Selling your San Diego house is a big step, a big process, and can be a big headache. It can be a time consuming process that is chock full of emotional highs and lows. It is important to know the nuts and bolts of the house selling process and specifically, selling your house with a realtor.
Today, we are going to dive into the important steps you will take when selling your San Diego home with a realtor.
PREPARE THE LISTING
The first order of business when you decide to sell your San Diego house with a realtor is to prepare the listing for the sale. Preparing your listing is not as easy as it sounds. You need to make sure your house is ready to list. If you have a beautifully decorated home that has been updated, then you have it easier than most sellers. If not, you will need to prepare your home for the San Diego real estate market. Keep in mind that motivated buyers are interested in homes with curb appeal, nice kitchens, updated bathrooms, uncluttered spaces, and fresh finishes. Most homes are not at this level, and it is imperative that you take steps to get your house there before potential buyers come walking through your door. Any experienced real estate agent will walk through your home and help you decide what you need to do in order to get your home in tip top shape. Sometimes, it can be as easy as decluttering your home and planting some fresh shrubs in the front yard. However, if your home is not quite there, you may be investing some serious cash to update key rooms in your home to help you get top dollar for your home.
Many times, realtors will send you a virtual checklist. Orchard has provided the ultimate home selling checklist to help you navigate the laundry list of items that will need to be done in order to get your San Diego ready for the MLS.
PROMOTE YOUR HOME
The next order of business that your realtor will bring to the table, are all the ways they will help you promote your home. According to NAR, they found that about 47% of buyers look online at homes for sale in their area before doing anything else. That is a staggering amount. Your realtor will want to make sure that your listing has the edge to stand out from others being sold in your San Diego area. It is in your best interest to check out the competition before promoting your home and listing it online!
Your realtor will want to add your home to the MLS, but before they do that, they will want to make sure the home has professional pictures they can upload, video and/or drone shots of your property, and even 3D renderings of your home. All of these can add to the appeal of your home and draw buyers in, but they can also cost a pretty penny.
In addition to adding your home to the MLS, your realtor will add it to their companies website, blog, social media posts, to name a few. Your realtor may suggest you even use paid promotion on social media platforms to reach even more buyers.
AGREE ON A PRICE
Next, your realtor will want to set a price for your home. Setting a price for your home is an important step that must come with careful consideration. Afterall, you don’t want a home listed too low, stealing you away from valuable profits, and on the flip side, you don’t want it priced beyond what the market is currently showing. Your experienced realtor should be able to pull comps or comparable properties in your area that have similar features and size to help determine the press price or price range. Your agent will look at active listings (listings currently on the market), pending listings (listings that are under contract and in escrow), sold listings (listings that have sold within 3-6 months are most helpful), and withdrawn listings (listings that were pulled off the market for some reason.) All of this information can help you and your realtor arrive at a price for your home that makes sense.
PLAN FOR SHOWINGS AND OPEN HOUSES
One of the most frustrating parts of the house selling process is not only preparing your home for showings and open houses, but making sure you can vacate the property at those times. Your realtor will want to get a handful of days and times that work for you for open houses, as this will allow larger amounts of potential buyers to come through your home. This also means that you need to be gone for a large chunk of the day. In addition, you will need to be available to vacate for showings. Your realtor will coordinate various showings when your home is listed, so make sure your home is clean, organized, and in wonderful shape at the drop of a hat!
NEGOTIATION
This is where the stress comes in! Your realtor will help you navigate the highs and lows of the negotiation process, and there are many. Your realtor will want to solidify offers and get your house under contract as soon as possible, but this may require quite a bit of back and forth before a number is reached. In addition, your realtor will need to make sure they are pre-approved, they will help get your house appraised, they will navigate the dreaded inspection process, and final negotiations. Not to mention, they will be in charge of spearheading the endless amount of paperwork that goes along with a house sale. Many times the negation steps of the process can be quite lengthy and stressful for all parties.
WORK WITH A CASH BUYER
There are homes that are ready to go and working with a realtor is the best option or you may chose to do it on your own as an FSBO. If you have a newly renovated home, a fairly new home, and a home that is aesthetically appealing, then listing your home on the traditional MLS is the right way to go. However, if you have a home that may need repairs, renovation, and general upkeep, then working directly with a cash buyer may be the right option for you. Trusted House Buyers is a local company, here in San Diego, that works directly with sellers to engage in a streamlined and stress free home selling experience. We can give you an offer usually within 24 hours at the latest and can close within 10 days. That means, you can skip the hassles of a kitchen remodel, landscaping, and removing years worth of clutter from your home. We will take your home in ANY condition, even large repairs that are costly. Also, you can leave behind any belongings that you simply do not need or want anymore. There is no additional stress of readying your home for last minute showings and keeping your home constantly clean for open houses. We pride ourselves on working with clients on their terms and on their timeline. We understand that each of our clients has a unique situation they are dealing with such as divorce, job loss, relocation, death in the family, moving the elderly from their home to name a few. We are sensitive to the needs of those we work with. Check out our website at www.trustedhousebuyers.com and give us a call today at 619-786-0973 to find out how we can help you navigate the home selling process when you don’t want to use a realtor.
