Life changes and you may need a bigger home, or you may need to downsize or relocate for your work. Whatever the reason, selling your home can present many challenges. Some of them include asking these questions: setting a price, finding qualified buyers marketing the home.
Determining the value is a complex process. Each home is different many factors influence the value, such as location, age and condition, quality of design and construction, and the size and type of home. Amenities that come with the house, like a garage, carport, central air and heat, a swimming pool, land or lot size and location are equally as important.
Location factors highly in the valuation of the property. There is a saying, “the most important thing is location, location, location,” because you can easily change the home, but it is difficult to change the location.
Don’t base your value on information from the County Tax Assessor. This is not always accurate because an assessment of your property may be long overdue, and the amount you paid for your home has no bearing on what it is worth now. Your home is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, which in most cases will establish its true market value. Websites like Zillow.com can help but that information comes from 3rd party companies that collect sales data from public records, and it relies on home owners and agents to revise sales data. It is not considering the condition of your home and the geolocation may not be totally accurate.
If your home is very unique to the area, it might be wise to hire a real estate residential home appraiser to get the true value of your home. Spending a few hundred dollars may save you thousands of dollars. Appraisers are professionals and they don’t stand to lose a listing if the outcome is not what you expect.
A REALTOR©, agent or broker can perform a comparative market analysis for the value of your home if you intend to place the home for sale with them. They spend time making this report and will expect you to list your home for sale with them if you decide to list it with a real estate professional.
Selling your home yourself can be a lengthy and complex process and there are legal and financial risks if you don’t know real estate sales or lending regulations. Finding a qualified buyer can be daunting. You will also be inviting strangers into your home with a “For Sale By Owner” sign and not everyone’s intentions are always honorable. You will also need some skills to get the sale from signing to the closing table.
Facts reveal the median selling price of a home sold directly by an owner was almost 15% less than those who use a REALTOR©. A REALTOR© can give your home more exposure through multiple listing services and will work with other agents who might also have potential buyers. Most buyers now rely on social media sites and internet advertising and a professional real estate agent will use all these avenues and more for marketing your home.
A real estate professional will interview the potential buyer to make sure they are serious about purchasing a home before they make an appointment and once a contract to purchase is signed, your agent will handle all the documents and paperwork needed for closing.
Once you have your value and selected how you will best market your home, you will need to fix the items that need repair and stage your home for showing. Ask your local REALTOR© at Azalea Real Estate and take advantage of years of experience and let them help make your real estate experience less stressful and more fulfilling.
Visit us at mygrandbayhome.com to preview homes or contact Aleta Boudreaux at 251-656-4576 for more information on selling or purchasing a home and to tour homes in the area.
©Aleta Boudreaux, 2015, 2017
