On The Mark

It has been a long time since I updated this site but it has also been 10 fast paced months.  In March we quickly placed our house in Georgia under contract.  It was a breeze to show the house (although it was a busy time) and it did not take much to get a contract.  Many people made offers on the house and most wanted to bid low and work their way up expecting us to give in at any moment.  Well, we held out for a strong near asking price and closed things out in April.  Here is what we learned.

1.  You should keep your house in good condition so that it won’t take long to prepare to sell.  Our house was like a showcase house and all the potential buyers were impressed.  Buyers commented that they had seen many homes that were poorly kept and really turned them off.

2.  You CAN sell the house yourself.  A great house WILL attract lots of buyers AND realtors with their customers.  If you know what is involved in preparing a contract, and it is not really a lot of work, you can sell a house like you sell a car.  You simply need to know what you will negotiate, have your disclosures in order and available, make copies of utility bills available, and have a flyer about the house handy.  Then work with your listing people or lawyer to get the contract signed.  I am probably missing a few things but my point is that selling is simple.

3.  Make sure buyers are really buyers and not just lookers.  You don’t need to waste your time.  It is your house so don’t let just anyone look at it but make sure they have a bank letter saying they qualify as a buyer.

4.  Protect your valuables when showing your home.  You don’t have to let buyers out of your sight as they tour your home.  We had no problem with this but you should be away of potential problems.  Even those touring your home with a realtor could take small items.

5.  Be prepared to point out issues you have had with your home or that currently exist.  People appreciate honesty and inspectors will discover problems…at least they should!  Some of those issues will be selling points such as a new roof, new heaters, or repairs that lead to upgrades.

6.  Don’t trust buyer realtors are being open and honest with you.  Buyer representatives are not there to help you or protect you in the sale.  I had a few who were rather deceptive and even got upset when I would not respond to their ‘low ball’ offers.  There is nothing that says you have to respond to offers that realtors know are not in the price range.  A good buyer representative/realtor will work well with you and you will know it.

7.  Be prepared to move quicker than you think you might need to move.  Buyers want in soon.  They often have time constraints on their rental agreements.  The biggest problem we had was arranging the moving company while making sure the closing happened as planned.