Do I need a real estate agent to sell my home?
Of course not. You can also change your own brakes, and do your own hair. Just don’t be surprised if you need to cancel that dinner date or find yourself rear-ending somebody because your car wouldn’t stop for some reason. This is your biggest investment – allow an individual who is in the field full time to handle the sale of your transaction. It can save you money, time, and effort.
How much does it cost to sell a house
This will vary from home to home. As a rule of thumb, be sure to budget for staging, real estate broker fees, attorney fees, and other closing fees. You can see a comprehensive list here (home seller guide).
How beneficial are open houses?
According to the National Association of Realtors’ statistics, roughly 4% of the prospective buyers who visit open houses actually purchase the home they visited during the open house. Nonetheless, having an open house during the first few weeks your home is listed for sale will help boost the marketing of your home to the neighborhood and prospective buyers.
When should I sell my house?
This is a pretty interesting question I get often and to answer that, I’ll say that it depends on the situation. March – May are pretty active months due to the spring market. Buyers that have finally awakened from the Winter months are now out an about searching for their next home. During the summer months the market may tend to slow down as individuals are now taking their vacations and family time priorities into consideration. As you may have guessed it, December and January are the slowest months. When buyers are heavily active, that could mean bidding wars which can increase the purchase price of your home. It can also mean more competition as other sellers will also be looking to sell when the majority of buyers are now in the market. Speak with your trusted agent to advise what can work in your favor in your respective market.
Can I fire my agent?
Yes you can! Be sure to take the time to have an honest conversation with your agent to see if you two and come to an agreement to get your home sold. If you feel like your agent is still not performing to their best ability to get your home sold, you have the ability to terminate the contract and withdraw your listing from the market.
Why isn’t my home selling?
Ahh, the question every home seller would love to know the answer to. There are usually 3 reasons why a home didn’t sell.
- Price – it may be priced to high and you may have to consider lowering your asking amount.
- Condition – does the home show well to prospective buyers? We know it may look good to you, but does it appeal to the emotions of your target buyer?
- Marketing – has the home been marketed well? Is the word getting out to prospective buyers like it should be?
Your agent should be keeping you abreast with feedback from what prospective buyers are saying about your home as they come to preview it. Are they groaning about the price? Do they wish everything was updated? Are they complaining the rooms are too small? This will help you identify what areas are causing your prospective buyers to scratch your home off their list.