Love Selling Your Home Series—Week 1
This series, Love Selling Your Home: How to Sell Your Home With As Little Hassle and Biggest Profit As Possible, is a step-by-step guide that covers everything you need to know to sell your home in today’s market, from finding a real estate agent to all the way to settlement day.
The absolute first step to selling your home is finding the best real estate agent for you and your home. You want a real estate agent who will make the selling process an exceptional experience for you. It’s not just about getting top dollar – aim high and find one that makes you feel like they’ve got the keys to success no matter how long or short the journey may be! You need someone who’ll not only optimize the sale price and shorten timelines, but also make it an enjoyable journey from start to finish!
Here’s what you need to consider when looking for an agent to sell your home:
1. Recommended by friends, family, and co-workers. They’ll give you honest, unfiltered feedback on what they went through and if they’d go with the same agent again (a key sign!). Check out any agent’s social media, website, and blogs to see if they are active and passionate about working with sellers. Negotiating a listing contract isn’t something to take lightly – it’s important to find an agent that you trust and whose work speaks for itself. Do your homework online; check out reviews. There you will find real-life accounts from satisfied clients. It pays to be thorough. You don’t have to settle on the first one you meet, as contracts typically range anywhere between 3-6 months (or longer in slower markets or higher-end homes), so make sure any long-term commitment involved has been thought through all angles before sealin’ the deal.
2. Specializes in the type of home you’re selling and your specific neighborhood. Even a great agent for your friend may not work for you because of your different criteria. When seeking out a real estate agent, it’s important to do your research and find someone who knows the details of selling homes like yours in the area you wish. Such an experienced expert will be able to market your property like a pro – ensuring that your property is seen by potential buyers who want to live in your type of home and are attracted to your specific location. This agent will also have a better idea of pricing and will work with you on a competitive listing price, so you’re off to a great start from the get-go!
3.Collaborates with other agents to give your home the inside edge. Your agent should be able to easily get the word out to buyers’ agents that your home is on the market before it hits the MLS (Multiple Listing Service). Someone who interacts regularly with agents within your area and is well-connected in the community can help draw attention to your home. You need other buyers’ agents to know about your home upfront, as they act as your home-selling army to help bring in the right buyers for your home. Being a member of a National Agent Network is a big advantage for an agent since it’s a private online community that exchanges valuable non-MLS information.
4.Takes the time to listen to you and discover what your goals are for selling your home. A good agent has the skills to ask you questions that can help them implement the best marketing strategy for your specific home. Your agent is the key to unlocking your home’s highest potential. With their skills, they can craft a tailored marketing strategy that zeroes in on exactly what matters most to you – whether it be the speed of sale or maximum price. Questions like “Do you need a speedy sale due to an upcoming job relocation?” or “Are you looking for top dollar when transitioning up in real estate?” are pivotal, as they set into motion that chain reaction of how they plan to get you what you want by reaching the right target market for your home. Your agent will then know what parameters they are working with and will know your deal-breakers when negotiating with buyers. An agent worth their salt has the knack for asking all of the right questions to uncover your home’s unique story. It certainly takes time, but any savvy homeowner knows there’s no shortcut around these conversations – without them, reaching those essential targets is close to impossible!
5.Provides a specific strategy for selling your home to the right target market. Your agent should give you the rundown on how they will market your home from start to finish. When it comes to selling your home, you need an agent who knows how to attract the right buyers. Arm yourself with questions about how they’ll get serious shoppers in the door: can they tap into buyer networks online? Find out how they are reaching buyers online or through social media. Are open houses really worth their while, or are they more of a ‘just curious’ waste of time? Make sure your agent lays out all the details – and if there’s any doubt that the plan won’t draw real offers, consider getting another one
6.Gives honest feedback on how to make your home shine for buyers. A good agent isn’t just a set of keen eyes exploring your home, they’re an ally in giving it the polish and presentation that’ll help you fetch top dollar! With their network of professionals, plus shrewd insights into how updates can maximize return on investment, take advantage of their expertise for maximum satisfaction at minimum cost. A good agent will walk carefully through your home and provide guidance on updating, freshening up, and how staging can help your home look its best. Be sure to ask them if they include professional staging in their fee. WE DO!
7.Communicates clearly and regularly. Look for someone who is easily reachable and responds quickly when you need them – no one likes being kept in the dark! They should also keep you in the loop regularly with updates on how things are progressing; otherwise, it’s easy to start feeling forgotten about. Arm yourself with information by finding out what buyers have been saying after seeing your property – this feedback could be used as ammunition to really get that sale over the finish line or help fix any bumps along the way if required. Keep communication open, so nothing stands between you and closing day success!
8.Negotiates well and has your back at all times. Selling a home is a business transaction and your agent also needs to have negotiation skills that will benefit you and your home. A good agent knows when to be assertive in order to get the deal done but doesn’t play dirty and turn buyers away. Find out more about your agent’s past experiences and tactics at the negotiating table, especially when dealing with multiple offers. Find out how many sales they have handled over the past year and how close the listing price was to the final offer accepted.
9.Makes you comfortable. Your gut will tell you if this is someone you trust and can work with on a regular basis. Opening up your home to others can be very personal and hard for homeowners, and you want to have an understanding agent. You want to feel at ease when asking any questions or expressing your concerns. Selling a home can be stressful and exhausting at times. Go with someone who can reduce such tension and has a sense of humor, and you’ll appreciate these traits throughout the process.
10.Looks at real estate as a financial tool that can empower your life. This will be one of the biggest transactions of your life, and you don’t want to make any mistakes. Buying or selling a house is no small matter – this life-changing decision should be handled carefully. Your agent not only has to understand the home’s potential, but they should also believe in yours too! After all, your current transaction could pave the way for future dwellings and make your dreams of financial stability come true. They’ll keep things realistic even as you dream big!
11.Never says good-bye. A good agent will respect your loyalty and may reward you if you’re a returning client or plan to both sell and buy with them. See if they offer any incentives for loyalty. No matter what, your agent shouldn’t view this one transaction as the end of your relationship but just the beginning — expect them to be there for you over the long-term and ready to work with you when it’s time to sell and move on again. Plus, they should be someone you can trust to turn to with any of your homeownership concerns – a real estate resource for life!
Look out for next week’s article in our series Love Selling Your Home: Minimize Your Stress, Maximize Your Profit. We will discuss if your home is “sellable” and help you determine its “sale-ability factor.” It’s an important consideration in today’s market.