There was a time when you would either list your home on the MLS with a real estate broker or hang out a “For Sale by Owner” sign. That was the totality of what you could do when you wanted to sell your home. Now there are several other options available to you and it’s really up to you to decide which is right for you.
Get Your Home Ready to Show
Before you do anything at all, get your home ready to show. Make sure it is clean and uncluttered and that you’ve taken care of your lawn. Don’t forget that curb appeal goes a long way toward attracting interest in your home. Whether you decide to go with a traditional broker, list your home online in the iBuyer market or sell to a “We Buy Homes” company that will pay cash, at a discount of course, immediately upon approval, you will need to have your home in tiptop shape.
Valuing Your Home
You will also need to have your home appraised. A licensed appraiser will come out, do the inspection, compare comparables in your neighborhood and then value your home. However, there is something you can do as well to add value to your home. If you have a good camcorder and a computer with a powerful graphics card and GPU such as those found on lenovo.com, you can video record a tour of your home. Since you will be able to describe certain features and narrate the tour, it will undoubtedly add value as well.
Decide How You Want to List Your Home
It is imperative that you fully understand your options in listing your home as mentioned above. Bear in mind that when you sign a seller’s contract with a brokerage, they will probably want exclusive right of sale. However, if they are a brokerage with a solid history of selling homes at or near the asking price, it’s probably worth signing that exclusivity clause. Even so, you can always list online or sell to a company that buys homes for resale. Just don’t forget to do the research and weigh your options accordingly.
A Word on Your Asking Price
One thing you will find when settling on a price that you are willing to take is that buyers today expect to be able to negotiate down. Therefore, don’t list your home at a price you can’t afford to reduce. Always go a little above what you want to realize after commissions and other fees so that you will walk with the amount you want to make.
These are all things you can do to sell your home in today’s marketplace but remember that it may be a buyer’s market. If it is, the buyer almost always calls the shots. At the moment, it’s a seller’s market because there is a shortage in housing, so with a little thought and effort, there is no reason why you can’t get the price you ask.
