There is not a block or a neighborhood you could drive around today and not see the famous sign that says, “For Sale By Owner!” Everyone thinks they can sell their own homes. Of course, it is their right. It is also their right to leave way too much money on the closing table because they didn’t know what they were doing.
Hiring a realtor is where you are actually going to be making an investment. Your realtor can help you separate your business interest self from your emotionally attached self when it comes to how much to list your home for, what upgrades or repairs could enhance the value and what to do once the offers start coming in.
Condos and houses don’t always price the same, even in the same neighborhoods. Your agent is going to look for houses for sale that are very similar to yours and see what they sell for and what they are currently listed for. In other words, your realtor is going to be doing some impressive research.
The set up of your home for its presentation to the outside world and the buying public is very important. One of the things your realtor will do is to take pictures of you home, showing it in its best light, and posting the pictures on the Internet. The reason that this is such an important step is that 44% of home buyers looked on the web for pictures before deciding to see the properties they went to look at.
Not only are people going to the Internet to look at pictures of homes they might want to buy, they are doing all kinds of research. According to Google, real estate related searches went up a whopping 253% from 2009 to 2013. You need to know what your buyers are going to be looking for and your realtor will know what those things are because that is what they do all day long. It is their job.
One relatively easy thing they might encourage you to consider doing is bumping up your home’s curb appeal. When you spruce up your home’s curb appeal, you will likely get a 100% ROI, making this one of the most valuable things you could do when you are getting ready to sell your home.
Once you have several offers on your property, you don’t want to leave any money on the table. Statistically, if you try to sell your home yourself, you will leave a great deal. Your realtor is your professional agent. When they work for you, they will handle your home’s preparation for sale and will deal with all of the buyers.
There is no way to accurately describe how important a good, quality realtor can be for you. Look one up. You’ll be glad you did.
