Sellers
Planning to Sell Your Home?
It used to be that the best time to market your home was in the spring or summer, and, to some extent, that is still true. Warm weather and May flowers bring out buyers who are waiting until the end of the school year to move, or who don't want to be bothered packing and moving boxes in the middle of winter.
Having said that, the slogan, "the best time to market your home is now," is also true. Increasingly savvy internet buyers are looking at homes all year round and will purchase when they see the right home, regardless of the season. In addition, corporate relocations, military reassignments, and changing family circumstances swell the pool of available buyers even during non-traditional buying times. Interest rates continue to remain low, another incentive for purchasers to look at your home.
The first step in marketing your home is to get a Competitive Market Analysis (CMA). This free service gives you a snapshot of your home's estimated current market value when compared to other homes in your area presently on the market and/or recently sold. A CMA allows you a clearer picture of your overall financial situation regarding how you will use the sale proceeds, whether to purchase another home or vacation property, fund a child's college education, help a relative into an assisted living situation, take an extended trip, or other purpose.
If you're interested in a no-pressure, no-obligation CMA I will be delighted to refer you to a knowledgable local agent.
Don't let weather or time of year get in the way of selling your home.
Listing Agreements
When you decide to sell your home, you will sign some form of a listing agreement. Simply put, a listing agreement is an employment contract between you, the seller, and the real estate company that you have selected to market your home. In a listing agreement, you allow the company, through your real estate professional, to coordinate the sale of your home.
A listing agreement will contain certain terms, such as the length of time the listing agreement will run, the advertising options such as a multiple listing service, open houses, print ads, virtual tours, etc.; the broker's fee, which can be distributed in as many as four ways between the selling broker/agent and the buying broker/agent; personal property to be included or excluded from the sale, etc.
Although there are several types of listing agreements, the one most commonly used and which provides the best service for the seller is the "exclusive right to sell" brokerage agreement. This type of agreement puts the full effort of the real estate brokerage and its many agents to work for you, the seller. Remember to carefully review each section of the listing agreement with your agent before signing it.
