How much is my home worth?
It's critical to price your home right in relationship to the current real estate market and to the conditions prevailing in your local marketplace.
If you want to sell quickly, you may want to set your price lower. If the time it takes to sell your home is not that important then you may be able to establish a higher list price.
To get the most accurate estimate of how much you should list your property for, ask your Coldwell Banker Barbara Sue Seal Properties agent to provide you with a Comparative market analysis - an informal estimate of market value. A comparative market analysis takes into account many aspects of your home, including size, features, and annual costs associated with your home, as well as known or market enhancing repairs and improvements. You will also receive information on recently sold, and listed comparable homes currently for sale in similar market areas.
For a free comparative market analysis, contact Roianne
When is the best time to sell?
Any time of the year is the right time, if you want to or need to move. There are advantages and disadvantages to listing and selling at any specific time. In addition to supply and demand and other economic factors, the time of year you choose to sell will have effects. Generally there are more homes on the market as early as February, with the strongest selling season usually lasting through May and June.
With the onset of summer, fewer homes are listed, making it a good time to list because there are more buyers and fewer homes for sale. Listing activity picks again in the Fall when there tends to be more available.
Sellers often wonder whether or not they should take their homes off the market for the holidays. Generally speaking, you'll have the best results if your house is available to show to prospective buyers continuously until it sells. After all, the holiday season is a wonderful time to show your home while it's filled with the sights and smells of the season.
To assist you in deciding exactly when to sell your home, take these things into consideration:
Sell your home before you buy a new home.
- Pro-You'll know exactly how much you have to spend on your new home because you'll already have the earnings from selling your present home.
- Con-The home of your dreams may not be on the market right now and you could be forced to a move several times.
Buy a home before you sell your home.
- Pro-You'll have found your perfect home, and you can put your existing house up for sale.
- Con-You won't know exactly what your net proceeds are until you sell your home. You also won't know how long it will take to sell your home. Make sure your agent assists you by pricing your home competitively. You'll also need to discuss with your agent the special financing options available to you if you wait to sell your home.
Buy a home contingent upon the sale of your home.
- Pro-In this scenario, you are not obligated to buy the house you've found unless you sell your house.
- Cons-You are never certain whether that dream home is really yours until your have an acceptable offer on your existing home AND it is closed. Also, you tend to lose your negotiating power as a buyer in this scenario.
Preparing to Sell
When first impressions count the most
There's no need to spend a ton of money remodeling your home before you sell. A few key improvements could significantly increase your selling price and make for a faster home sale.
Curb Appeal
- Keep your front entrance well-maintained
- Repaint your front door
- Repaint or replace door hardware
- Repaint or replace house numbers to make them easy to see
- Repaint the mailbox
- Make sure the doorbell works
- Repaint or replace stair railings
- Do a little landscaping
- Garden beds need to be well defined and freshly mulched
- Keep the lawn edged, cut and watered regularly
- Trim hedges, weed lawns and flowerbeds, and prune trees
- Add a few showy annuals, perhaps in pots, near the front entrance
- Take care of other exterior features
- Check the foundation, steps, walkways, walls and patios for cracks and crumbling
- Inspect doors and windows for peeling paint; keep the windows clean and free of spider webs and vines
- Clean, align and secure the gutters
- Inspect and clean the chimney
- Keep shutters in good condition, freshly painted and hung straight
- Repair or replace loose or damaged roof shingles
- Repair or repaint loose siding and caulking
- Keep the garage door closed
Walk into Something Wonderful
- Give every room in the house a thorough cleaning. Wash the windows inside and out, clean the carpets and wash the walls.
- If the walls and carpet are especially dingy or brightly colored, repaint or re-carpet with a neutral shade, such as off-white or beige.
- Get rid of the clutter and make your house appear bigger and brighter.
- Rent a storage unit
- Have a garage sale!
- Donate your excess "stuff" to charity
- Repair cracks, holes or damage to plaster, wallboard, wallpaper, paint and tiles
- Replace broken or cracked windowpanes, moldings, and other woodwork
- Inspect and repair the plumbing, heating , cooling, and alarm systems
- Repair dripping faucets and showerheads
- Re-caulk bathroom shower or tub if necessary
- Spruce up a kitchen or bathroom with new cabinet knobs, curtains and towels
- Repair anything that could be construed as dry rot
- Repair a leaking roof or wet basement
- Make sure every electrical outlet and light switch is in working order
Replace all lightbulbs with the maximum wattage bulb permissible. Light sells!
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