Seller's
Guide
If
you are in the market to sell your home, chances are the whole
process seems overwhelming and even chaotic - so much to do
and so little time to do it. Not only are you selling your
home, but you are also looking forward to buying and moving
into a new home.
We're
here to help make this as easy as possible. Below is a list
of tips that can help teach you a little bit about the selling
process. Being prepared from the start will make everything
else go smoothly.
As
always, if you have any questions, contact
us and we'll be happy to answer them.
Why
hire a listing agent?
Set a Timetable
Staging Your Home for Selling
I.
Why hire a listing agent?
You may
look at today's booming housing market where houses can sell
in a matter of days, and question why you should hire a Real
Estate Agent to sell your property. And that's a very good
question. However, the reasons why you should are fairly compelling.
The Real
Estate Agent in a transaction helps in many ways. They serve
as a guide through a fairly detailed process. In particular,
the Real Estate Agent will plan open houses, advertise in
various medias, offer expert advice on sale contracts, and
negotiate with potential buyers over contract terms. Listing
your home with a listing agent gives the property maximum
exposure. Perhaps most importantly, the Real Estate Agent
can also help the seller price their home more effectively
so that they will receive the highest realistic price.
What
George and Cathy Castleberry Can Do For You.
Selling your home should be as painless and profitable as
possible. To that end, we offer the following services to
aid you:
- First
and foremost, we will be your guide, helping you with
the selling process from start to finish.
-
We will run a Comparative Market Analysis (or CMA)
on your home, as well as analyze current market conditions
to help you obtain the maximum possible sale price.
-
Your home will be listed on a front-end Multiple Listings
System immediately.
- We
will market your home to receive maximum exposure
to potential buyers. In addition to MLS listings,
this includes placing classified ads, advertising
online, installing large "For Sale" signs
in the surrounding neighborhood, and conducting open
houses.
- We
will critique your home and offer tips on preparing
your home for sale.
- We
will present all offers from prospective buyers, including
a net sheet indicating an estimate of your take-home
profits from the sale.
- We
will handle all negotiations with prospective buyers
and provide advice on any questionable sale contract
terms to make sure your best interests are protected.
- We
will be with you at closing.
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Comparative
Market Analysis
No matter how attractive your house, buyers will always be
comparing it, and its price, with everything else on the market.
Your best guide in pricing is always what the buying public
has been willing to pay for similar properties in the surrounding
area over the past several months. That is why one of the
first things we will do for you is run a Comparative Market
Analysis, or CMA on your home.
A
CMA will include data on recent sale figures for comparable
properties in your area, as well other houses that are presently
on the market or pending sale. Included in the CMA is information
on nearby homes that failed to sell recently and their listing
price. We can then analyze this data with you and suggest
a reasonable list price for your property. The decision on
the listing price is, as always, yours to make.
Included
with the CMA will be an analysis of current market conditions
in your area. When real estate is booming, prices are rising
and houses sell in a matter of days. However, if the market
slows down, houses can be on the market for several months
before selling. We can tell you whether your area is currently
experiencing a "buyer's market" or a "seller's
market". In a seller's market, you can initially price
your property a little higher than what you expect to sell
it for, just to see what the reaction will be. In a buyer's
market, you might have to offer a more attractive price if
you really need to sell the house promptly.
If
you'd like to get started now, contact
us. We will be happy to provide you with a Comparative
Market Analysis for your home.
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II.
Set a Timetable
When to
sell your house isn't the only thing to consider here. You
also need to purchase another home, plan a move, and many
other things on top of selling your current property. So sit
down and set a timetable of when these things need to occur
and in what order you need this to happen. Is it critical
that your current home be sold before you purchase your next
one? For many people the answer is YES because they need the
profits from the sale to purchase their new home.
But say
you have a little bit of a time luxury and you'd like to "feel
out" the market a bit. Maybe you'd like to try adding
a few thousands to the sale price to see what happens. That's
fine too, but if there haven't been many prospective buyers
viewing your property for several weeks, you need to decide
at what point you re-evaluate that decision and what to do
next. You may want to lower the sale price. You could also
consider offering cash incentives - by paying items such as
some or all of the buyer's closing costs - instead of lowering
the price. Sometimes this is just as, if not more effective
than lowering the price.
George
and Cathy Castleberry can help you with all of this.
If you haven't already, please visit our Buyer's
Guide too. It's also full of helpful tips to
help you plan the purchase of your next home.
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III.
Staging Your House for Selling
Take
a Good Look At Your Home
A well-maintained house will sell faster, and for a higher
price, than its shabby looking neighbor. So it's always a
good idea for sellers to take a good, hard look at their home
before putting it on the market. Often, you may fail to see
faults in your home that will immediately attract the attentive
eye of potential buyers. Take a moment and examine your home
carefully both inside and outside. Make note of any problems
and decide if they need remedying. Also, take the time to
decide what appliances and fixtures, if any, will be staying
with the home.
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How
Much Should You Spend?
That's easy - as little as possible! Hopefully, most of what
you need to do to stage your home will come down to good old-fashioned
elbow grease - a thorough cleaning and maybe a fresh coat
of paint. You want your house to shine, but try to avoid major
projects if at all possible. As an example, say that your
kitchen could use a little work. Prospective buyers are sure
to be impressed if you completely renovate your kitchen but
they aren't likely to pay enough that it's worth doing. Instead,
consider a fresh coat of paint and maybe replacing the cabinet
knobs.
When
in doubt, ask George and Cathy Castleberry.
They are familiar with buyers' expectations in your neighborhood
and can advise you on what specific improvements may be needed.
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How's
the Curb Appeal?
You want to enhance your house's exterior appearance, or "curb
appeal" as much as possible. If your home doesn't look
appealing to prospective buyers as they pull up to the curb,
they may not even get out of the car before moving on to the
next house on their list.
You
can enhance your house's curb appeal by:
- Keeping
the lawn trimmed, edged and watered regularly.
- Trimming
the hedges, weeding flowerbeds, and pruning trees
as needed.
- Cleaning
out the rain gutters.
- Replacing
any loose or damaged roof shingles.
- Inspecting
doors and windows for peeling paint. Apply a fresh
coat of paint if needed.
- Repairing
loose siding and caulking if necessary.
- Keeping
your garage door closed. Consider storing old or beaten
up vehicles elsewhere while the house is on the market.
- Eliminating
any unnecessary items from yards and driveways.
- Adding
some flower pots with blooming flowers when appropriate.
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Staging
the Interior
Now that you've got prospective buyers through the front door,
it's time to make the most of what you have. We've prepared
a list of things to consider that will help you show-off the
inside of your home.
Let
your house shine by:
- Giving
it a thorough cleaning first and foremost! Carpets,
walls, kitchens, and bathrooms especially need to
be kept spotless.
- Removing
clutter makes your house appear bigger and brighter.
Plus it removes any safety hazards (like your child's
roller skates) during the walk-thru.
- Replacing
worn carpeting and giving your walls a fresh coat
of neutral paint, as needed.
- Illuminating
your home. Clean the windows, open the drapes and
add extra lighting if needed. This helps add warmth
which makes your home seem more inviting to buyers.
- Keeping
pets out of the way or outside.
- Replacing
broken or cracked windowpanes.
- Repairing
drippy faucets and showerheads.
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