Sellers

Steps for Success when selling your home

It’s a fact: partnering with a Realtor to sell your home almost always gets a higher price going it alone. Just as a Realtor likely lacks the expertise needed to excel in your profession, most homeowners lack the expertise Realtors bring to the table.

Realtors know local and national market conditions that help determine just the right price for your home as well as all the rules and regulations related to buying and selling property. And while it’s an often-overlooked role, Realtors also fill the important role of providing objectivity. A Realtor simply doesn’t have the same emotional attachment to a home its sellers have and is able to more clearly see what is in their best interests.

Getting ready to list your home

Never start showing a home that’s not in tiptop shape. You should touch up paint, both inside and out, as needed. And you might also consider replacing worn or outdated carpeted and flooring.

Great curb appeal is always a great selling point, so make sure to keep your lawn healthy, trimmed and mowed. Rake leaves often in the fall, keep snow shoveled away in the winter and trees and bushes trimmed as needed.

Inside the house, remove as much clutter as possible, but don’t use your basement or garage to store the excess. Sell, give away or donate items that you don’t use and if there are items you must keep, consider renting a storage unit while the house is on the market. Be sure to remove and store personal items such as photos and awards since depersonalizing your home helps potential buyers better visualize it as their own.

Some sellers hire stagers who are pros at giving homes just the right appeal. If a professional stager’s not for you, you’ll still want to do your best to keep the inside of your house clean and odor free. If you have pets, you’ll want to pay added attention to cleaning up their areas and any pet hair or other messes in the house.

Finally, you might consider hiring a home inspector before you list. While buyers will almost certainly hire their own inspector, as a seller, an inspection of your own gives you the advantage of heading off any problems in advance.

After listing your home

Touches like fresh flowers go a long way toward making a great first impression to potential buyers. It’s also important to be absent when your Realtor brings prospects, and if that’s not possible, to be as low-key and inconspicuous as possible.

Remember to let your Realtor do his or her job. If you’re presented with what you consider too low of an offer, don’t immediately reject it, but talk with your Realtor on how best to proceed. And while your Realtor has worked with you to set the right price for your home, you may need to be flexible enough to come down on that price is there have been no offers after several months.

And, of course, you need to keep a positive outlook. Depending on market conditions and other factors, some homes take longer to sell than others. But the right buyer will eventually come along. It’s just a matter of time. So it’s important to keep your Realtor updated on anything related to your home or its sale, to refer potential prospects to them, and to let your agent coordinate showings.

Whether buying or selling condos at Marcliff or elsewhere along the Grand Strand, the smartest first step you can take is the same and that’s calling the Grand Strand real estate professionals at Century 21 the Harrelson Group.

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