Thinking of putting your Columbia SC house on the market? Well, the spring home selling season is finally here, so now is the time to get your Columbia SC house in order if you plan to sell.
A home can be ready to list in as little as a month, especially if it's in good shape and you're working with a competent real estate agent. But it's often better to give yourself a little more cushion. Here's a rough timeline which may already have you behind if you're just getting started on this process, including advice gleaned from a recent survey of 303 real estate professionals conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.
Timeline for Getting Your Columbia SC House Ready to Sell
Two Months Out
Find a real estate agent. This is arguably the most important decision you'll make in the whole process of selling your Columbia SC house. You want to find an agent who is credible and trustworthy and with whom you have good rapport. It pays to speak with a few professionals, ideally using word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family. Before signing a listing agreement, be clear on the agent's commission.
Six Weeks Out
Handle any large repairs or upgrades. Pay close attention to the kitchen and bathrooms, which are the two rooms that most sell a Columbia SC house. Spending about $2,200 on a new suite of appliances—the dishwasher, range, and refrigerator—could fetch you an extra $6,000.
In the bathroom, consider replacing corroded fixtures as well as the vanity counter-top, which can be fairly inexpensive given its small size. Applying a fresh coat of paint in high-traffic parts of your Columbia SC house, including the front door, is also a good use of time and money
One Month Out
Get rid of clutter. Nothing turns away buyers faster than a messy Columbia SC house. You want them to be able to imagine themselves in your home, which will be impossible if your stuff is piled everywhere. Storage is a big selling point, so free up the closets and kitchen cabinets. This is also the time to pack up family photos, which can be another distraction for would-be buyers. These measures can add about 5 percent to a home's asking price, which works out to $10,000 on the average property.
Two Weeks Out
Photograph your home. In the era of online real estate, this step is crucial. If you're working with a top-quality real estate agent, they'll hopefully pony up for professional photographer—and maybe even a stager too. If they try to tell you their smart phone camera can do the job, don't believe them. An advanced digital camera is essential, because its large sensor will take clear pictures even in low-light interiors. Be sure to photograph every room in the home, as well as the exterior and yard.
One Week Out
Do a deep clean. Ahead of the first open house, you need to thoroughly wipe down every surface in your Columbia SC house, as well as vacuum and dust every corner. Do your best to air out the property by opening windows. And avoid cooking any smelly dishes in the final days leading up to the open house.
One to Two Days Out
Get your Columbia SC house listed online. Traffic to real estate websites tends to spike just before the weekend. Aim to post your listing on Thursday or Friday. Make sure you have the pieces in place before posting, especially the visuals. Some sellers debut their listing without the photos, thinking they can upload them later. But by that time, much of the traffic will have moved on.
Get more information about tips for selling your Columbia SC house in our section on Columbia SC Home Selling Tips to your right under Columbia SC Real Estate Categories.
Remember, we post tips daily to Twitter, and also on our Facebook Page. We'd love you to check us out there too.
Selling your Columbia SC home yourself and going the "For Sale By Owner" route is a well-intentioned concept. The most common reason people do it is to save money on commission — the sales fee that is split between real estate agents and brokers.
Who doesn't want to save money? But the reality is, many sellers who sell "By Owner" end up losing money and go through a great deal of stress in the process.
Selling your Columbia SC home is a multifaceted process — much more than just putting a "For Sale" sign in your yard and listing it online. Even if you have experience in real estate, you'll probably be selling yourself short by selling your Columbia SC home without the use of a licensed, experienced agent. Let's look at some of the ways how.
Reasons Not To Be Selling Your Columbia SC Home Yourself
Pricing.
Real estate agents know how to price the market using reliable, real-time data. Some FSBO homes are underpriced because the seller doesn't realize the true market value.
Most FSBO homes are overpriced — sellers often get greedy or unrealistic because they love their home for sentimental reasons or read too much in the news. A real estate agent takes emotion out of the equation helps you set your price based on current data and market conditions.
Exposure.
It's a seller's market right now. It's not uncommon for real estate agents to get multiple offers on a properly priced home shortly after it goes on the market. But that demand is created through exposure — exposure that leads to more potential buyers becoming aware of the availability of your home for sale.
FSBO severely limits that exposure. A real estate agent has the ability to market your home on avenues such as the MLS (multiple listing service).
Negotiations.
First, there's the complicated issue of agreeing on a sales price or of handling multiple offers. That's actually the easy part. Navigating and troubleshooting the many steps that result in a successful closing is where a real estate agent's expertise is vital. The most difficult part of a real estate transaction is from the contract to the closing — a place where deals can very easily fall apart. A qualified real estate agent has a wealth of experience of inspections and negotiations under his or her belt. The average seller may have only been through this process once or twice.
