The first time you sell a home in Locust Grove or elsewhere can be a learning experience. Just like buying a home, the home selling process experience can change as a result of the real estate market. Before your home is listed, here are some things that I wish sellers would know.
Find the right agent for you
It is okay to interview more than one agent to sell your home. Selling your home is a big deal and you want to feel comfortable putting your trust in a Locust Grove REALTOR ® who understands your needs, is responsive, markets well, and is just some you vibe with.
Pricing is key
A great Locust Grove REALTOR ® will be able to support a price recommendation with facts. Trust the facts. A comparative market analysis will provide you with the market value price of your home. Sometimes, this price isn’t as much as sellers want. While it is disappointing, listing a home above market value just results in it sitting on the market with few showings and no offers.
Online Values Aren’t Always Accurate
More than once in my career as a Locust Grove REALTOR ® I have had to disappoint some sellers because the online estimation of their homes values didn’t align with the market value. While these online tools are great for general “I’m just curious” pricing, they aren’t without errors. When you want to get an accurate valuation of your home, talk with a local REALTOR ®.
Understand the market
The real estate market is fluid and always changing. It’s important to have realistic expectations as far as how long it may take to sell your home. Knowing the market can help to ease anxiety if your home doesn’t sell in three weeks when the average days on the market are closer to ninety.
Take the staging recommendation
Staging a home and living in a home are two different things. Staging is meant to highlight the features in a home and help buyers imaging their own belongings in the house. Take your Locust Grove REALTOR ’s® advice when it comes to staging. Decluttering, simplifying furniture, and tucking away personal items all help to make your home as appealing as possible to buyers.
Photos bring showings
Almost all home buyers begin their searches online. The best way to stop the scroll is to have awesome photography. Professional photography provides clear pictures that make buyers reach out to their agents to schedule showings. Poor photographs of a beautiful home will result in buyers scrolling past it online.
Feedback isn’t a personal attack.
It can be hard to hear anything negative about a home we love. Just remember that the buyers don’t have a personal connection to your Locust Grove home, so they may see flaws that you easily overlook. It’s only when we start to see a pattern in feedback (like the bedroom is too dark or the living room floor is really worn) that your Locust Grove REALTOR ® may suggest making a change.
Home Inspections will always find potential issues.
The job of a home inspector is to identify any potential issues with a home. Even in a new construction property, a home inspector will be able to find something that needs fixing. As a seller, you may not even have been aware of a problem until the home inspection. While sellers don’t have to repair everything on a home inspection, it is always smart to make any repair that is of a safety concern or will be a repeated repair request from other buyers like a broken window or bad wiring.
Knowing these things ahead of time can help you to feel more comfortable with the home selling process. When you are ready to sell your home, I am here to help!
