Listing Your Home In Hampton Roads
Everybody dreams of an easy sale when listing their home, but reality is never quite as simple as a stress-free offer and acceptance. Finding a qualified buyer, receiving the cash, and handing over the house keys. In reality, there are a lot of moving parts to selling your home in Hampton Roads, some of which may not even be in your control!
For example, the location of your home in relation to flood zones can significantly impact your ability to sell, the price, and the marketing period. You may have bought a beautiful home in Norfolk’s Larchmont or Portsmouth’s Olde Towne many years ago, with no idea that your home had the potential to be flooded. Now, it could be one of the primary challenges you face when selling your home. Fortunately, there is someone interested in every home and neighborhood in this hot seller’s market, you just have to know the proper way to list your property.
Given the low levels of housing inventory in some housing markets along with growth on the buyer side, there has been an uptick in competition and bidding for many homes that get listed on the market. This knowledge can be best used by an experienced, local realtor who will know what a realistic price for your property is and how your home should be optimally marketed.
The best preparation you can do as a seller is control the factors that you can influence that may have a big impact on your ability to sell and the bottom line figure you receive. Some of these can include hiring a great real estate agent or realty company, getting professional photographs taken, anticipating closing costs, timing your sale, speaking with neighbors, and many others.
HIRE A KNOWLEDGEABLE REAL ESTATE AGENT IN HAMPTON ROADS
There is no substitute for the experience and market knowledge that a good, local real estate agent will have on your listing process. While selling your home may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for you, this is something that your agent takes care of on a daily basis.
Whether it be through word-of-mouth referral from a friend or extensive Internet research, be sure to find an agent with a history of success in your local market. At the end of the day, your realtor’s ability and connections can make all the difference in getting a fair price for your home. You should pay attention to the way they market their properties, their sales history, and their professional and industry accreditations.
Some people may be enticed by selling without a real estate agent to save the five to six percent fee. This strategy is called “for sale by owner,” where you are directly responsible for all facets of selling your home. However, this can be a risky and short-sighted position to take. Real estate agents are the best people to get your house in front of as many prospective buyers as possible, not to mention they will prepare your house for staging and selling. It is almost always advisable to hire an agent as selling homes is their profession, and they have far more insight into the nuances of your local area. Further, the small fee taken by the selling agent can easily be compensated for by their services and securing a better offer than you might get on your own.
WHAT’S THE TIMELINE FOR SELLING YOUR HOME?
Selling your home is a major project that will more than likely take over three months to complete. Depending on your market, this timeline could be faster, or it could be much longer. Another advantage of an experienced real estate agent is that they will have a much better idea of the potential timeline than you will. As we have mentioned, the best thing you can do when you decide to sell your home is hire the services of a reputable, local real estate agent. You will want them to have an extensive walk-through of your home to identify any issues that need fixing before listing on the market, whether structural or cosmetic. You will also need to plan for enough time to fix whatever issues may arise.
In the month or two months before you list your home, start working on staging the home and making sure your property looks clean. While this probably is not at the forefront of your mind in the process of selling and moving, it can make a real tangible difference on the offers you receive, and ultimately the cash you walk away with. A good realtor will have plenty of advice for best practices on preparing your house to be viewed by potential buyers. This is a good time to start the process of downsizing your home, moving any unwanted clutter out of the property and getting a strong start on packing your personal belongings. Essentially, anything that does not need to be there to sell the house, should start to be packed up.
Not only does this make your home look better, it also allows you to begin the process of moving. While moving is always a bit of a headache, early preparations can help you avoid much of the stress that comes along with it.
SIMPLE STEPS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE
While this process can be emotional and overwhelming, ultimately you should be in a position to receive the best offer possible ahead of whatever new beginnings you may be planning. Whether it is ensuring your house is up to speed structurally and mechanically or making sure that your home looks clean and attractive, there is a lot you can do to put yourself in an advantageous position to sell your home. The most important and effective step, however, is hiring a good local realtor. They will have the experience and insight necessary to guide you through the process and get you a great offer. If you are in Hampton Roads and need an experienced realtor with a stellar reputation, look no further than the team at ProActive Real Estate Services.
The ProActive Team has a long and successful history in the Hampton Roads market and will be happy to help you become another satisfied client. Call us today at (757) 652-1225!
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