All About Selling a Home
"Helping you to make the right decision when buying or selling a home"
by email:
by phone:
815-381-6850
toll free:
800-666-3530
ext. 6850
by fax:
815-381-1109
by mail:
Bill Marek
Dickerson & Nieman, Realtors
6277 E. Riverside Blvd.
Rockford, IL 61114
Have you searched for properties in your area that are currently for sale so you can compare your home with others on the market?
Homer the Search Hound can make this an easy task and keep you updated as comparable homes in your selected area come on the market.
And, you can use Homer to help in your search for your next home as well. Just enter your search criteria and Homer will keep you updated with the latest information as it becomes available.
Homer will save you time, and you will get the latest information with automatic updates.
For a professional comparative market value analysis of your home email or call 815-381-6850
There's more to it than placing a sign in the yard and waiting for the right buyer to come along and make an offer on your home.
Seven ways to a smoother,
faster home sale
1. Find out about current market conditions, other homes like yours that may
have come on the market recently, how many homes comparable to yours have been sold recently, how long has it been taking to sell, how close is
the sale price to the list price. Examining comparable listing and sale
information will help you to determine if your price is right to achieve a
sale in the time frame you need. If a house sparkles, if it is looking as
good as possible, if it shows really well, sellers will get the best price
for their home in the shortest amount of time. Your agent can be invaluable
during this home selling process and will be able to advise you of changing
market conditions.
2. An overpriced home has the effect of driving away would-be buyers, often resulting in the property staying unsold for a lengthy period of time.
There's more to it than placing a sign in the yard and waiting for the right buyer to come along and make an offer on your home.
Seven ways to a smoother,
faster home sale
1. Find out about current market conditions, other homes like yours that
There's more to it than placing a sign in the yard and waiting for the right
There's more to it than placing a sign in the yard and waiting for the right buyer to come along and make an offer on your home.
Seven ways to a smoother,
faster home sale
1. Find out about current market conditions, other homes like yours that may
have come on the market recently, how many homes comparable to yours
have been sold recently, how long has it been taking to sell, how close is
the sale price to the list price. Examining comparable listing and sale
information will help you to determine if your price is right to achieve a
sale in the time frame you need. If a house sparkles, if it is looking as
good as possible, if it shows really well, sellers will get the best price
for their home in the shortest amount of time. Your agent can be invaluable
during this home selling process and will be able to advise you of changing
market conditions.
2. An overpriced home has the effect of driving away would-be buyers, often resulting in the property staying unsold for a lengthy period of time. Actually, an overpriced home will often yield lower proceeds by the time it finally sells. Look at it from the buyers perspective. They are looking for a home at "X" price. Yours is overpriced at "X" price, the one down the block is correctly priced and a good value at "X" price. Which do you think the buyer will make an offer on. Buyers will shop and compare, knowing instantly when they walk into the home that it's not what they expected for "X" price, or it doesn't compare with the other "X" price homes they have seen, and they leave disappointed.
Don't waste time by overpricing the home. If the house is priced right from the beginning, normally it will sell without a price reduction. Homes are most salable when they are new on the market. This is when they usually receive the most showing activity.
3. Pricing isn't the only factor to consider in your home selling strategy. You may need to re-think your marketing program. If you haven't wanted to have a public open house or refused to have a For Sale sign in your yard, reconsider. These two marketing tools have worked effectively to sell homes for decades and are an expected part of a good marketing program.
4. Start early to save money on improvements to your property. Fix and maintain, don't over-improve. Get your real estate agents opinion on what really needs to be done and how doing it -- or not doing it -- will affect the price.
5. Realize that being a "do-it-yourselfer" could be counterproductive. Are you skillful enough to do professional-looking work on such basic home improvement jobs as exterior painting or redoing a kitchen floor? A botched handyman's job can have discouraging results and end up costing more to have the work redone or allowing a reduced price for the home. Potentially hazardous projects, and project that will affect the long-term quality of the home, such as electrical or plumbing, should also be professionally done.
6. Free your place of unnecessary items early. If your 3-car garage is so jammed with belongings that you are no longer able to park there, then it's time to clean and de-clutter. And if your basement is so filled with "stuff" that you can't find the furnace, it's time to "clean house". It can take many grueling weeks to go through years of accumulation. Have a garage sale, bring it to a resale shop, donate the stuff to charity, you will probably never miss it.
7. It's not a good idea to put your property up for sale prematurely. Discuss your goals with your real estate agent early on and allow lots of preparation time for home improvements and just getting ready. Normally, two to three months is all you need to go from listing to closing. Work with your agent to determine how long you will need for your home in today's market, and how soon to get started looking for and purchasing your next home.
Bill Marek . . .