Avoid These Mistakes When Selling Your House

1. DON’T PICK A REALTOR FOR THE WRONG REASONS

Choosing a Realtor based on convenience rather than experience, may prove disastrous. When working with a real estate agent, it’s critical that you have full confidence in that agent’s experience and education. A skilled, knowledgeable agent should be able to explain to you exactly why your home needs to be priced at a certain level – compared to recent listings and sales of homes similar to yours. Experienced agents also know exactly what the current pool of buyers are looking for in relation to particular styles and price ranges of properties. A skilled agent can recommend changes that will enhance the salability of your home, thus increasing the price – and/or decreasing the length of time before a sale.

2. DON’T TRY TO SELL TO THE “LOOKY-LOOS”

A prospective buyer who shows interest because of a “for sale” sign he saw may not really be interested in your property. Often buyers who do not come through a realtor are a good 6-9 months away from buying, and they are more interested in seeing what is out there than in actually making a purchase. They may still have to sell their house, or may not be able to afford a house yet. They may still even be unsure as to whether or not they want to relocate.

Your realtor should be able to distinguish realistic potential buyers from mere lookers. Realtors should usually find out a prospective buyer’s savings, credit rating, and purchasing power in general. If your realtor fails to find out this pertinent information, you should do some investigating and questioning on your own. This will help you avoid wasting valuable time marketing towards the wrong people. If you have to do this work yourself, consider finding a new realtor.

3. DON’T THINK YOU NEED TO BE HOME TO EXPLAIN THINGS TO A BUYER

You will be better served if you allow the Realtors to do their job without you there. Most potential buyers usually feel more comfortable if they can speak freely to the real estate professional without the owners being present. If people unaccompanied by an agent request to see your property, you should refer them to your real estate professional for an appointment.

4. BAD PRICING STRATEGY

Most sellers are aware they shouldn’t price their house too low. However, it’s all too common that sellers overestimate what their house can sell for and price too high.
The logic they often go by is that they can always “accept a lower offer” if the price they’re suggesting doesn’t work. However, what usually happens is buyers are just scared off by the higher price and don’t even come to look at your property.

5. DON’T FORGET ABOUT HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES

Be upfront and disclose to your Realtor any problems with the property. The problems are going to be discovered anyway. A decade ago, health and safety issues were rarely a part of the typical real estate transaction. Today, however, it’s common for inspections relating to health, safety, and even environmental concerns to be a part of most sales contracts. California law requires the seller to disclose to the buyer any knowledge of existing property problems. In many cases, these issues have been or can be factored into the home’s listing price.

For additional information on the mistakes to avoid when selling your house, contact

Jeff Wu
Century 21, New Millenium
571-248-1110
240-994-7938
Jeff@AgentKnowsHomes.com
www.AgentKnowsHomes.com

An organized closet can make the difference when trying to sell a home

Some of these rules and tips are true no matter what area of the country you live in, Tysons Corner, McLean, Vienna or beyond.

When considering selling real estate the question surfaces, what can I do to improve my home and make it more appealing to a prospective buyer?  Looking at your closets might be the answer.  Closets may be the small improvement your home needs when getting ready to sell.

Newer homes tend to have bigger closets and they aren’t just dark spaces with doors any more.  Today’s closets, thanks to companies like California Closets and other offshoots, are filled with light and organized spaces like drawers, shelves, shoe racks and hanging bars that hang at different heights to accommodate different articles of clothing.  Some closets come across as small rooms.  Regardless of whether you have a new home or an older home, if your closets aren’t organized they can be.

Closets can be do-it-yourself projects or created by a contractor or a closet company.  Remodeling closets can be an inexpensive re-model that can add value to the sale of your home without breaking the bank.