How and when to pick a real estate company? (agents, Realtor, sellers)
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Hi-
We have just decided to sell our house as opposed to rent it. This is our first house to sell as we were first time home buyers when we bought our house 9 years ago. We need to move to do relocation of job. Husband already started his job in Washington, DC. Ideally we need to sell it by end of summer. I wonder if we will sell it by then. In any case, we are not sure as to how to go about selling it?
What has been the avg length of time a house for 225,000 is selling in this market? Is 4 -5 months an unrealistic timeframe?
At what pt do we contact a reality company? Before or after we do any home improvements (ie.refinished kitchen floors, power wash outside of house, and clean out garage and attic)?
How do we chose a reality company? Do we go with a company that is used state wide such as Long and Foster or Century 21 or a local reality or does it not matter?
In this type of market, do we try to sell it ourselves or not OR is it worth using a realitor if you are thus far clueless on the ins and outs of selling a house?
I am sure I have a trillion more questions but I just need advice. Thanks for taking the time to help!
Location: Moved to town. Miss 'my' woods and critters.
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Suggest that you ask other home owners in your area about their experiences with real estate companies. I have had sellers choose our company/agent(s) after checking the web sites, newspaper advertisements, and 'homes' magazines. When you do decide which companies interest you, invite them to your home and interview the agents, one at a time. You really need to feel comfortable with the agent. You will have a close relationship for a time with them. Your chosen agent will be more than happy to give you advice on how to get your home/property ready for sale.
Such things as curb appeal, do matter. Once a picture is in an ad, you will have 'drive bys' and no matter what the home is like on the inside, you'd be surprised at the number of folk that will keep on going if they don't like what they see from the road! You will receive more advice on this thread as agents and others read your post. Good luck to you.
Hi-
We have just decided to sell our house as opposed to rent it. This is our first house to sell as we were first time home buyers when we bought our house 9 years ago. We need to move to do relocation of job. Husband already started his job in Washington, DC. Ideally we need to sell it by end of summer. I wonder if we will sell it by then. In any case, we are not sure as to how to go about selling it?
What has been the avg length of time a house for 225,000 is selling in this market? Is 4 -5 months an unrealistic timeframe?
At what pt do we contact a reality company? Before or after we do any home improvements (ie.refinished kitchen floors, power wash outside of house, and clean out garage and attic)?
How do we chose a reality company? Do we go with a company that is used state wide such as Long and Foster or Century 21 or a local reality or does it not matter?
In this type of market, do we try to sell it ourselves or not OR is it worth using a realitor if you are thus far clueless on the ins and outs of selling a house?
I am sure I have a trillion more questions but I just need advice. Thanks for taking the time to help!
First thing is you keep stating "in this market". Real estate is local, not national, so it depends on what your market is like in your area. some cities might be seeing a decline overall, but may have areas that are up 20%. Some cities are still seeing appreciation across the entire area on average, while others are in the dumps. A realtor will be able to answer that question for you. If you have never sold a home before I would definitly use a realtor instead of trying to do it yourself. Doing it yourself can open you up to a lot of liabilities depending on your state. Last stat I saw was that over 90% of people who try to sell on their own end up going with an agent in the end.
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