So you’ve decided to take advantage of the continued low housing inventory and the anticipation of Spring fever of the real estate market. You spent the winter months purging, finished those lingering house projects, and completed your deep Spring cleaning early. Now is the time to finally reap the rewards of your efforts (and home equity) and list your house. What’s your first step? How do you determine the list price and what data do you have to support your list price? How will you schedule and accommodate the revolving door of requested showings? How do you know the prospective buyers are well qualified and/or pre approved? What is your liability for sharing disclosures and/or other hazards? How do you explain when you got water in your basement as a result of the 100 year flood a few summers ago? As you can see there is A LOT to unpack here… oh and by the way… you haven’t even received an offer yet. Turn off HGTV and hire a licensed REALTOR® to help guide and protect you during the sale of your home. There are several responsibilities your REALTOR® will help with in the listing and ultimately the sale of your home. She/he will start with staging recommendations and discuss what to expect when you’re listing your house. They will collaborate with trusted tools and resources with market experience to help determine a competitive sales price. They will complete the data and dronework/photographs for the MLS input, from where several real estate internet sites will pull. They will manage the scheduling of showings and solicit and provide client/agent feedback to you. Once an offer is presented, they will facilitate the negotiations to ensure the buyer is well qualified. Should multiple offers be presented, your REALTOR® will be able to ethically and systematically help you identify which offer is best for you. Your REALTOR® will manage the scheduling, completion, and management of all the contingencies included in the purchase agreement. Should contractors or other qualified, licensed be required, your REALTOR® will sift through all the available personnel and pull the best in their field from previous experiences and recommendations. As I mentioned in last week’s buyer agent article, the same is true for the list agent. It should be noted that REALTORS® are very well connected to local professionals in the real estate field and community. These professionals include: lenders, appraisers, attorneys, general contractors, plumbers, electricians, inspectors (property, radon, mold/environmental, pest, etc) to name a few. This is important to remember after the sale closes and as future needs may arise. Your REALTOR® can continue to be a valuable resource after the sale of your home. Over the course of your life, there are certain jobs and projects that you will encounter. Many of these projects can be necessary life skills; others through education and experience can evolve into a hobby or pastime. Don’t risk the sale of the largest investment of your life at this time to a hobby or pastime. Just as you would hire an attorney for legal matters or a mechanic for repairing the engine of your car, hire a REALTOR® to help you sell your home. Until next week!
Eve Leombruno, 2023 MBOR President