An experienced professional real estate agent can guide you through selling your Columbia SC home and avoid the countless pitfalls and liabilities that can catch a homeowner by surprise. These problem areas could include legal, logistical and even ethical issues that homeowners can fall victim to. Real estate agents have been educated, trained and certified to handle all of these issues.
If these factors don't scare you, then perhaps For Sale By Owner is the route for you. If they do, then you just might want to consider hiring a licensed real estate agent to help you in selling your Columbia SC home.
For more tips on selling your Columbia SC home, see our section on Columbia SC Home Selling Tips to your right under Columbia SC Real Estate Categories.
If all the warnings about what cigarette smoke does to your health aren't enough, consider what it's doing to your Columbia SC house, especially when the time comes to sell it and move on.
In a survey of real estate agents, about 44 percent of those surveyed said smoking will reduce a home's value by some measure. Of these, one-third said the reduced value may range from 10 to 19 percent; another one-third said it could lower the value by 20 to 29 percent.
That is, of course, if the homes find buyers at all. A whopping 88 percent of the agents said that in any case, it's more difficult to sell homes where the residents are smokers.
Third Hand Smoke in Your Columbia SC House
In addition to the possible lower value being placed on a Columbia SC house that has, or had, a smoker, another factor to consider is something becoming known as "Third-Hand Smoke."
We're all too familiar with the concept of second-hand smoke — that's the mixture of exhaled smoke and the other ick that enters the atmosphere from the end of a lit cigarette. Health effects aside, it's a concern that has manifested itself in real estate terms, in apartment and condo buildings where residents find themselves inadvertently inhaling it via shared ventilation and heating systems and seepage through walls. Some landlords, including some of the nation's largest ones, have banned smoking because of it.
You may soon develop the same kind of familiarity with third-hand smoke, which is a term that's just starting to make its way into popular usage. Third-hand smoke is what lingers after second-hand smoke has cleared out — the noxious residue of cigarette gases and particles that settles on carpets, drapes, dust and other surfaces of a room.
Third-hand smoke has long been suspected as a carcinogen, but smoking could cost home sellers dearly, not only health-wise, but when it comes time to sell their home.
"Tobacco-specific nitrosamines, some of the chemical compounds in third-hand smoke, are among the most potent carcinogens there are," according to Lara Gundel, a Berkeley Lab scientist. "They stay on surfaces, and when those surfaces are clothing or carpets, the danger to children is especially serious."
These days, when you sell your Columbia SC house, you may be required to sign a mold-disclosure form, as well as disclosure of any knowledge you may have about the presence of radon, asbestos and lead paint in the house. Perhaps one day in the not-too-distant future, you may have to sign a disclosure about smoking as well. Stay tuned as more develops on third-hand smoke.
When selling your Columbia SC house, there are a lot of things to think about and do, especially if it’s your primary residence. Aside from all the normal things that go with moving, like packing, finding a mover, notifying everyone, etc., there are a lot of other details you need to devote your attention to.
Things to Consider Before Selling Your Columbia SC House
Fixing Things – Before putting your house on the market or contacting an agent, you need to make sure your house is ready to sell. Repainting the house, fixing anything that’s broken and replacing damaged fixtures inside and outside. Clean up and clear out clutter. Keep in mind that presentation is everything, so you need to get as much work done before placing the property on the market.
Find an Agent – Make sure you hire a professional real estate agent to help you in selling your Columbia SC house. Someone who knows a lot when it comes to the delicate processes and legalities of selling your property. Whoever that person might be, make sure they have a proven track record. Since you will hire a professional for the job, expect there to be a lot of money involved. Real estate agents get a percentage of the selling price. That amount will be out of your pocket as soon as the process starts. Also, remember you will pay the sales taxes on the commission. Of course, you can always decide not to hire an agent to sell your property, but you need to prepare yourself to do all the legal work; and that could be very tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Detach Yourself – It’s easy to become emotionally involved in selling your Columbia SC house. This may even be at the top of the biggest challenges home sellers will face once they decide to sell. Once you make up your mind, know that it already becomes a commodity. People will be going in and out to check the property and you cannot get too emotional if they start criticizing your house. People may appreciate it or not, so be ready for those comments and take them constructively. You may or may not decide to make the improvements from those observations but don’t let them get to you.
Consider Market Conditions – Don’t be in a rush about selling your Columbia SC house. You need to study the market condition and see what options are available. Get someone who can give you an appraisal that’s realistic and well documented according to market conditions. If you think your price is too high, you may want to consider selling at a lower price or offer. Whatever that price may be, make sure it’s coming from a professional who’s not ripping you off.
These are just a few of the things you need to consider when selling your Columbia SC house. For more advice and tips, browse the many other home selling tips on this website.