Thursday, July 11, 2019 / by Brooke Cole
Five Things to Consider When Selling Your Home
Are you considering selling your home? While we would all like to believe that placing our home up for sale is as simple as finding the perfect agent, agreeing on a price, and sitting back while offers roll in that just simply isn't the case. If you are ready to list your home here are the 5 most important things to consider according to realtor.com before taking the plunge.
First can you actually afford to sell your home? In theory after you list your home, offers pour in, it sells, and you collect a check. However in most cases there will be some work needed before you can list your property. Landscaping your property can cost an average of $3,000 up front, but it may increase your property value up to 12%. Once all of the hard work is finished having professional pictures taken is often suggested, so that your listing will stand out among the others in the area. After investing in landscaping, our team takes care of that cost of getting professional pictures taken of your home.
First can you actually afford to sell your home? In theory after you list your home, offers pour in, it sells, and you collect a check. However in most cases there will be some work needed before you can list your property. Landscaping your property can cost an average of $3,000 up front, but it may increase your property value up to 12%. Once all of the hard work is finished having professional pictures taken is often suggested, so that your listing will stand out among the others in the area. After investing in landscaping, our team takes care of that cost of getting professional pictures taken of your home.
Once you decide you can afford to list your home, then you will need to decide what you want to disclose to potential buyers. As a rule of thumb when it comes to disclosures, more is more. You may want to disclose any known facts about the physical condition of your home especially if it is something that was recently repaired. Buyers tend to feel more secure when they know what the condition of the property is, and when things were replaced or repaired.
The third thing that should be considered is the home inspection. It is typical for potential buyers to include an inspection in their offer, you may want to have a "pre-inspection" done on your home. Having a pre-inspection will give you the opportunity to fix any major problems BEFORE listing your home. It will also assist in deciding what things to disclose to potential buyers. One thing to remember is that even if you do have a pre-inspection done, a potential buyer may still ask for a home inspection in their offer.
Keep in mind that most buyers will know with in moments of walking through your door, if your home is the right fit for them. Knowing which areas of your home get the most attention will be key to helping a potential buyer visualize a life in your home. Here in Cape Coral, the areas that get the most attention are the lanai, pool deck, and the kitchen.
The final thing to consider when selling your home is what items you are willing to leave behind. We typically advise our clients to remove anything that they do not want to part with when showing their home. That way a potential buyer will not expect it to be transferred with the home. The choice is yours, but a major plus for buyers is if you are willing to leave all appliances, in addition to any light fixtures when it is sold.
