Is selling through a realtor as straightforward as it looks?

Introduction

Once they decide to sell, home sellers everywhere in the US have one thing in common: They want to sell their condo or house fast. Now, when selling traditionally through a realtor, you face a massive challenge, namely:

There’s no such thing as a typical homebuyer! They vary from one another as chalk differs from cheese.

There are many examples:

Unique preferences range from:

• Hardwood floors to modern tiling
• Traditional to contemporary styling
• Muted to bright paintwork

One objective most lifestyle homebuyers share is to do as little work as possible the day they move in. If remodeling is essential, it may be a room here or there but not a whole-house renovation. So, the bottom line is that once you’ve listed your home on the MLS, it competes with many others vying for regional buyers’ attention. Knowing the right spots on the property to remedy and remodel is a challenge. The question is, where do you start and end, and will it pay off when the deal closes? The most significant obstacle in answering this question is reading emotions. Homebuyers can spin-off at ninety degrees because a kitchen looks tired, or rooms are color different. 

Understanding the updates that work with a realtor route is no easy task, but you can’t escape the need to address it. That’s if you want to give your MLS listing a fighting chance. In our view, from years of experience, we recommend the following:

The least expensive and carrying a huge impact is curb appeal.

It hardly fails to create a great first impression before the prospect crosses the threshold. If it looks nice outside, a house will set the tone for the rest of the tour through the interior. The best thing about uplifting your curb appeal is that it’s relatively affordable (versus the interior). In many cases, exterior aesthetics can turn into a costly exercise. For example:

• An unattractive, peeling steel front door that you decide to replace can hit your wallet for $1,800, but it can be a game-changer.
• Garage doors are next in line for similar treatment where you shouldn’t expect change from a $3900 outlay.
• Then there’s landscaping, driveway brickwork, and painting that can tip the scales in your favor.

Updating Your Home’s Interior

Here’s where it gets tricky, as intimated above, without the investment return if miscalculated. If your interior looks jaded and outdated, interested home seekers attracted by your curb appeal may still turn around and leave. Don’t underestimate the emotional tug-of-war that every home creates in the minds of homebuyers. It initiates, possibly, after they’ve seen the competition; or when a family is involved, and the partners can’t agree. Nonetheless, the home’s interior is an essential consideration to home buyers, no matter how you cut it.

• A kitchen revamp can start at $25,000 and go as high as $100,000.
• New cutting-edge appliances alone can seriously dent the bank account.

But make no mistake; the kitchen area is a compelling magnet in any home because it’s where the family congregates every day and doubles up for entertaining friends. It’s an obvious starting point – if you’re taking a disciplined approach. Don’t get carried away by forgetting that the exercise is to sell your home; it’s not to live in. Astutely calculated alterations can make it happen for you; that’s the good news. The bad news is its only half of the story. Here are other redos that may require attention when it comes to speeding up your selling process. They are:

• Re-carpeting or refitting wood flooring.
• Refurbishing the staircase.
• Attending to bathroom repairs and updates.
• Upgrading fireplace stonework.
• Polishing, repainting, and deep-cleaning tarnished areas.

The bottom line is that when you work with a realtor, you should know that they have many houses on their books – perhaps on the same street or in the neighborhood. Single-family and condo agents move along the line of least resistance, putting more effort behind properties likely to sell quicker. Moreover, you’re paying around 6% commission irrespective of where you are on their pecking order.