You may have read that summer is a great time to find a buyer if you are looking to sell your home! Ask any real estate agent, though, and we will tell you that ANY time is the right time to sell your home. There is some truth to the conventional wisdom that summer is the best time to sell, and especially so if you happen to be selling in a suburban setting.
The reason for that, of course, is because families like to move over the summer and get their children settled before the school year begins. Knowing what a hot topic the summer selling season is, we have compiled our best seven tips to consider when choosing the right listing agent to sell what is most likely your largest asset.
Pricing tips
When shopping for agents, ask what their proposed listing price would be. Be careful not to sign with a listing agent based on their amenability to list the price at the absolute top of the market. Price your house to sell and understand the reasoning and marketing analysis behind the proposed listing price. No one wants to list their home so high that there is no activity for the first 30 days, and then be forced to reduce the listing!
Neighborhood Experience
Is your agent a local expert with experience selling other homes in your neighborhood? Being successful with home sales can be a very local, niche, networking based business that can be very difficult for agents who do not live in the community themselves.
Availability of Listing Agent
Real estate selling agents should work their jobs full-time. The reason for that is because you want your agent available whenever the buyer calls to show your home without any other competing job conflicts!
Sales Experience of Listing Agent
Ask your prospective agent how many houses they sold in the last year. Find out what the typical price range for those houses were. Most importantly, also be sure to ask your listing agent for data about the difference in listing price and the actual sales price for the transactions they sold.
Match Listing Agents with Your Type of Property
Make a perfect match by finding a real estate listing agent who has experience with your type of transaction and type of property being sold. For instance, if you are looking to sell your starter home which also happens to be a condominium, your best match would probably be a listing agent who specializes in condominiums with experience selling to first-time home buyers.
Marketing Plan
Find out how your agent will handle marketing your property and ask about the advertising budget. Part of that plan will be decisions regarding any repairs or cosmetic issues that should be completed prior to listing the house for sale. Does your potential agent have experience in staging and creating a welcoming environment for the buyers?
Communication Plan
Find out the nuts and bolts of how the listing agent will keep in touch with you. Your communication and personal preferences might be hands-off or completely involved with the entire transaction. Do you want your listing agent to call, email, or text you on a regular basis to advise you of activity towards a sale? Do you want to know every time someone sees your home, with feedback on what they said as they were walking through, or do you just want communications when your agent has an offer to present to you? Agree on how often you want to stay in touch in the beginning, and both of you can maintain that expectation throughout the transaction without any misunderstandings.
I am a Savannah native and local real-estate expert in Bryan County (particularly in Richmond Hill, Georgia). I recognize that getting top-market value for your home in the quickest amount of time possible is your ultimate goal when looking to sell. I look forward to hearing from you to discuss your future home sale. Please call (912-441-3053) or email me today to discuss what you are looking for in a new home!
