5 tips 1st time home owners should know about selling their home
Is it time to sell your home or apartment in the U.S.? Where do you start when selling real estate? The most important questions a real estate seller must answer:
By yourself or with the help of a broker (realtor)?
For how much? What is the value, and how do I determine it? How?
How much does it cost to sell real estate, and whose services may be needed?
It is better to entrust the sale of real estate to specialists who have extensive experience and ready-made cases for clients. By constantly monitoring the market, a company such as Christian House Buyers will be able to offer a profitable solution in the shortest time possible.
Prices in today's market allow you to choose an option that is right for you: a house, a villa, a penthouse, a cottage, an apartment. Selling real estate in America is allowed not only to individuals but also to legal entities. It is recommended to resort to the second method, as it will limit the owner's liability if an accident occurs. Now let's move on to some helpful tips.
Tip No. 1: Make your home look marketable
Before selling, it's a good idea to get the home in order, viz:
do a general cleaning;
throw out unnecessary items, remove unnecessary furniture, and make rooms seem larger, and remove family photos and personal items.
hire professionals to fix broken appliances or utilities;
make minor repairs (if needed), such as repainting walls in neutral colors;
tidy up the area around the house.
Don't invest too much money in pre-sale repairs: expensive changes, like installing an extra bathroom and re-roofing, don't always pay for themselves in a sale.
Tip No. 2: Compare the property with similar offers
To get a preliminary idea of how much the property is worth, it is recommended to look at similar options on real estate portals and subtract from the average price of about 5% (given that many properties are sold at a discount). Thus, the owner may learn an approximate price and decide for himself whether he is willing to sell on such terms. Next, a real estate agency or appraisal company will give a more accurate estimate of the property.
Tip No. 3: Plan for related expenses
The property seller pays capital gains tax and may also incur expenses for realtor, attorney, and notary fees. If the seller plans to buy another property right away, it's worth calculating the amount of expenses in advance to see if there's enough money for the new purchase.
Tip No. 4: Get professional photos
Before you advertise the property, the owner should make sure that the agency will take pictures. In most cases, the realtor himself will not take high-quality photos. Typically, large agencies work with professional photographers.
Photos are a must. According to a study by Paul Ernesto Carrillo, an economist at George Washington University, the lack of photos reduces the property's price and delays the sale. Conversely, adding 10 photos can increase the sale price by 1.7%.
Tip No. 5: Serve ads for sale
According to the National Association of Realtors, three-quarters of buyers start their home search online. So, in most cases, it's worth advertising a property online unless you're talking about an ultra-expensive, exclusive property that's being sold off-market.
