Do you plan to sell your home? If yes, then now time to start the real work: find a listing agency. What is a listing agency?
Listing agents, also known as seller’s agents (not to confuse with selling agents, who represent buyers), work almost exclusively for home sellers. Your agent can help you with staging and marketing, as well as pricing your home. Your agent will make sure that your home is listed in a Multiple Listing Service (MLS). The MLS is a database of homes that are for sale. It distributes these houses to other agents. This is a great way to put your house in front of buyers’ agents.
Dual agents are agents who represent both the buyer and seller. Research the laws of your state for more information. Dual agents are preferred by some sellers because they can result in a faster closing and require less negotiation. However, if you end up having your agent represent both the seller and buyer there could be a conflict of interest. If this happens, the dual agent will not have to split commissions, and it is possible to negotiate lower fees. You can choose to hire a dual agent, but you should ask agents about this when you interview them.
What You Need To Do Before You Sell Your Home
When you hire a listing agent in Myrtle Beach to sell your house, they will take the lead in marketing it and ensuring that the home is sold as quickly as possible for the highest price. Your agent might recommend other professionals such as a home stager, a professional photographer, an expert contractor who can make repairs, and a real-estate attorney.
You have done your research, reviewed your finances, and selected the best agent. It’s now time to sell your home! First, how is your house looking? When was the last moment you viewed your home critically? Walk around your home, and then go through every room. Try to imagine how a prospective buyer would see your home. If you are selling your house, it is important to make sure that as many people as possible can see the home. Depersonalizing and decluttering your home, as well as using neutral colors for paint and making basic repairs, may be required. You don’t need potential buyers to feel as if they’re guests in your home. Instead, you want them able to envision themselves living in it. This is easier to achieve if your house doesn’t have family photos and your great-grandmother’s things throughout.
Clean and Declutter Your House
You’ll need to declutter, organize and clean your home before you can determine what you want to do. It’s best to keep only the essential furniture, appliances, and decorations while your home is in the marketplace. You can store and pack some items, and then sell them at a garage or online market.
If you have lived in the same house for a long time, you may be surprised by how much stuff you have accumulated. You will be forced to examine those cabinets that are hard to reach, as well as the crawlspace, garage, and basement corners. Get a headstart on cleaning (and inspecting) these areas.
When you are going through your items, resist the temptation to hold onto something because it brings back memories. Is it really something you want in your home if it has been sitting on a basement shelf for years with no one taking notice? Will it be displayed prominently, or will it again end up forgotten on a bookcase? Are you willing to carry it, pack it, and then unpack it? Add it to the sell or donation pile if it’s not.
Get a storage unit for all your possessions to keep them safe while you are selling your house. You will have more space and can start your move earlier.
Making Home Repairs
Allow yourself enough time to complete repairs, store and pack personal items, and stage your home. You may want to begin the work on your home well in advance of putting it on the market, depending on how much you need to do. If you plan to sell your house in the spring, it may be a good idea to start some outdoor projects before the cold weather sets in.
Talk to your agent before you do any major renovations. Your agent will tell you whether an upgrade is worthwhile or not. You may think that a newly renovated kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances will be a big selling point in your area, but it may not. Since your agent has never lived in the house, they will likely notice things that you have forgotten about, like the stain on a basement ceiling or the cracked tile in the kitchen. Here are some basic repairs that you may need to make, even though every house is unique.
What is the condition of your carpet? Does the carpet look dirty or stained? Consider replacing the older carpet. Consider removing all carpeting if there is hardwood flooring underneath.
Paint your walls in neutral and warm colors such as beige. Paint the walls of your children’s bedrooms if they are painted in a bright color. The home buyer may also have children, but they might prefer something different. You want the home buyer to visualize their space, so don’t fill it with other people’s personalities and styles.
Ceiling: Consider removing textured ceilings. It’s not only messy but also time-consuming. Consult with a professional if you plan to do the job yourself to ensure you don’t release asbestos.
Renovations to the kitchen can be expensive. New cabinets, new appliances, and new faucets will impress buyers. Speak to your agent to find out how much you can do without going overboard. Avoid dripping taps and an old or worn-out look.
Bathroom: The bathroom is the most important part of the house. Fix any leaks in showerheads and faucets, just as you would do in the kitchen. Replace any tiles or glass with lime deposits. The bathroom can be made to feel bigger by painting it a light color.
