Selling Your Columbia SC Home This Spring?
Hoping to sell your Columbia SC home this spring? You need to lay some groundwork now!
Spring is the most popular season for home sales, but now is the time to make a few late New Year’s resolutions to assure you’re ready for the Spring rush.
Many Columbia SC area real estate agents say 2013 is as good a time as ever to sell, with the housing market slowly recovering from its crash, though it’s still far below the peak.
Why is Spring Such a Popular Time to List Your Columbia SC Home?
Spring is a popular time to list a Columbia SC home for a number of reasons. In the past, corporate executives got their bonus checks in January and began to house hunt, while others received tax refunds. And a spring purchase gives buyers time for the kids to settle down over the summer before heading to a new school in the Fall.
One downside to spring selling is the increase in competition, which can be avoided by listing your home a little earlier, like now.
In reality, the spring market doesn’t actually begin in the spring, it begins right after the holidays. So you’ve already gotten behind by waiting until February to think about selling your Columbia SC home.
Find an agent that’s right for you to help you market your home. As a seller, it’s key for you to interview several agents and ask questions. Ask about the agent’s negotiating skills, experience, and handling situations like bidding wars. Ask for references from some of his or her past clients.
Once you’ve found an agent, it’s time to consider setting your asking price. As a homeowner, you need to be realistic about the asking price. It takes more than an appropriate price tag on a Columbia SC home to sell it — houses need to be ready to be shown.
Walk through every room with your radar out in full force making sure everything is free of clutter, looks bright, smells good, and is well-organized. Don’t overlook little things like replacing burned out light bulbs. Don’t forget the outside. Your yard probably needs a little sprucing up, adding some spring flowers and cleaning out any debris and leaves that may have collected over the winter months.
Consider a pre-sale home inspection. These shortened inspections are for people who are looking to sell and are not as costly or thorough as a final full inspection. Prices will vary based on the size of your Columbia SC home.
Getting a pre-sale home inspection tends to soften the worry of potential buyers looking at your home. What’s important is to make sure your house complies with what’s in a standard real estate contract, like having a working furnace or heat pump, proper plumbing and a sound roof with no leaks.
For more tips on selling your Columbia SC home, click over to the Columbia SC Home Selling Tips section of our website under the Columbia SC Real Estate Categories list to your right.