Frequently Asked Questions When Selling a Home
These frequently asked questions when selling a home include the top ten concerns of home sellers. Answers to home seller questions from Denver metro area realtor Sam Wilson are here. Selling a home doesn’t have to be a stressful experience if you choose a knowledgeable realtor.
Home sellers fret about the extra work and effort that it may take to sell a home that needs a few repairs. Concerns exist about timing—how fast will a home sell—pricing, buying a replacement, and more. Check out this list of the top ten frequently asked questions when selling a home in the Denver metro area and throughout the United States.
1 How Fast Will My Home Sell
Home seller questions include how fast will my home sell? If a home is priced right in a best-case situation, the house should be under contract within the first two to three weeks and on the way to a closing.
Home sellers who overprice their homes or a realtor who sold a seller on pricing a home above market rates may have a house that sits on the market. The downside of pricing above the real estate market is that other homes in your neighborhood may sell first. Buyers coming into the market may wonder what’s wrong with your house.
The best advice for this frequently asked question about selling a house is to plan for your home to sell quickly. Depending on the buyer’s payment source, a closing may happen within a few weeks or up to two months or more, depending on timelines.
Pricing your home correctly means that your home will sell quickly. Create a plan so that you have the option to move quickly and establish your new residence.
2 What Price Will I Get for My Home
How much can I sell my home for is another of the top frequently asked questions when selling a home in the Denver metro area and anywhere in the United States? If you wonder what your metro Denver area home might sell for, request a no-obligation home value price report.
The price that a home sells for depends on many factors that include the home’s condition, comparable home sales in the area, and the attractiveness of the area. For example, home buyers with children may be interested in a home in an excellent school district. Empty nesters may want to be near recreation areas.
Hiring a realtor who will complete a thorough home value price report is essential to understanding the price range in which your home might sell. In addition to pricing a home right, having a realtor who is an expert real estate negotiator will result in home sellers getting a full or above price offer if you live in a competitive real estate market.
Hiring an experienced real estate agent with the negotiating skills to close deals offers peace of mind to home sellers who might worry about what happens if an offer falls through. When interviewing your realtor, you can learn the questions to ask by requesting this FREE Report. This report includes questions that most home sellers might not ask that are valuable in selecting the best real estate agent to sell your home.
3 What Happens if An Offer Falls Through or a Contract Fails to Close
Another of the frequently asked questions when selling a home is what happens if an offer falls through? There are two parts to this answer. The first involves the ability of a seller’s agent to move an offer to contract status
Not all real estate agents have prior sales experience. This means that not all real estate agents know how to negotiate deals when a buyer makes an offer that isn’t quite right but may be close. An experienced real estate seller’s agent negotiates with the buyer’s agent to explain the counter-offer’s financial reasoning.
The other risk of selling a home is rarely disclosed to home sellers. This risk exists when your seller’s agent is dealing with an inexperienced buyer’s agent. A buyer’s agent who lacks experience and real estate negotiation skills to educate a buyer about a counteroffer is another reason that an offer can fall through.
Sam Wilson is a real estate negotiator who moves to under contract status and closes deals even when other potential issues, like inspections, arise that might allow a home buyer to back out of a real estate deal. Let’s talk about home inspections and home repairs as next on the list of home seller questions.
4 Is Making Home Repairs Really Necessary
Home sellers will ask about the degree of home repairs necessary to sell a home. The answer to this question depends on the interest and financial ability of a home seller to make repairs to increase the sale price of the home. Small cosmetic updates like paint and flooring may be easy to make.
If a home has substantial issues like foundation repairs or needs a new roof, these costs may be over and above what a home seller can complete for repairs. In this case, an experienced realtor can educate a home seller on a reduced price to accommodate for repairs that the buyer will have to make to a home.
Selling a home that needs repairs may not be as difficult as you think in a hot real estate market. Check out the blog post How to Sell a House That Needs Repairs for more on this subject.
