1st-time seller needs out by June. How long does it take? (Howe: for sale, real estate market)

[ready2fly]

Need some advice/experience from sellers, please. I've always rented and recently moved into hubby's house when we got married 5 months ago.

Hubby got a yearlong fellowship position in Dallas, so we need to sell our house. We want to be in Dallas early June. We'll RENT in Dallas since it's only for 1 year. Where God will take us after that, we'll see!

So, if we want to be moving into our rent house in Dallas in June, working backward, when should be put our house on the market? I understand factors will be the closing process, and of course, how long it takes to get an offer. That part will vary, I know, so we're doing some upgrades & staging right now (a la HGTV) to help its appeal.

We want to avoid needing an extended-stay hotel (which could happen if we closed early on our house, but waiting to get into our Dallas house). Blech! One move only, please!

Oh, and regarding a realtor - we've met with one but wasn't crazy about him. We're looking for another, but in the meantime, are just curious.

Hope this makes sense. Thanks for your help!

[peggydavis]

If it were me, I would list the house as soon as it is ready, ie upgrades and staging.

[montanamom]

I agree with Peggy, having sold several homes over the years, I think you may want to list your house as soon as possible. I am facing a similar dilemma. I don't want to move until the end of June, after the kids get out of school. However, from past experience, I know that by waiting that long I am missing out on a large part of the PRIME season for selling a home, which is coming up here soon, beginning in March. However, if I put my home up for sale now and it does sell before June, the kids and I would have to move everything to a rental for just a few months until schools out, and then move it all again when we head to Oklahoma. UGH, that's a lot of work and expense! But with the real estate market currently being as sluggish as it is, it may be the best thing to do in order to get the house you're selling the maximum exposure during the "window of opportunity" when most buyers are out looking and wanting to move. Of course, if you are living in a really hot market area, you can probabaly take your time, but I don't think there are very many areas where it's a "sellers" market right now.

[PatoLiza]

Ditto here about being a first time seller. We just listed our home and the realtor is going to take pictures for marketing with virtual tour,etc. Montanamom is right on the PRIME time to sell between March and June when buyers are "shopping." We are going to be both seller and buyer so it's a headache for us. But the Lord has a plan and it will be revealed sooner or later. It's good to have this forum to get unbias feedbacks. Good luck with your husband's fellowship. I remember those days when my husband was in his 2 year residency. We rented and it was easier to move out.

[E.Richardson]

Right now, depending on where you're located the average time that a home sits on the market has increased about 15% in the last 5 months. Given that we're going into spring there will be a slight decrease but I would count on almost 2-3 months after listing the home.

Now, all that said, it's all going to depend on the ammenities, size and room count of your home. My best estimation is to consider 45-90 days on the market once your agent has listed the home.

A couple of things will help. When you choose your agent:

- Make sure they'll feature your home on their website
- Virtual tour properties see a signifigant increase in views
- How many open houses will they commit to?
- No less than 10 photos of your home on the MLS
- Possibly a dedicated website for your home as well

These are a couple of things that will help reduce the time your home is on the market.

Good luck!

<Moderator cut: Sorry no advertising>

[Amazonchix]

Put it on the market as soon as your "upgrades" are complete. You can always arrange with your buyer when you will be out and they will be in, despite setting a closing date. Think of it as a gentleman (or ladies) agreement. You may even turn around and rent your newly sold house from your buyer until your move-out date arrives. I hope that makes sense!