Sellers
- Lake Oconee and NORTH ATLANTA REAL ESTATE SELLERS - YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Selling your home can be a daunting task. It can be a painful process, and chances are sellers are also purchasing another home simultaneously…so double whammy! A little planning and knowing what to expect can do wonders for your stress levels.
Keep in mind that selling your home is not something you do every day or every year, and make no mistake about it, rules, regulations, and the industry change on a daily basis. You also want to make sure you have a realtor like Karen that you trust completely to walk you through the process and be in your corner one hundred percent.
Let’s take a look at some questions that you may have as you travel down this path.
- What Do I Need to do to My House BEFORE I Put It on the Market?
This may just be the hardest part of putting your house on the market. In fact, it’s the number one reason people delay listing their home. To put it bluntly, unless you are an OCD neat freak and a religious purger, you will have work to do. Great agents like Karen are incredibly skilled at being objective and giving you some lists…MUST DO, NICE TO DO, and LIKELY TO SELL FASTER IF YOU DO. These lists can run the gamut. On the MUST DO is of course declutter and deep clean like nobody’s business. The top NICE TO DO items can include fresh paint, clean all the windows, replace carpeting, and brush up the exterior with fresh mulch and landscaping. The LIKELY TO SELL FASTER IF YOU DO includes updating your kitchen and bath. Karen can advise you as to what is likely to get you the biggest bang for your buck.
- When is the Best Time to Sell My House?
This unfortunately is a very specific question as every market is wildly different. Trying to time the market can be futile, and it’s important to remember serious buyers are ALWAYS looking. So do what works for you. In short, there are no rules here. Ignore all the myths and things you have heard like “never list in the winter”. These so called rules can all be proven inaccurate. Put very simply, list when it’s right for you.
- What is the Market Doing Right Now?
Karen can absolutely provide you with comps (comparables) of other sold properties in the area. She can also help to identify any trends that may be in play. Important data like number of days on the market, market absorption rates and average list to sale price ratios are all pieces of information Karen can provide to help with decision making.
- What are the Things I Should Disclose to Buyers?
If you have knowledge about issues, it’s very important to be completely forthright. Everything from a faulty appliance to a leak in the roof is important to disclose. Frankly, if you are aware of it, go ahead and put it on your list to fix before you list. This is a smart play. You do not want sellers to walk away doubting the soundness of your house or your honesty. Remember you will likely be facing a home inspection, so all will ultimately be revealed.
- How Do I Price My Home?
This is an emotional one for many sellers. Emotional ties may have homeowners overestimating the value of their homes. A realtor like Karen can expertly and objectively evaluate your home, and paired with the current market values, give you a strong and fairly accurate estimation. However, please remember the important caveat here is that your home’s assessed value is not the same as market value or appraised value. Sometimes homes go for more and sometimes they go for less. It’s vital to remember that the assessed value of a home is used for the purpose of taxes in your local municipality. The assessed value of a home is multiplied by the local tax rate to determine what your yearly taxes are. That’s it. So please remember that assessed value does not equal market value.
- If Not an Appraised Value, How Do I Determine My Home’s Value?
- Square footage
- Number of bedrooms
- Number of bathrooms
- Upgrades to kitchen
- Window quality
- Roof age
- Lot features
- Style of residence
- Flooring type
- List Price vs. Sale Price: Should I Leave Room for Negotiation?
There is a perception among sellers that maybe they should overprice their home to allow for negotiations and to ultimately get the price they want. This can backfire, as you may not attract the right buyers to your property at all. Pricing your home fairly, and correctly will attract more buyers, and get your home sold more quickly.
My husband and I were relocating to the West Coast and needed to sell our home. Karen was our selling agent and I would highly recommend her if you need a dedicated professional that is responsive, professional and understands the market."
