Selling a House: What Does It Take?

The most important need of anyone attempting to sell their house is – TO GET IT SOLD! It is imperative that you, the agent, are very direct in what it takes to get a house sold. Here is a checklist we put together.

ACCESS

A seller should be willing to give almost unlimited access to potential purchasers if they are looking to sell. Any restrictions to showing the home will result in fewer buyers which could result in a lower price, a longer time on market or both.

CONDITION

Condition goes a long way in determining whether or not a house sells. Bringing in a professional stager is the ultimate answer. If that is not possible, the seller should at least be willing to remove all the clutter and ‘throw on’ a fresh coat of paint where necessary.

MORTGAGE OPTIONS

Very few owners are willing to give a first mortgage to a potential buyer. However, there are other mortgage options they perhaps should consider. Allowing FHA financing is an example. Perhaps, they would be willing to help the buyer out with a seller’s concession. The easier it is for a purchaser to finance the home, the greater the chance more buyers will be interested.

PRICE

Every house must be sold twice: to the buyer and to the bank if a mortgage is involved. To get a home sold the price has to be right. There are studies that have shown that listing a house at a price greater than the market warrants results in that home taking a longer time to sell and also selling for less money.

For more information on listing and selling your home, please either give me a call at (910) 617-7654, send me an email at joyce@intracoastalrealty.com or visit my website at www.joycebarnwell.com.  I've been listing and selling real estate in the Carolina/Kure Beach, Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington, NC area for over 9 years.