If you are toying with the idea of selling your home, but have misgivings, they may just be misunderstandings. Once you understand the process, prepare yourself for it and hire the right listing agent, you’ll have little to worry about.
While staging and cleaning the home is important, there are things to mull over right now, while you’re still deciding.
1. Determine your motivation
If your motivation isn’t obvious, such as a job transfer or divorce, get clear on exactly why you want or need to sell the home. The reason that motivates you to sell will carry you from marketing to close of escrow. It is something to remind yourself of, to keep you motivated if times get tough during the sale process.
2. What would you like in a new home?
Decide exactly what you want in a new home. Put it on paper. Brainstorm with your spouse or partner and come up with at least two “must-have’s” for each of you, plus a list of items you really want but are willing to compromise on.
Check out what is available in the neighborhoods you’ve been considering. Check on prices in those neighborhoods to see if they fit what you can afford.
3. You’ll need a real estate agent to help you market the home professionally
One of the worst mistakes we see many homeowners make is that they feel they have to hire the friend or relative who holds a real estate license. Loyalty is admirable, but not when there are hundreds of thousands of dollars and your future comfort on the line.
Friends and family members tend to treat their clients as just that – friends or family members.
They may put your scheduling needs behind those of their “real” clients, assuming you’ll understand. It happens more than we care to think about.
Then, there is always the chance that your Aunt Martha-the-real-estate-agent doesn’t do a good job. How will you fire her?
Finally, consider all the personal “stuff” divulged in the average real estate transaction. Do you really want Cousin Elmer knowing all that?
Do yourself a favor and interview several agents for the job of marketing your home for sale.
Treat the presentation of the CMA, or market analysis, as a job interview. After all, you are interviewing someone for the job of selling your home.
Furthermore, you are going to pay this person a substantial amount of money to do it. YOU are the boss, you are in the driver’s seat. Ask specific questions and keep asking until you get a suitable answer.
A final note about the agent interview: do not be intimidated by a pushy agent. If he or she hands you a pen, hand it right back, explaining that you still have other agents to interview.
Questions? I’m happy to answer them
