You only have one chance to get the most money possible for your home.
Casey, what’s my home worth?
I have no idea, until you can tell me more about your property. None of the automated valuation tools know either. They can give you a ballpark figure, so can I. If you read the fine print from the automated value tools, you will see they have up to a 20% margin of error. Not exactly precise. Want to know your actual value? Give me a call, or email, along with the specifics of your home. That’s a good starting point.
You don’t have the time, or energy, to get your home ready to sell. You have no idea how you’re going to keep it spotless while the home is on the market. All you really want is to get to the closing table as quickly, and painlessly as possible (and of course get the money from the sale into your bank account).
I don’t have a crystal ball, but I do know the keys to getting a home sold for the most amount of money, in the shortest amount of time.
There are no secrets about how to market a home and get it to the closing table, there are also no shortcuts. So what’s needed?
Rational pricing backed up by comparable sales in the area
Property Presentation (from cleaning to staging)
Digital Marketing (video, floor plan, digital walk through tour, professional photography)
Strong negotiation (not a style focused on splitting the difference)
What’s the real key to success?
Working with a Realtor who you can trust, who can deliver on promises made.
When you’re making a life decision as big as selling a home, the Realtor you choose better be capable, experienced, and have a proven track record.
How Does This All Work?
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Getting Ready
We will walk your home together (or not if you’re not located where the property is, I’ve done lots of that). We will have to have real conversation about your appetite to make any repairs or upgrades. We can discuss if staging the home is appropriate. We will have to get the home professionally cleaned (unless you’re a neat freak who has a bottle of bleach constantly at the ready).
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Marketing
Years ago marketing was a “For Sale” sign in the yard and a newspaper advertisement. Not anymore. In today’s world homes are sold online, often sight unseen (not joking). What this has meant for Realtors is, if you’re going to do things right, you need to spend a lot more money upfront on marketing. Think video, virtual walkthroughs, professional pictures (including drone), and floor plans that are measured.
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Contract Negotiation
Is the highest offer really the best one? Not always. More often than not things come down to contract terms. What is an appropriate deposit amount? How long should you allow for inspections? Who pays for title insurance? What does a financing contingency mean? Do I have to make repairs to my property as part of the contract? There are lots of considerations here, and there’s a lot that can go wrong if you’re given poor advice at this stage.
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Is this where you abandon me?
No. I’m very communicative, it’s my nature (according to my clients, not my wife). There’s still a long road ahead from this point on. We have to get through inspections and all other contingencies, and get you to the closing table so you can get your money in your bank account. During this stage you can breathe knowing you’re in good hands. There’s not a lot I haven’t been through, on both simple and complex real estate transactions.