Andrew & Associates

Andrew And Associates

How to Sell Your Home Quickly
for Maximum Return

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When it’s time to sell your home, you want to sell it quickly and get the highest possible dollars in return. To do this, you need to develop a good plan and follow that plan. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind as you develop your plan.

First, you must clearly understand why you’re selling your home. Your motivation to sell will determine how you approach the sale of your home. It will affect everything you do. It determines how much you will ask, how much time, effort and money you will invest in order to prepare you home for sale.

Don’t share with other people the reasons for selling your home. Keep them personal and private. You don’t want to give the buyer any additional negotiation leverage. When you are asked why you want to sell, simply state that your housing needs have changed.

Don’t set the asking price of your home until you consulted with a reputable listing agent. You want to sell your home as close to the listing price as possible. If you list too high, you run the risk of turning off buyers. In turn, your home will sit on the market way too long. If you price your home too low, you’ll be leaving money on the table… that means you could lose thousands of dollars!

Take time to review the current housing market in your neighborhood. A good listing agent will do a competitive market analysis for you. It will give you a good idea on what homes have actually sold for recently in your area. You will also know about the current homes on the market that you are competing with.

A good appraisal can significantly help your marketing efforts. It is a good way to let potential buyers know what you home can be financed for. However, remember two things. First, an appraisal is not a guarantee of what your home will sell for. Second, you may not like the appraisal value you receive.

Know what a tax assessment means. Many people think that tax assessments are a way of evaluating their home. That is not completely true. Tax assessments are based upon multiple criteria. Some of these criteria may not be related at all to the value of your home. So, don’t make the mistake of thinking a tax assessment is a reflection of your home’s real value.

Select a quality real estate agent. Research shows 75% of home sellers would not work with the same real estate agent who listed their home. This usually reflects poor marketing and communication on the part of their agent. Take the time necessary to find an agent that will best meet your needs in selling your home.

When determining the asking price for your home, leave a little room for negotiation. Selling homes is a negotiating process. Buyers are more likely to make full price offers on homes that are properly priced rather than a low offer on an over-priced home. However, leave a little room for negotiating your final price.

Take time to get your home ready to show. Appearance counts. Don’t forget you never have a second chance to make a good first impression. The look and feel of a home will generate an emotional response from prospective buyers. You want them to get the “wow” feeling when touring your home.

Ask others for opinions about your home. The biggest mistake most homeowners make is to assume everyone thinks exactly like they do. Don’t hesitate to get outside opinions. You must be objective about your home to maximize your return. Work closely with your real estate agent. Get his/her honest opinion about the strengths and weaknesses of your home. An unbiased honest opinion can add thousands of dollars to the bottom line as it makes your home more marketable.

Clean everything, regardless of what you think. Potential buyers will look very carefully at everything in your home. They will try to find reasons not to buy your home. Don’t have them leave your home because of a tiny chip in a bathroom countertop or dirty dishes left in the kitchen sink.

Potential buyers must visualize themselves living in your home. Buyers do not want to feel they are intruding on your life when viewing your home. Avoid clutter on countertops and floors. Pick up clothes and hang them up. Clear the sink of dirty dishes. When you paint, use neutral colors such as beige and white. Use a few carefully placed items to add charm and warmth to a room.

Eliminate all offensive odors. Buyers are turned off by smells from pets, food and cigarette smoke. Remove pets from the house when showing it. Just the sight of a pet makes them start seeing stains and smelling odors, even if they’re not present. Don’t take the chance. Remove all clues.

As a seller you must disclose everything about the condition of your home, as far as you are aware. Smart sellers are careful to disclose all known defects to their buyers in writing. This reduces the probability of future liability and lawsuits.

The more buyers you get to tour your home, the better. Work with your real estate agent to maximize your marketing efforts. More potential buyers only increase the selling price of your home.

When negotiating the price on your home, keep your emotions in check. Too many people have to many emotions tied up in their home. To get the most return on your home sale, act in a professional manner. This will always give you the advantage over someone who remains emotionally attached to the property.

Ask you agent to learn why your buyer wants to buy a home. The better you know your buyer, the more leverage you will have during negotiation. Most buyers are looking to purchase the best home at the lowest price. If a buyer needs to move quickly, this can help you get a better price.

Make sure you agent knows that your buyer can afford your home. Only work with buyers that are pre-approved for a home loan. You’ll know exactly what they are going to finance and how much they will make as a down payment.

Find out when your buyers want to close. If you know when a buyer wants to complete a transaction, you’ll know their time frame. This can be an advantage in negotiating for top dollar.

Sell your current home before you sign a contract on your next home. You don’t want to get stuck with two mortgage payments.

Moving out before you sell can sometimes put you at a disadvantage. Empty homes may give the buyers the idea that you must sell quickly. They may attempt to negotiate a lower price.

Don’t put yourself under a deadline. Don’t try to sell your home by a specific date. This only adds to the pressure and stress of selling. It can cost you thousands of dollars off the asking price.

Don’t take a low price offer personally. Buyers may attempt to see how much you will discount at the beginning of the negotiation. Buyers will almost always pay more than they initially offer. So, don’t get upset. Evaluate their offer and make a counter offer. This is merely a beginning point for negotiations.

Don’t reject an offer just because it seems too low. Make a counter offer just under your original offer. Many people believe they have to meet an offer half way to be acceptable. Don’t fall into that trap. This lets the buyer know you didn’t take their first offer seriously, but does show some flexibility on your part.

If an offer is too low, find out if the buyer is qualified. Sometimes the buyers are not qualified to take out a loan for the asking price of your home. It that is the case, don’t continue negotiations.

Make sure the terms of the contract are complete. The purchase contract should spell out all the terms, costs and timelines necessary to complete the sale of your home. Don’t leave anything out. This will simplify the selling process and reduce stress.

Choose your real estate agent wisely. Any agent will show enthusiasm and will want to list your house for sale but choose your agent based upon:

• Experience at listing and marketing houses for sale.
• Ability to use technology to market your house world wide to buyers 24/7.
• Reviewing with you a comprehensive Marketing Analysis of home sales in your area.
• Ability to offer a written detailed 30-Day Marketing Plan that will get your house sold at the highest possible price.

Working with a full-time professional real estate agent is a must.  Choose your agent by asking questions of him or her.  Find out how knowledgeable they are about houses currently for sale in your price range and also of houses that have recently sold.  Can your agent recommend a good lender that has the reputation of excellent customer service and low rates to assist your new buyer with financing?  A good listing agent can speed up the sale of your home and get Top Dollar.

Do you have questions or need advice you can count on or just want to discuss this further?

Don’t waste any more time; pick up the phone and call me now!  I’m here to help!

I offer a five star guarantee. I appreciate your business, loyalty, trust and referrals. My goal is to provide the very best counsel and advice to meet your real estate needs. If I can assist you, a relative, friend or co-worker, please give me a call. I look forward to the opportunity to serve you.

For prompt, courteous, professional service, call Larry Andrew: