Selling your home can be a complex process. The days of going to the store and getting a “For Sale” and putting it in your yard are long gone. Selling a home here in San Antonio or any other area means a comprehensive plan must be in place.
Seek a Professional Advisor
The first step in the home selling process should be to contact a Realtor. Selling a home can be a stressful situation and seeking professional advice is well worth it Here are 5 things to consider:
•Communication – The better the communication, the smoother and enjoyable the whole experience will be. You should feel comfortable talking with them and feel free to ask questions. They should be asking a lot of questions to tailor the experience to YOU. A person buying their first home is going to have different needs than an investor.
•Experience - Each Realtor has certain areas and specialties that they have the most experience in.
•Professionalism- This is talking about their knowledge and services that they provide. Not all Realtors provide the same services and not all will have the same knowledge.
•Establish your goals – Everyone of us has a different idea of what we are looking for and our expectations. Ensure that you discuss with them what you are looking for, your goals, your expectations and see if you are a good fit.
•Explain the process -Each state, each city, each Realtor, each homebuyer and each situation can have a different way to purchase a home and the best way they go about it.
Preparing Your Home
For most people, they have been preparing themselves and their home, prior to contacting a Realtor. This is great, but remember to also talk to your Realtor about this as well. Here are 3 things to consider about preparing your home:
•Home Maintenance - Properly maintaining your home can save you thousands in repairs during the sale.
•Landscaping – Curb appeal is vital for creating the right first impression of your home to potential buyers.
•Staging – Creating the right atmosphere within the home can make a tremendous difference when selling your home.
Marketing Your Home
This step is critical for the sale of your home. Here are a few tips to help make the marketing of your home more productive:
•Realistic Pricing – Base your pricing off the correct “Market Value” of your home, not what you need to receive from the sale.
•Professional Photography – With over 80 percent of buyers using the internet, photos have become crucial.
•Technology – Once again with the increased use of the internet, the more exposure your home receives the better your chances.
The Transaction
You received an offer, now what? What happens after the offer is accepted? How long until the sale is complete? You may have a lot of questions, so here are some tips:
•The Offer – You want to have it structured to meet the goals and plans that you have discussed with your Realtor and review the estimated seller’s net sheet.
•Repairs – These can negotiated but after negotiations, ensure that you follow the agreed terms.
•Negotiations – Negotiations don’t just happen until you have an agreed contract, but continues throughout the transaction if needed.
•Mortgage and Title – Throughout the process there will documents required to complete the loan payoff and ensure the proper exchange of title, the faster your response, the smoother the process will go.
•Closing – Review all the documents that you will be signing, prior to the closing and ask the closing officer any questions that you have. Once you sign, you are obligated to the terms.
After You Close
You have finally closed on your home, now what? These are some things to think about to help later on down the road:
•Documents – Maintain your closing documents in a secure place. These documents may be needed for later and provide information about the sale.
•Utilities – Coordinate for the utilities to be transferred out of your name so that you don’t have any issues later.
