If you’re like most people selling a home in Ellicott City or one of the nearby communities, you want to sell it quickly – but maybe more importantly, you want to sell it at the best possible price. After all, the more you make on your real estate transaction, the more you have to put down on your next home, stash away for your dream vacation or save for retirement.
So how do you do it?
How to Sell Your Home at the Best Possible Price
Selling your home at the best possible price hinges on several factors, including:
- Hiring the right Realtor(R)
- Pricing your home properly right out of the gate
- Choosing the right time to sell
- Being familiar with how much it costs to sell a house
- Being ready to make improvements if necessary
Hiring the Right Realtor
When you work with a real estate agent to sell your home, you’re getting all kinds of benefits. First, a good agent knows how to market your house to all the right buyers – and he or she has the tools to do so. Agents make good use of the multiple listing service to share listed homes with other agents, and they typically have access to all the major home-selling websites like Realtor.com, Trulia.com and Zillow.com.
Really good real estate agents also know how to approach marketing from innovative angles – and what works in each neighborhood.
Pricing Your Home Properly
The best way to sell your home at the right price is to settle on the right price to begin with. Remember:
- If you price your home too low, you’re leaving money on the table.
- If you price your home too high, it’s going to sit on the market as savvy buyers pass right by it.
Your real estate agent will carefully evaluate your home, similar homes that have recently sold, and similar homes that were pulled from the market without selling. He or she will also account for all your home’s amenities to determine what a buyer is likely to pay for it right now.
The bottom line, though, is that your home is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it.
Choosing the Right Time to Sell
There are big differences between a buyer’s market and a seller’s market – and if you can afford to wait for a seller’s market, you probably should.
In a buyer’s market, there are more homes available than there are buyers to purchase them. That means buyers can afford to be choosy – and they know that sellers are willing to negotiate, because if they don’t, one of the many other sellers will.
In a seller’s market, there are more buyers than there are homes for sale. That gives sellers the advantage – buyers are up against each other competing for homes, and in some cases, they’re willing to pay more for a home than they ordinarily would.
Being Familiar With the Costs Associated With Selling a Home
Selling your home costs money in preparation (like staging, painting and lawn maintenance), and you’ll end up paying real estate agent commissions and closing costs. As long as you’re prepared for the costs, you can rest easy knowing that the transaction is falling into place.
Being Ready to Make Improvements
Your real estate agent may tell you to make a few improvements in order to sell your home faster and for more money. Sometimes that includes things like painting, updating fixtures and faucets, or pulling out old carpet and replacing it with hardwood flooring. These all seem like big jobs, but if you tackle them before you even list your home for sale, they can make a huge difference in how much money you can ask – and how quickly someone makes an offer.
Are You Selling a Home in Ellicott City?
Selling your home in Ellicott City or one of the surrounding communities? We’d love to tell you how we can maximize your home’s exposure and get it in front of all the right buyers, so call us at 410-465-5822 right now.
If you’re ready to buy a home for sale in Ellicott City, we can help you find the right one.
Call us at 410-465-5822 to tell us what you want from your next home or to schedule a tour in a home you’ve seen online.
Use these links to check out the hottest listings:
Follow Us