Making the decision to initially purchase a house may have been difficult, but deciding to put your home up for sale is something different altogether and probably one of the toughest things you’ll ever actually have to do as a homeowner.

First, you’ve got to separate your emotional attachment to your home and all the memories you have made there, then you have to work at helping potential buyers find a way to picture your home as their own.

Even if you have gotten past the emotional hurdle of selling the place where you live, there is still the stress of pricing your house correctly and making it attractive enough that you can find the right buyers.

Below are some tips to help make the sale of your home more successful.

Choosing the Right Atlanta Listing Agent

In the world of real estate, the person who lists your home for sale is generally known as the listing agent or seller’s agent.

Depending on how long it takes for you to sell your home, you could be in constant contact with this person for days, weeks, or even months. This is why when you are considering putting your home up for sale, it is critical to choose the right listing agent for the job.

One of the most common mistakes that homeowners sometimes make when selecting an agent is choosing whichever agent promises to sell their house for the highest amount and the lowest commission.

Unfortunately, these two traits don’t guarantee that you have chosen wisely, and they could actually hinder the sale of your home.

Instead, look for someone you like and can relate to who has the characteristics of a good listing agent. These characteristics should include:

• An agent who is knowledgeable – they know and understand how the real estate market works and what needs to be done to get your house sold.
• An agent who is a good communicator – they not only can explain the real estate process in a way that you understand, they keep you informed on what is going on with your listing and always return your phone calls and texts in a timely manner.
• An agent that has great negotiating skills – they won’t take just any deal to get your house sold. They fight for you to get the best deal they can.
• An agent who is honest – if there is a problem with your listing, they will give it to you straight rather than avoid telling you the truth.

Questions You Should Ask When You are Selling Your Home

How much should I be able to sell my home for (in this type of market)?

If you’re like a lot of homeowners, you probably have an idea of how much you think your home is worth and more than likely you got this number from a real estate website such as Zillow or Trulia.

While these types of websites can give you a ballpark figure, they don’t always reflect the latest information about your neighborhood or the other houses that are for sale in your area.

Your real estate agent will conduct a thorough market analysis of the homes in your area that are similar to yours to give you a fairly accurate portrayal of what you can expect your house to sell for in the real estate market you are in.

When should I put my home on the market?

If you’re facing a transfer to another state for work, you may not have any say in when your home should go on the market, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

The general rule of thumb is usually that a house will sell best in either the spring or summer, but the Atlanta real estate market doesn’t always follow this trend and you may find that there is a strong market for homes like yours in a particular neighborhood.

How long should it take to sell my home?

This is always a good question to ask because it helps keep expectations in check. By properly evaluating your home in comparison to how other homes that are similar to your home are selling, your real estate agent should be able to give you a decent timeline of how long you can expect your house to sit on the market before it will sell.

Keep in mind that if your house needs a little more work than the other homes that are in the same market, or if it is in much better shape than similarly priced houses, your house could sit on the market a good deal longer or shorter as the case may be.

How Do You Know if You’re in a Seller’s or Buyer’s Market?

Just as homes sometimes tend to sell better and faster during certain times of the year, there are also times when you can expect to get more or less money for your home depending on whether the area you are in is in a seller’s or buyer’s market.

In a nutshell, it is considered to be a seller’s market when there are more buyers looking for homes than there are homes for sale and it is considered a buyer’s market when there are plenty of sellers, but fewer buyers.

Other signs of a seller’s and buyer’s market include:

Seller’s Market:

• Home prices are going up
• Fewer houses are on the market
• There are often multiple offers on the same property
• Houses don’t stay on the market very long
• There is a feeling of excitement and optimism about the real estate market

Buyer’s Market:

• Home prices are going down instead of up
• Sellers are seeing fewer offers (if any) on their properties
• Houses are staying on the market longer
• Inventory levels are increasing

Would You Like to Learn More About Selling Your Home?

At Mason Diasio, we know how emotionally stressful it can be when you are considering selling your home.

That is why we have created a comprehensive Home Seller’s Guide that will help you to not only know how to choose the best agent, but provide you with important information about the real estate marketing process of your home.

Click here to download a copy of our Seller’s Guide – A Comprehensive Resource to Get Your Home Ready for the Market, or contact us today at the information listed below to discuss finding the home of your dreams.