andtitle tofinishthesale.
PRICING YOUR HOME
Youmayhaveheardthatthereisnotmuchhousinginventoryrightnow,which meansthatpricesarehighacrosstheboard.Thisisgreatnewsforyouasahome seller!Thetimingisperfectforyoutogetastrongreturnonyourinvestmentinyour home.
Butevenintoday'smarket,therearestillhomesthatsit,waitingforanoffer,for monthsandmonths.ThistimespentontheMultipleListingService(MLS)means thatyouarestillmakingpaymentsonyourmortgageandyouarestillnotgetting equityoutofyourhome.
Perhaps even worse is what buyers and buyer agents think about homes that have been on the market for too long. The first impression a buyer gets about a property that has been listed for a long time is "Something must be wrong with that home."
That thought will scare away many buyers, and it will prompt the ones who remain interested to try to lowball you when they submit an offer on your home.
Butwhyarethosehomesstillonthemarketinthefirstplace?It'sbecausetheyare oftenpriced"outofthemarket."Takealookatthisgraphtoseewhatwemean:
PRICING YOUR HOME
The intersection of the two axes — price and preparation — represents homes “in the market.” These are properties that are priced competitively and prepared nicely, and these are the homes that will net the most money for their sellers.
Asyoumovefartherawayfromtheintersection,thehomesbecometoopriceyand intoomuchdisrepair.These homes do not show as well online and/or don’t get as many showings. If the experience when a buyer sees the home in person doesn’t match their expectations, it will likely sit on the market longer.
Thehomeshoveringnearthemiddleofthegraph,representedbythequestion marks,areinasortof"limboland."Theyarepricedjustabitovertheirmarket worth,ortheyarenotadequatelypreparedtoshow.Thesepropertiesarethe onesthatwillstayonthemarketformonthsandmonths,ultimatelysellingforway undertheinitialaskingpriceandcausingtheirsellersalotoftimeandfrustration.
Ifthissoundscomplicated,don'tworry.Weathaveaspecificstrategythatwillhelp youavoidthedreadedlimbolandofhomesalesandkeepyourhome"inthe market." Moreonthatinthecomingpages.
NET SHEET
Yourhome'smarketvalueincludesitsfeatures,condition,location,andlevelof competitioninyourneighborhood.Seeyour“NetSheet”we’vecreatedtogetan estimateofhowmuchyouwillearnonitssaletoday.
PREPARATION IS KEY
Just as first impressions are important for people, they can also be make-orbreak for a home. When potential buyers walk into your house, they will start to evaluate everything they see. Their impression will ultimately determine how much they are willing to offer on a property... or even if they'll be interested in buying it at all.
Inordertogetyouthemostmoneypossibleforyourhome,weputatonofcareinto itspreparationbeforeweputitonthemarket.Qualitypreparationthatwillleave buyerswiththebestimpressionofyourhouseinvolvesthreeelements:
1.REPAIRS
Thereareseveralreasonstocompleterepairsonyourhomebeforeyouputitonthe market.Buyerswillpaymoreforahometoavoidtheworkoffixingit,andtheywill payfaster.
Thegoodnewsisthatmostrepairsarecosmeticandfairlyinexpensive.Thinkofthe thingsonyourto-dolist:thatpeelingpaintandthecrackedtilewerebotheringyou whenyoulivedinthehouse,andthey'regoingtobotherthenewownerstoo.
2.CLEANLINESS
Buyersareeasilydistracted,andtheywilltendtofocusonthenegativesinstead
PREPARATION IS KEY
ofthepositivesofeachhometheytour. Gettingamove-out/pre-listdeepclean (includingcleaningappliances,deepcleanofbathrooms,andwindowcleaning)will improvethefirstimpressionsbuyershaveofyourhome.
3.STAGING
AccordingtoarecentstudybytheNationalAssociationofREALTORs®, 96% of buyer agents reported that staging had some effect on their clients' view of homes. They said that staging made it easier for their clients to visualize the properties as a future home and that they were more likely to overlook property faults.
Andtheseeffectsturnedintocashforsellerslikeyou. The survey reveals that 52% of buyer clients were willing to offer more on a staged home than a similar home that was not staged as much as 20% more than asking price!
LET US CONNECT YOU
WeknowthebestvendorsintheColumbiatohelpyouwithyourhome'srepairs, cleanliness,andstagingpriortolistingitforsale.
MARKETING & TIMING
Somerealestateagentssimplyputasignintheyard,putalistingintheMLS,and praythatitsold.Eventoday,therearealotofrealestateprofessionalswhothink syndicatinglistingstoportalsisajobwelldone.
Butifthat’sallanagentdoes,thenthey’renotfulfillingtheirfiduciaryresponsibility toyou togetyouthemostmoneypossibleforyourhome.
Youhaveadistinctadvantageinwantingtosellyourhome:thereisnotmuch inventory,buttherearebuyers.Andtherighttimingtoreachthosebuyers,and standout,isrightaroundthecorner!
Listing your home in April will be beneficial for several reasons: historically this timing aligns with peak listing activity, ensuring higher visibility; many buyers have received their tax refunds, giving them more funds for down payments and closing costs; by April, lingering winter listings are often sold, so fresh listings stand out; better weather and curb appeal.
Gettingmultipleoffersonyourhomewillallowyoutochoosethebestoneforyou theonethathastherightprice,therighttimeline,andtherightconditions.And thekeytocreatingthisauctionenvironmenttogetmultipleoffersismarketing.
We invest in professional photography to help your home shine! If you stage your home, we’ll also include video tours (after all, a video of an empty home isn’t very interesting!) and add that to the marketing mix.
We’lluseourplantooptimizeforSearchEngineOptimization(SEO),andposition yourhomeforthebestpossibleimpressionrightoutofthegate.We’llusea staggeredmarketingapproachforabigkick-off,andfollowupthoseeffortswith onlineads,agentopenhouses,andmore,ifthehomedoesn’tgoundercontractthe firstweekto10days.