The big decision is made: this house is going on the market! What’s the first thing to do? Call me, of course!
Thinking that, if you’re selling a house you’ll also need to buy one, there are four pieces of information we need initially: net proceeds from the sale of your current house (market analysis), where you want the price range of the new home to be (what you qualify for/downpayment), are you happy with what’s in that price range, and how do you want the transition to look. Given that you’re happy with the answers to those questions, let’s get started!
The perfect goal is to make the transition a smooth one, from one house to the other. Is this always possible? No, but it’s the perfect goal for a lot of people and, for the most part, we can make it work. Sometimes the move demands a little more flexibility (I once had to rent an apartment for a month; it worked).
What sells houses? Price and condition sell houses and the Seller has control of both.
Guided by the market, setting a price for your house that comes close to market generates the most interest and therefore the most offers. The idea that a lot of leeway in price is required for negotiation is just that, an idea. A well-priced, well-presented house will sell at or very close to list price in less time than one that has a lot of cushion in the price for would-be Buyers to bargain away. Buyers and their agents have a very clear idea of market value, since they’re the ones out there looking at all the comparables. We don’t want them using yours as a poster child for overpricing!
Note that I use the word ‘house’ to describe the one you’re selling and ‘home’ for the purchase. I find this helps Sellers become emotionally detached from their current home and allow it to be a commodity, priced and presented for sale. Here’s a great website for tips on presentation. This lady is the tops in her profession of Staging. I took her two-day class in 2005 and had a blast learning a lot about presentation.
As a client once signed off “With our hopes up and our toilet seats down!
