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If your home is within the popular range $75,000 to
$200,000, the time from listing to moving is generally a 90 to 120
day legal process. If your home is in a more expensive range, it
now becomes a 6 to 7 month process. With that in mind, once you
have decided on selling your home you should begin the preparation
immediately. If you live in a designer's showcase, time is not as
much of the essence. However, if you live like most people, your
house could use 'some' touching up before it should be displayed to
potential buyers.
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When
Should You Begin?
Research
has proven that buyers normally make the important decision about
buying, or more likely, not buying within the first few seconds of
seeing a house. No matter how many great features in your
house, potential buyers' eyes are drawn to the negative areas
first. Anxious to protect themselves, buyers are conscientiously
searching for clues to uncover hidden costs and reasons not to buy
your house. One of the seller's first concerns should be to
remove these negatives and doing that may take longer than
expected. Starting a month or two in advance is certainly
not out of the question.
Gathering Up the
Facts . . .
Buyers want to know details and having the answers is a powerful
sales tool for selling your home. Your real estate sales
professional representative will use the information you provide
him to answer questions, create an advantageous listing and devise
a marketing campaign that attracts the right kind of buyer for
your home. |
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Help your sales professional by providing the following information:
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The legal description of the property.
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The number of rooms and their sizes.
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A list of things not attached to the house that you're
offering for sale, such as window treatments, carpet, fixtures,
swing sets, etc.
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Copies of past utility bills, property taxes and
insurance.
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Information about any existing mortgage, including the
type, terms and assumability.
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Any liens against the property.
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If you live in a condominium or a townhouse, include a
copy of the Association's declaration, by-laws, financial statement,
monthly fee's and special assessments.
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Special items or improvements around the house (Point
out things that may not be apparent on a normal walk-through).
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List
the positive points about your neighborhood, such as
demographic information and proximity to services, shopping, schools
and other areas.
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Any defects that aren't apparent (You should inform your
real estate agent about defects so a buyer can be informed).
Remember, as the Seller, you control your home's physical condition
and you set the selling price. However, it is the Buyer who will
actually determine the value of your home based on what he or she is
willing to pay for it. |
