The Right Way To List & Sell Your Home in Houston

Because your home may well be your largest asset, selling it is probably one of the most important decisions you will make in your life! That being said, you’re going to want to list and sell it the RIGHT way to ensure you get the most money in your preferred timeframe! Staying competitive in today’s market is more important than ever, so keep reading to learn what you need to know to list and sell your home the right way in Houston!

Understand Why You are Selling Your Home: Your motivation to sell affects everything from what you set your asking price to how much time, money, and effort you’re willing to invest to prepare your home for sale. But be careful; the reasons(s) you are selling your home will affect how you negotiate its sale! We suggest keeping it to yourself so you don’t provide ammunition to prospective buyers. For example, should they learn that you must move quickly, you could be placed at a disadvantage in the negotiation process. When asked, simply say that your housing needs have changed. The reason(s) you are selling is only for you (and your realtor) to know.
Learn Why Your Buyer is Motivated: On the other hand, the better you know your buyers, the better you can use the negotiation process to your advantage. This allows you to control the pace and duration of the process. As a rule, buyers are looking to purchase the best affordable property for the least amount of money. Knowing what motivates them enables you to negotiate more effectively. For example, does your buyer need to move quickly? Armed with this information, you are in a better position to bargain.
Setting A Price: When you set your price, you make buyers aware of the absolute maximum they have to pay for your home. As a seller, you will want to get a selling price as close to the list price as possible. If you start out by pricing too high, you run the risk of not being taken seriously by buyers and their agents, and pricing too low can result in selling for much less than you were hoping for.
Do Some “Home Shopping” Yourself: The best way to learn about your competition is to check out other open houses. Examine floor plans, condition, appearance, size of the lot, location, and more. Particularly note not the asking prices but what they are selling for. If you’re serious about getting your home sold fast, don’t price it higher than your neighbor’s.
Getting an Appraisal Can Be Beneficial: Sometimes, a good appraisal can benefit marketing your home. Getting an appraisal is a good way to let prospective buyers know that your home can be financed. However, an appraisal does cost money, has a limited life, and there’s no guarantee you’ll like the figure you hear.
Tax Assessments: Some people think that tax assessments are a way of evaluating a home. The difficulty here is that assessments are based on several criteria that may not be related to property values, so they may not necessarily reflect your home’s true value.
Deciding Upon a Realtor: According to the National Association of Realtors, nearly two-thirds of people surveyed who sell their own homes say they wouldn’t do it again themselves. Primary reasons included setting a price, marketing handicaps, liability concerns, and time constraints. When deciding upon a Realtor, consider two or three candidates. Be as wary of quotes that are too low as those that are too high. All Realtors are not the same! A professional Realtor knows the market and has information on past sales, current listings, a marketing plan, and will provide their background and references. Evaluate each candidate carefully based on their experience, qualifications, enthusiasm, and personality. Be sure you choose someone you trust and feel confident they will do a good job on your behalf. However, if you decide to sell on your own, you can still talk to a Realtor. Many are more than willing to help do-it-yourselfers with paperwork, contracts, etc., and should problems arise you have someone you can readily call upon.
Ensure You Have Room to Negotiate: Before settling on your asking price, leave yourself enough room to bargain. For example, set your lowest and highest selling price. Then check your priorities to know if you’ll price high to maximize your profit or price closer to market value if you want to sell quickly.
Appearances Matter: The way your home looks is critical! It would be unwise to ignore this when selling your home. The look and “feel” of your home will generate a greater emotional response than any other factor. Prospective buyers react to what they see, hear, feel, and smell even though you may have priced your home to sell.
Invite the Honest Opinion of Others: The biggest mistake you can make at this point is relying solely on your judgment. Don’t be shy about seeking the honest opinion of others. You need to be objective about your home’s good points as well as bad ones. Fortunately, your Realtor will be unabashed about discussing what should be done to make your home marketable.
Clean and Fix Everything: Scrub, scour, tidy up, straighten, get rid of the clutter, declare war on dust, repair squeaks, the light switch that doesn’t work, and the tiny crack in the bathroom mirror because these can be deal-killers and you’ll never know what turns buyers off. Remember, you’re not just competing with other resale homes but brand-new ones as well.
Buyers to Visualize Themselves in Your Home: The last thing you want prospective buyers to feel when viewing your home is that they may be intruding into someone’s life. Avoid clutter such as too many knick-knacks, etc. Decorate in neutral colors, like white or beige, and place a few carefully chosen items to add warmth and character. You can enhance the attractiveness of your home with a well-placed vase of flowers or potpourri in the bathroom. Home-decor magazines are great for tips.
Odors Must Go: You may not realize, but smells like traces of food, pets, and smoking odors can kill deals quickly. If prospective buyers know you have a dog or that you smoke, they’ll start being aware of odors and seeing stains that may not even exist. Don’t leave any clues.
Disclose Everything: Smart sellers proactively disclose all known defects to their buyers in writing. This can reduce liability and prevent lawsuits later on.
More Prospects: Maximizing your home’s marketability will most likely attract more than one prospective buyer. It is much better to have several buyers because they will compete with each other; a single buyer will end up competing with you.
Keep Emotions in Check: Let go of the emotion you’ve invested in your home. Be detached using a business-like manner in your negotiations. You’ll have an advantage over those who get caught up emotionally in the situation.
What the Buyer Can Really Pay: As soon as possible, try to learn the amount of mortgage the buyer is qualified to carry, and how much his/her down payment is. If their offer is low, ask their Realtor about the buyer’s ability to pay what your home is worth.
When the Buyer Would Like to Close: Quite often, buyers would “like” to close when they need to. Knowledge of their deadline for completing negotiations again created a negotiating advantage for you.

Never Sign a Deal on Your Next Home Until You Sell Your Current Home: Beware of closing on your new home while you’re still making mortgage payments on the old one, or you might end up becoming a seller who is eager (even desperate) for the first deal that comes along.

The good news is that when you list your home with EmpowerHome Team, we can provide you with all these services and advice at no extra cost. We have a proven proprietary listing launch and a listing omnipresence marketing system that we provide to our sellers. There is no better real estate team than us to get your home sold quickly and for top dollar! Plus, we back up our signature service with multiple guarantees and programs. As we like to say, “Your Price is Our Promise!” This guarantee program promises that we will sell your home for 100% of your asking price, or we will pay you the difference, GUARANTEED!* How can we make such a claim? It’s simply because of the 13,600+ buyers in our exclusive “Buyers in Waiting Program!” If you are considering selling your home, call us now at 832-979-9556.