One of the things that home owners are often told, when preparing to sell their home is that they have to make it aesthetically pleasing to potential buyers. They are told to paint the walls neutral colors and to remove personal photos and mementos. While we are proponents of decluttering (see last month’s blog post), we don’t think that homes need to have a particular aesthetic in order to be desirable.
When talking to home owners about selling, many of them voice a concern that actually has nothing to do with the home selling process - what do they do with all their belongings? Whether they are downsizing or decluttering to stage their home for sale, most people complain they have more stuff than they need.
Last month we talked about how the recent changes in how we practice real estate affect buyers. Now let’s dig into what’s different for sellers.
As part of a recent class action lawsuit settlement, the National Association of Realtors is implementing changes to practice standards, including requiring multiple listing service (MLS) participants to have a written agreement with buyers they are representing. This agreement must be in place prior to touring any property.
Downsizing is hard. It’s hard to leave a home where you may have raised your family. It’s hard to cull through all your stuff. It’s hard to think about the reasons why your current home no longer suits your life.
So you found a house you love! Now it’s time to make an offer. Here’s where the rubber meets the road.
Usually when you sell a house you are headed to a new one so there’s a part of the process that is exciting but there’s no excitement when you are selling a home because your loved one has gone to assisted living or has died. In these situations, there are often multiple people involved in the process and one or more might not even live locally. Perhaps you lived in the house many years ago when you were a kid or perhaps you have never resided there. Either way, it’s less likely that you have intimate knowledge of the house like you have with your own home.
On March 15th, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) agreed to change how business is conducted as part of the settlement reached following the Sitzer- Burnett verdict last fall. NAR and several large national brokerages were found guilty of conspiring to keep real estate commissions artificially high. While the proposed settlement needs to be accepted by the judge, there is already anticipation of how this will change the real estate industry.
Should you hire a Realtor to help sell your home? What do they do to earn their commission? These are legitimate questions that any good real estate professional should be able to answer. Let’s dig into the services we offer at each step of the home selling process.
Last month, we discussed real estate commissions and how they are structured. So what are you getting for your money? Let’s look at it from the buyer’s perspective.
While it’s currently common practice for the listing broker to offer a cooperating broker fee which covers our services, there could be times when that is not offered and where you would pay for our services. We discuss this scenario with buyers at our initial meeting and strategize a plan that works for their situation.
First off, every real estate transaction is unique and when you work with McSharry and Associates you get our combined 39 years of experience working exclusively on your behalf, helping you navigate the process from start to finish. We work full time to find your next home, offering advice, judgement and counsel tailored to your stated goals.