Whether you sell your house on your own or hire a real estate agent, doing it quickly, successfully and with profit to yourself is no mean feat. No matter how you approach this task, it is of paramount importance to know what things you should take notice of before you attempt anything.
1. Not All Real Estate Agents Are Equal:
Some of them have more experience, connections and expertise than others. Some take your interests closer to heart than others. Some are more willing to take advantage of your lack of knowledge on the subject. Thus, before hiring anybody make sure to study their backgrounds and track record – if possible, contact their previous clients to find out if they are satisfied with the results.
2. Real Estate Agents Are Interested in a Quick Sell:
Which isn’t necessarily combined with getting you a good price. You see, the fact that a real estate gets a commission (6% on average) off every sold house only does so good a job of motivating him to get as high a price as possible. It is yet another to be careful when choosing an agent to work with – if he suggests that you considerably lower the asking price or agree to the buyer’s counteroffer right off the bat, it may be a sign that he tries to sell a house fast instead of protecting your best interests. If you notice such inclinations, it may be a good idea to hire somebody else.
3. Make Sure You Know the Law:
It is much more important for those trying to sell on their own, but can become an issue even if you use services of an agent. There is a host of laws regulating real estate trade, and you should always comply with all of them, both local and national. The easiest to get into trouble with is probably the Fair Housing Act that states that sellers have no right to discriminate against buyers based on their religion, race or sex.
4. Time of Year Matters:
There is no unanimity in terms of which time is the best for listing your house: some state that the time with most buyers is February – however, it is the hot season for real estate in general, which means that high demand will be balanced out by high supply. Spring seems to be a better choice. Anyway, don’t expect to sell your house fast after school begins (families will be unlikely to move at that time) or near Christmas (people tend to concentrate on other expenses at that period).
5. Weather Matters as Well:
In areas with significant seasonal changes, it may be a good idea to consider how your house and yard look when covered with snow or after a heavy rain. Of course, the sooner you sell the house, the better, but if you have some choice you may move the time of listing to a more favorable season.
6. Your Home Shouldn’t Be Too Homey:
What we mean is, your personal effects don’t so much give the house a homey feel as they make it look like your house. Ideally, you should make it look as neutral and depersonalized as possible – so that potential buyers can see it not as a place where somebody already lives but as a place where they can live. Therefore, make sure you remove as much of your personality from your house as possible: take away all unique decorations, pictures, family photos, make a thorough cleaning, probably even hire a professional stager to prepare the house for showing.
7. Don’t Be in a Hurry:
Unless, of course, you really need to sell house fast and require the money you are going to receive from it for other purposes. When speed is not of the essence, it is much better to apply a more relaxed approach and not be desperate to grasp the first offer – otherwise you may not get the price you need or decide to give up altogether. Remember – both selling and buying a house is a big step in anybody’s life, and big steps rarely happen quickly. Be ready to wait for a while and don’t be in a hurry of dropping the price.
8. Consider Security:
You are going to let strangers into your house, and although it is a fine notion to believe that everybody is honest until proved otherwise, everything is good to a limit. In this case, you should keep away all the valuables – jewelry, cash and so on – before you start showing your house to anybody.
9. Don’t Deal with Unqualified Buyers:
By accepting an offer from an unqualified buyer you prolong the process of selling the house, lose valuable time and potentially an opportunity to find a real buyer. You can protect yourself from this problem by requesting your potential buyers to contact their lenders and becoming pre-qualified before you accept an offer. In case a buyer states he is already pre-qualified, you simply have to contact his lender to make sure it is true and there are no other problems.
Sometimes it is much easier to deal with cash home buyers – this way you don’t have to worry about anything of the above, will receive your money right away and don’t hold any legal responsibilities afterwards. We buy houses in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, “Chester County” and other similar locales – simply contact us, and we will provide an estimate of your house value within 48 hours.