Seller Checklist
Selling a home can seem daunting, but an organized list always seems to set the anxious mind at ease. Below, we’ve listed 7 of the biggest tasks you will encounter when you decide to you sell your Hill Country home.
Hire the right REALTOR®.
Finding the right real estate agent will help you to enjoy a smooth real estate transaction. Successful agents make client satisfaction their top priority and often put their client's needs before their own.
Understand the paperwork involved.
Your REALTOR® will help you understand everything from the listing agreement and the disclosure statement to the sales agreement and the settlement statement. Because selling a home requires quite a bit of paperwork, be sure you know what to expect and understand what you receive.
Set the list price.
Your REALTOR® will research comparable properties in your neighborhood, perform a market analysis, and help you set your price according to the sales data. Whether you’re dealing with a country home, farm and ranch property, or hunting land for sale in Texas, this same data may be used by your buyers when negotiating an offer. Remember: the quickest way to sell your house is to price it properly!
Get the home ready for buyers.
Maximize your property's "curb appeal" by cleaning the interior (and keeping it clean!), staging your home, mowing the yard, trimming the shrubs, and keeping your gardens neat and healthy. Buyers look for homes that appear clean and well maintained, so take a walk around your home and assess it from the buyer’s point of view.
Establish the marketing plan.
Next, you and your REALTOR® will decide when you should list your home. When that date has been set, your agent will prepare the MLS listing. Be sure to ask your real estate agent where within the Hill Country area they plan on advertising and how they plan to establish a schedule of open houses.
Reach a deal with a buyer.
When a potential buyer makes an offer, your agent will present it to you and walk you through the following options:
1. Accept the offer as-is, signing it without changes.
2. Make a counter-offer by changing any of the terms and suggesting your own.
3. Reject the offer, indicating that some or all of the terms are not acceptable.
If the offered price is less than desirable, consider the offer as a whole. Ask your Hill Country REALTOR® if any of the terms counterbalance the lower price (i.e. fast closing, no contingencies, buyer paying their own closing costs, etc.). Be prepared to split the difference if you and the buyer are close to reaching an agreement.
Be objective about the cost of holding out. If you are paying $1,000 per month to keep the property and the offer is $2,000 below your asking price, selling might make more sense rather than risking a longer sale.
Closing
The buyer will have the right to do a walk through on the day of the closing, ensuring they are satisfied in the home’s condition. If everything looks good, you will sign the paperwork that transfers the title into the buyer’s name.
