Common House Selling Questions
Do I Need to Stage My Home?
You want to sell your home for as much as you possibly can, with the best terms. Whether you should stage your home to be sold completely depends on your home. Staging can help in some homes and it makes no difference in others. With costs ranging from $1,500 – $2,000 per month on average, it can be an expensive gamble. The layout of your home plays a big role in whether staging will help you sell your home or not. I would need to evaluate your layout and features to determine if it is really necessary. If it is necessary, the next latest and greatest thing to do is virtual stage the home. This doesn’t even cost you anything extra as virtual staging comes included with my listings that require it.
How Can I Prepare My House For Sale?
Think HGTV when it comes to preparing your home to be sold. You want it to look clean, inviting and minimalistic. You can either clean your home really well or hire me and I will have my professional cleaners come through and make it picture perfect.
The next step is deciding what furniture should stay and what might need to be tucked away somewhere. If you have a large couch that makes the room look incredibly small, then it has to go. If you have a large poster on the wall featuring the Backstreet Boys, then it has to go! I can provide a better understanding when I come over to evaluate and get it ready to be sold.
Can I Leave Family Photos on the Wall?
When you’re selling your home, it is never a good idea to leave family photos on the wall or anywhere else for that matter. It makes it difficult for a buyer to walk through your home and visualize it being their own home. Buyer’s are evaluating where their furniture will go and what it will fell like in the home after they move in. Feelings are a big part of what pushes someone to purchase your home over another one down the street. So pack your photos away first.
Should I Make Any Repairs or Updates Before Listing?
This depends on the types of repairs. If we’re talking about something that is easy to fix such as holes, paint, carpet, flooring etc. These are all easy things to fix or improve. Carpets will be cleaned and stretched if necessary, holes can be filled and painted quite easily. They are not time consuming or costly.
If you have a more serious issue that you can’t afford to fix, then it is just simply disclosed on the seller property disclosure statement and discounted in the price of the home or offered as a credit at close for the repair after escrow has closed.
What is My Home’s Current Market Value?
Great question! You can’t just simply rely on what a property search website says. An instant home value calculator does not take into account comparable sales near your property, home upgrades or unique property features much like an appraiser would do. These are all extremely important factors and could cost you thousands of dollars if you listed your home at the wrong price. This will also give you a much more favorable expectation for what your home is truly worth. For a more detailed explanation and to get an estimate of your home’s true value, please go to my home valuation page.
When is the Best Time to List My House for Sale?
Here in Arizona it is best to sell your home during the spring and summer. However, this is not always true because it is heavily dependent on the overall market, interest rates, job changes, the type of home and area etc. Typically the majority of buyer’s want to purchase when kids are out of school, but sometimes it is necessary to buy a home when there is a change in job or family size. It is best to check with me to see what kind of a market we are in.
How Long Does it Take to Sell a House?
The time that it takes to sell a house is dependent on many different factors such as the state of the economy, housing market, price of your property, number of available homes for sale (inventory levels), location, and even the month that you list. The number of buyers looking in each price range is a big factor for multiple offers. There are more buyers looking for homes that are less expensive, so more affordable listings do not sit as long. When we are in an inventory shortage, this can cause the prices of homes in the lower ranges to increase exponentially with multiple offers. Typically more people are moving during the spring and summer as well in most markets.
Homes listed for sale over $1M are typically on the market anywhere from 6 months to a year and a half. Homes listed for sale in the $400K – $600K range are typically on the market right now between 30 – 60 days. Homes listed for sale in the $600K – $1M are typically on the market for 60 – 90 days. Anything under $400K is typically sold within 30 days.