Roof: If you need to replace your roof, some potential buyers will pass your house up. Re-shingling it now is a good idea.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of curb appeal. You want to make a good first impression on your potential buyers. Fill in any cracks on the driveway. Trim back overgrown shrubbery. Paint the porch railings or fence if necessary. Consider getting new knobs and lock for the front door.
If you are not aware of any major structural issues with your house, the majority of updates you will want to make prior to putting it on the market will be cosmetic. It’s all about creating a good first impression. After the inspection, you’ll likely have to make additional repairs. You can still take action now, even though the inspector may find problems you didn’t notice. Check that the air conditioning and heating systems, as well as any other appliances, are working properly.
home for sale
How to Stage Your Home
You want to declutter and clean your house, but you do not want to leave it completely empty. This will make it look smaller. Furniture strategically placed will give buyers an idea of the size of a room and help them imagine themselves living in it.
Consider hiring a professional home stager to maximize the space in your house. Real estate experts say that professionally staged houses sell more quickly and at higher prices. Statisticians have found that 95 percent of professionally staged houses sell in less than 11 days and for 17 percent more than homes that are not staged.
Home staging is a small cost compared to selling a house in Myrtle Beach, but there are many upfront costs. You can save money by staging your home yourself. Just remember to remove as much personal property as possible. For each room, aim to have one piece of furniture and an accent piece. Allow plenty of room around furniture to allow home buyers to easily move around.
Remove or secure any valuables while you are at them. You’re being extra cautious, but you don’t need to lose anything important or expensive. You should require a password on your computer and remove all mail that may contain credit card or banking information.
What to expect when selling your home
You should have asked about the marketing plan of your agent when you met them for the first time. All agents should be prepared with a plan that includes social media and a budget for advertising. A stager or photographer may be included in the budget. Be sure that your agent uses 360-degree and drone videos as well as photographs. Homes with poor imagery will be less attractive to buyers online, where the majority of home purchases begin.
Prepare for the Sale
You’ll have to leave your house in a few months or days, depending on how quickly you sell. You should start planning for this, especially if your home is in a high-demand real estate market. Don’t be caught without a plan of exit. Consider the following:
Utility providers: The new buyer of your home will want to move in as soon as they can. They’ll need water and electricity. Before closing, the buyers may request a list to transfer utilities.
Check your insurance policy before you move out. Insurance companies do not like vacant homes, so you may be penalized if you leave before the new owner takes possession. Insure all expensive items that you will be moving. Consider having the items appraised if you’re not sure of their value. This will ensure you receive the right coverage. Many insurance policies limit coverage for property that is in transit. It might not be covered if the movers leave an expensive piece in the driveway.
Mortgage: Make sure all of your paperwork is in order and that you have sorted out your mortgage. You should let your mortgage company know if you are selling and purchasing at the same time so that they can help you time out the transaction. You can borrow money against the proceeds of your sale if necessary.
Get Organized
It can be a hectic process to sell a home. You have a lot to do, starting with cleaning and repairs to getting your home photographed and marketed. Then there are showings and offers. Get organized now before the chaos begins. Be sure to have your title, deed, and survey of the property. This paperwork will save you time in the future. Title and deed documents are what make you a legal owner of a property. The size of your home is determined by the survey.
These documents are available to the mortgage company if you still owe money. You should have received them if your mortgage has been paid. You may be able to get copies of them from the county records office if you cannot find them. It is possible that someone else holds the deed for your house, and this could explain why you haven’t received it. It’s best to know now, rather than later.
When selling a house, things rarely go as planned. Plan B is a good idea (or even C, D, and E). What if, for example, you list your house and it sells in a week or less? When will your new home be completed? Where will you stay in the interim if your new home is not ready? What if, on the other hand, your home is listed for a much longer period of time than you anticipated? Will you move out of your house and leave it vacant or will you stay? You could lose the chance to sell your new house if you don’t comply with the conditions of the contingency clause. You won’t be surprised if things don’t work out as planned if you know what to do. It’s now time to list your home!
Call Full Potential Real Estate, LLC now if you’re looking for a listing agent in Myrtle Beach to help you sell your home.
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Full Potential Real Estate, LLC
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
843-236-0203
http://fullpotentialrealestate.com
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