Your home can be sold in various ways, such as for sale by the owner, having a listing or bringing on a selling agent or the hybrid approach, which is a mix between for sale by the owner and having a listing agent.
Bringing on listing services such as Homelister will not only allow you to retain independent control of how your home is marketed, but you will also have a team of real estate professionals that can answer questions you may have along the way.
With the added incentive of being able to hold onto the 6 percent commission that you would have to give up to a real estate agency if you hired them to sell your home, you can move even closer to success by looking into this advice that outlines the best way to sell your home according to Homelister.
- Getting the Word Out
The more effort you put into marketing the sale of your property, the more prospective buyers you will be able to attract to your home.
Putting up a physical sign in front of your house for sale mught sound old-fashioned, but it is still highly effective.
Make sure to include the MLS listing number on the sign-in order for buying agents to look up the listing on their own and offer it to potential buyers.
Social media profiles are places to post a link to your online home listing, share pictures and a walk-through video to promote the sale of your home.
You will be surprised at how important it is to tell your family, friends and neighbors that your home is for sale.
Not only have many of these people been in your home before, but they also might live near it and know people that are in the market for a home, especially with the chance to live closer to the neighbor that told them about it.
Host open houses physically and virtually to entice people to picture themselves living there.
- Dealing with Offers
After you have buyers interested in your home, the next step in the process is that you’ll receive offer letters for your home, including the estimated closing date and the price the buyer is willing to pay.
Once you come across an offer that you agree with, the process will pick up speed. The typical time frame between accepting an offer to closing on your home is approximately 30 to 45 days.
- Purchases Agreements
The purchase agreement — sometimes labeled the “sales contract” or “contract of sale” — bears similarities to the offer letter, but it is binding.
Once the seller signs the purchase agreement, the seller can no longer accept any additional offers on your home unless the buyer backs out of the sale entirely.
Next, a broker or an agent will establish an escrow account held by a neutral third party.
Generally, the seller’s closing agent or attorney will hold the escrow funds, where all the funds will reside during the transaction, with the buyer’s earnest money being the first deposit into this account.
What is earnest money? It usually is one to three percent of the purchase price that is proof that they are serious about buying the property.
- Clearing the Title and Closing
Once the earnest money gets deposited, a title company runs a report for your house to identify any obstacles that could be associated with the title of the property.
One week to 10 days after the seller has accepted the offer, the buyer and their agent/attorney will line up the home inspection. After that, the seller and the buyer will agree upon the terms for repairs.
You, the seller, will need to give up your keys on closing day, so at this point — if you haven’t already — make sure you start moving your belongings out of your home that is about to belong to the buyer.
Take the necessary steps to make sure there is no sign of you living in your old home, and get ready to plan your celebration because you did it. You sold your home independently using Homelister.
Take note of these real estate tips and apply them when you are getting prepared to sell your property and enjoy the process of watching your hands-on effort bring the sale of your home into fruition, just like those that have shared their experiences in homelister reviews.