5 Is Leaving the Home for Tours and Showings Necessary
Another central point of stress expressed by home sellers is leaving the home for tours and showings. While this can be an inconvenience if children and pets are in the house, leaving for tours and showings allows a buyer a non-rushed visit.
The longer a buyer spends in your home, or the sooner a buyer returns for a second visit, the more likely your home will sell quickly. Returning to the idea of price, if you and your realtor price your home to sell, the inconvenience of leaving your home for tours and showings may be only for a short period of time—two to three weeks.
While this may seem like an eternity, making it easy for buyers to see your home will result in your home selling quickly and for more money. It’s also important to be proactive in searching for your next home while your home is listed for sale.
6 Does Curb Appeal Really Matter
Curb appeal matters! If a home buyer isn’t attracted to the exterior of your home, a drive-by instead of a showing may be all your home receives. Tidy up your yard, make sure the sidewalks are swept, and the entryway appealing.
Add other small touches like a planter box in the summer or a door wreath in the winter. The more welcoming your home’s outside appearance, the more attractive it will be to home buyers.
7 Is Spring and Summer the Right Time to Sell a Home
While the old wisdom about selling a home claims that spring and summer is the best time to sell a home there really is no best season. Home buyers who need more space because of growing families or who want to be near family don’t wait for a particular time of year to make these changes. The seventh question frequently asked questions when selling a home—is now a good time to sell a house?
Anytime you are interested in selling your home, provided you have taken all of the steps to prepare your home, is the right time to sell your home. If you are thinking about selling your home, if possible, begin planning twelve months in advance so that you don’t feel rushed. Select a realtor who is willing to work with you to discuss potential repairs and other things you can do to make your home sell quickly and for full price.
8 What Extra Things Can I Do to Attract Home Buyers
Home seller etiquette is a new term that means extra things that home sellers can do to attract home buyers. Because this is an important topic, you might want to request a copy of our FREE Home Seller Etiquette Tips Report that gives specifics steps for what home sellers can do to attract home buyers when a house is on the market.
9 Where Will I Live If My Home Sells Before I Have Another Home Purchased
Home sellers who have realistic conversations with their real estate seller’s agent about the timing of a sale of a home can be searching for their next home at the same time. If a cash buyer makes an offer with a short time frame, an expert real estate negotiator can negotiate a “rent-back.”
A rent-back allows the sale of your home to close. You receive the funds needed to purchase your next home while you can continue to live in the home for another 30 days or more. Home sellers who discuss concerns about the timing of the sale of a home and buying a new home can receive a favorable response from a home buyer when your realtor presents this request as an essential part of accepting an offer to sell your home.
10 Are There Any Quick and Easy Tips for Selling a Home
There are hundreds of tips for selling a home. Some tips like completing minor home repairs or improving your home’s curb appeal may be easy and low cost. The best recommendation is to consult an experienced realtor who will visit your home and make specific recommendations that may include home staging. For more information and tips for home sellers, visit our FREE reports page.
The best way to have a stress-free real estate experience when selling a home is to plan early. Establish a relationship with an experienced and knowledgeable realtor who will be with you for the long run selling your home and helping you buy your next forever home.
Thinking about Buying or Selling a Home?
Are you thinking about buying a home in Lakewood Colorado, or the Denver Metro Area? Get expert real estate advice when house hunting for homes for sale in Lakewood CO, Jefferson County, and the Denver metro area. Work with a buyer’s agent on the Sam Wilson Home Selling Team. If you are thinking of buying or selling a home, we make you a priority and share our expertise to make the home buying or selling process as stress-free as possible.
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The Sam Wilson Home Selling Team specializes in homes in Lakewood CO, and Jefferson County Colorado, including Arvada, Aspen Park, Conifer, Edgewater, Evergreen, Genesee, Golden, Idledale, Indian Hills, Ken Caryl, Kittredge, Lakeside, Lakewood, Littleton, Morrison, Mountain View, West Pleasant View, and Wheat Ridge.
© 2020 Sam Wilson All Rights Reserved. All Articles by Pamela D. Wilson MS, BS/BA