Top 5 Seller FAQ
Top 5 FAQ From Prospective Sellers If you have been on the fence in regards to potentially selling your home, now would be a great time to hop off and get that sign in the yard! Here are the top 5 questions I receive from sellers, along with my best advice. 1) When is the best time of year to list my home? Contrary to what most people believe, I recommend listing in February or March. This is a great time to beat the competition to the market, but serious buyers have already amped up their search! In Wisconsin we benefit from having snow cover; This makes one less thing to worry about when marketing your home! Everybody else’s yard is covered with snow as well! For those sellers that have a beautiful landscape they want to show off, and benefit from the added value, having seasonal photos ready for your Realtor to use in marketing is beneficial. That being said – inventory is low NOW so if you are eager to list – do not wait until next winter. 2) Is June or July too late to list? No. There are pros and cons to listing every time of year. Keep in mind that in Franklin, where a lot of families are moving in to benefit from our school system, the market does slow down in August, due that the fact that families are already preparing for the next school year. The sooner you list in summer, the better off you are. 3) What repairs and updates should I make to my home before listing? Most Full Service Realtors will offer a consultation at no cost in regards to specific items on your “to do” list. I recommend that if you have a “to do” list, get it taken care of before listing. Otherwise it becomes the buyer’s list and will be reflected in the offer you receive. Your goal should be to eliminate as many objections as you can so you can appeal to the most amount of buyers. I do not typically recommend doing a complete remodel just to sell your property. Price your home appropriately given it’s attributes in comparison to others that are similar and have it in the best condition. This could end up saving you money and definitely a lot of time. 4) What should I do with the bedrooms and family room that have the dark outdated paneling? That’s an easy one – paint it. Nobody likes that answer, but it works! Buyers are window shoppers. They look at the photos online and they look at the price. Hopefully you will be listing your home with a Full Service Realtor who utilizes a professional photographer. Your photos will look top notch and capture that buyer sometimes before they even walk in the door. Painted paneling will certainly photograph better than the dark paneling. 5) It’s a Seller’s market, shouldn’t I take the chance of listing For Sale By Owner? I understand that viewpoint, but the research shows that you will sell your home for more money by listing with a Full Service Realtor because your home will get more visibility and be more in demand. You eliminate your opportunity for taking advantage of the seller’s market by not having the exposure and marketing expertise of the right Realtor. The majority of buyers in Wisconsin work with a designated Buyer’s Agent which means even if they see a For Sale By Owner and are interested, they will be seeing it with their agent and will want you to compensate them, but now – you’ve lost the opportunity for other Buyer’s Agents to show and sell your property because you were not listed where all buyers are searching. I hope this answers some of those burning questions for you!