You may be excited at the opportunity to sell your home, but before you get that far, there are some things you must address. Before you hire any realtor, there are questions to ask before selling your house. This includes finding the best time to sell to evaluating your curb appeal. Before you sit down with a prospect, be prepared to have answers for these questions.
1. What’s the Balance on my Mortgage or Home Equity Loans?
Before you move forward, one of the top questions to ask before selling your house involves the profit you stand to make. You must check the balance owed on your mortgage and any other home equity loans. If you owe less than what the property is worth, then you should fare well.
If you’re underwater and the value is less than what you owe, you might be hurting yourself by selling. It’s crucial that those debts get paid from the sale of your home.
2. What’s my Goal in Selling my Home?
What’s the point of moving right now? Is it a personal choice you’re making or do you need more space? Are you struggling to make ends meet?
By figuring this out, you’ll have a better understanding if selling is going to help you accomplish your goals. If you owe too much on the mortgage or the value is lower than what you owe, selling might not fix your problems.
3. How Much Work Does my Property Need to Get the Highest Offer?
Before those buyers walk through your front door, you need to have it ready. A smart seller knows this might require a lot of work. First, you need to evaluate the outside and then the interior as well. Your job is to make another person think this is their dream home.
Curb appeal is so important when it comes to selling. This might require you hiring landscapers, a handyman or painter depending what the house needs. Not only will this cost money, but there’s also time involved. You need to ask yourself, “Am I willing to put forth the time, money and effort to fix the house up or would I rather accept a lower amount for my home?”
If you want to fix it up, be sure to talk to your realtor to see if they recommend any professionals. At least you’ll know that you have someone reputable to rely on.
4. Is Now the Right Time to Sell Your Home?
One of the most critical questions to ask before selling your house would be, “Is the time right?” Not only do interest rates dictate when a good time to sell is, but so does the time of year. Typically speaking, April, May and June are the peak months for home sales.
That doesn’t mean you can’t sell during other times, so don’t be discouraged. It’s merely a matter of marketing the home properly. So if you are selling in the fall, use terms like ‘new home for your New Year.’
5. Do You Really Need an Agent?
Selling your home by yourself adds some additional stresses you might not be ready for. There’s a lot of legal aspects and marketing involved that you might not be prepared for. Yes, it does cost some money to have a realtor, but it might be worth it to you.
They handle all aspects of your sale – from start to finish. They’ll determine the right market value, come up with all the marketing materials, evaluate all the contracts, negotiate the price and handle all the showings.
6. When Do I Need to Move?
If you are selling your home, it’s important to consider when you’ll move. Many times, sellers are looking to get into a new house at the same time. This simultaneous action of selling and searching often brings some logistical issues if you aren’t ready for them.
Is it best for you to purchase the new home first, or should you wait until you have a contract on the current house? Does the realtor need to write something into the contract about you living there shortly after? Are you financially stable to handle two mortgages if you make the new home purchase before selling?
These are all questions to ask before selling your home. Having the answers allows you to avoid any complications later on. Let’s face it; sleeping in a storage unit just isn’t an option.
Selling Your House? Let Us Help
If you aren’t sure what to do with all these questions to ask before selling your house, we are here to help. You have the chance to avoid:
- Fixing up your home
- Waiting for contracts
- Paying high commissions and fees to realtors
- Waiting for a buyer’s financing to come through
- Showing your home to strangers
- Rearranging your schedule for open houses
If you allow us to give you a fast, cash offer on your home, you can leave all these headaches to us instead. If you need a little extra time in your home after the contract, we can even arrange that for you. Don’t delay another minute; let our professional team at Integrity Homebuyers help you take this next step.
We Buy Houses in Maryland and Washington DC
