Selling your Pensacola Home or Real Estate?
Pensacola Home Seller Resources
Our Pensacola Real Estate Agents Help You Sell Your Home Faster and For More Money
The Challenges of Selling Your Pensacola Area Home
When it comes time to place your Pensacola home, town-home, condo, or land on the market you will have many decisions to make. While selling a home is one of life's more challenging events, we are here to provide plenty of help. We work to make sure you understand and are comfortable with each step of the home selling process. We want you to spend your time looking forward to the excitement of moving in to your new home, not feeling stress over selling your current home. You can count on us to help make the transition to your new home, whether in Pensacola or across the country, so much easier. We do this for clients every day. We can help.
The Keys to Selling Your Home
Price Your Home Appropriately
Of course you want the very best price for your home (and so do we), but the price your home will sell for is ALWAYS set by the market, not by what the seller or the Realtor "wants" or "needs." Because most buyers will be purchasing with a mortgage, not cash, the home must appraise at or above the contract price for a sale to occur. We will prepare a Competitive Market Analysis and recommend a sales price based on actual sales in your market.
What Does "Buying a Listing" Mean?
This is a questionable sales practice where a sales agent agrees to list your home at the price you want even though they know it will not sell at this price. Why would a sales agent do this? Perhaps it is just easier to go along with you. They realize you will eventually have to lower your price and they will wait it out. This is dangerous situation for a seller and can cost you many thousands of dollars. Why?
Many sellers think, what's the harm, I will eventually just lower my price. But buyers ALWAYS want to know how long a home is on the market and the longer a home sits with a For Sale sign out front the more negotiable it becomes. Buyers who are actively in the market are watching for new listings and new listings get the majority of the showings. It's human nature to believe that if no one else wants the home, why should you.
What's Your Agent Doing?
Many people think that the agent who has listed their home will be bringing them a buyer. This seldom happens, as it is just not efficient. Listing agents market and promote your home to the hundreds, or in most markets, thousands of other local real estate agents working with homebuyers. This dramatically increases the sales force for your home. During the first couple of weeks, if your home is priced appropriately, you should see Realtor previews and showings of the home. It is the job of a professional Realtor to know the local market values. If a home is priced over market the Realtor's time is better spent previewing and showing homes priced to get an appraisal that will allow the buyer to receive the necessary financing.
Dropping the Price - Too Late!
Once the initial excitement over your home is gone, it's gone. You can't recapture it by lowering the price. Potential buyers begin to think you are getting desperate, so your offers will be lower than those you would have received had the home been priced right initially.
Your Listing Realtor Can Sell You, Can He Sell Your House?
If you have ended up with a listing sales agent who routinely buys listings, other Realtors know this. They have probably lost listings to this agent. They are only human and they are probably not excited to show your home.
The Keys to Preparing Your Home for the Market
There's no doubt that you can do things that will make your home easier to sell. Appearance is critical. We've all heard of the importance of "curb appeal" and for good reason. Ask any veteran Realtor and they will tell you they have pulled up to a home more times than they can count only to have the prospective buyer say, "drive on." Your home should be inviting from the inside out. Here are some tips to help ensure that your home is appealing:
- Remove Clutter
- Clean the House Top to Bottom - Carpets and Windows deserve extra attention
- Paint - Can be a seller's least expensive investment
- Remove Odors - Clean the cat litter box daily, take care of dog odors
- Curb Appeal - Is the front door freshly painted? Do you have flowers or plants at the entrance?
- Make Sure Your Lighting is Good
Negotiating the Sale
So now a prospective buyer has presented an offer on your home. This first step in the negotiating process is a crucial one.
Unless you are in a very strong buyer's market, like the Pensacola area saw in 2005 and 2006, this first offer is not the buyer's best. A wise seller will remove the emotion from the occasion and refrain from walking away from what they consider a "lowball" offer. Each offer should be evaluated with the knowledge that this is just a starting point. During the negotiation process we are working with you to weigh each offer objectively.
10 Low Cost Ways to Make Your Pensacola Home Buyers Say WOW!
These low cost strategies to make your Pensacola home more appealing are sure to have your potential buyers saying WOW! Plus these tips are quick and easy too.
- Mow the lawn and trim the bushes especially the ones that block your windows and deminish sunlight.
- Purchase a new doormat.
- Add a bright pot of flowers (or even a small evergreen in winter) on your front porch.
- Replace the old tarnished doorknobs on your doors and polish or replace your house numbers.
- Power-wash your driveway, sidewalk, and the exterior siding of your home.
- Edge the grass around walks and trees plus add fresh mulch to your planting beds.
- Purchase a new mailbox.
- Upgrade the outdoor lighting for a feeling of safety (yes-buyers drive by your home at night too) and to add dramatic effect.
- Clean your gutters.
- Place a seasonal wreath on your front door.
Pensacola Home Selling Made Easier!
While there are many details to be handled during the sale of your Pensacola home, from preparing your home for the market, pricing the property correctly, negotiating offers, inspections, and on and on, you can breathe easier knowing every detail will be handled on your behalf to your complete satisfaction. Contact us for more information about a complimentary pre-listing consultation today!
Request Your Complimentary Home Evaluation
While many real estate agents still use the old fashion "PFA" (Pulled From the Air) method to determine the fair market value of your Pensacola home, I'll remove all the guesswork when your home is evaluated. Your Pensacola home will be priced properly using current data to perform a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA). In the CMA, I'll collect and compare data for homes that have recently sold in your neighborhood. This system will analyze Pensacola homes that are comparable to yours in terms of house size, lot size, improvements, locations, and schools.
Request your FREE Pensacola Home Evaluation today!
Free Pensacola Home Selling Tools and Resources
