Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What Do I Need to Do to Prepare My Home for Sale?
A. Every home is different and the approach I recommend for each home is different as well. Much depends on your goals. If you are looking to achieve the best price, I often will recommend updates that will make your home shine to it’s brightest potential such as fresh paint, flooring, modern updates that appeal to the modern buyer, landscaping and some very tasteful staging. If getting your home on the market quickly is a goal, my recommendations tend to be more focused on getting the home cleaned and ready to show. I will work with each homeowner individually and put together a plan that meets your budget and schedule.
Q. What Do You as the Realtor® Do and What Am I Responsible For?
A. Many of my clients will hand me the keys and then meet me at the closing table. You as the home seller will be involved in every decision from selecting each and every vendor from a list of my suggestions, color and finish choices to the website I will develop for you to market the home. Many of my sellers at the end of the sale will tell me how easy the process was and how happy they were with the final outcome. The most important part of the process that I will carefully inform a seller is in regards to disclosure. There are a variety of forms that sellers are required to complete that disclose important facts about the home. Starting early to pull together a list of repairs and upgrades made to the home can come in handy when we sit down and review the disclosure forms.
Q. What Price Shall We List Our Home for and What Do You Expect It Will Sell For?
A. First, the list price and the final sales price can vary. This happens because we have the luxury (currently) to be in a home seller’s market. There are currently more buyer’s of homes in our market than we have availability inventory. When this happens, often times multiple buyers may be interested in your home. Just before we go on the market, we will sit down and review the homes that have recently sold in your neighborhood to determine the best price to list your home for sale. I recommend taking into consideration the home’s current condition as well as any attributes that may make your home stand out from other homes. Your home may have a new kitchen or a view of the Bay or inversely, your neighbors home may have the view whereas yours does not.
Q. When Is the Best Time to List My Home?
A. It has been known that our market has peak seasons and low seasons. Seasons where our buyer pools are little more shallow than other seasons. Another luxury that we share is that there are almost always interested buyers at all times of the year. There is a known fact that just after Super Bowl our Spring market kicks off and a flood of inventory hits the market. Something to think about is whether you want to be included in that “flood” or come on the market just before or after a bunch of other choices have hit the market.
Q. How Will My Home Be Marketed?
A. I develop a plan that is unique to every home. My first goal is to work with a home seller to figure out who our target buyer is. The buyer profile is usually very similar to a home’s current buyer. When you bought your home, there were probably other very similar buyers that were interested in the same home. I develop a plan using traditional, digital and social media tools to reach who I feel that target buyer is. From developing highly targeted and packed open houses, to carefully designing gorgeous marketing materials geared towards engaging our potential buyer and enticing them to seek more information - my market plan is a constant evaluation. I am updating and enhancing it as we go so that the words I use to market and the photos I use for advertising perform best.