5 Things a Realtor Can Help You Do if You're Getting Ready to Sell

Are you still on the fence about selling your home in Austin? According to stats from Realtor.com, the Austin market has heated up over the last year and is among the top four metro areas that have seen recent jumps in activity. Here are five things a real estate agent can help you with as you prepare to sell your home.

Decide If It’s the Right Time to Sell

If you have to move due to circumstances beyond your control, you may not have much luxury when it comes to timing the sale of your property. However, working with the right Realtor can help you optimize the timing of your sale.

Homes for sale in Austin average $520,000, and now is a great time to sell. However, it’s also important to know whether home prices in your neighborhood are on the rise. Real estate agents have access to the multiple listing service and other tools to help them provide the most up-to-date data on housing market trends in your area. Work with your real estate agent to time your listing to sell quickly for a competitive price.

Get an Inspection

Real estate agents have connections in the industry. They can refer you to an inspector who can do a pre-sales inspection to figure out whether to fix the cracks in your foundation or lower the sales price.

Ask your real estate agent to choose an inspector with professional affiliations such as the American Society of Home Inspectors. With an inspection in your hands, you don’t have to wait until the buyer’s inspector presents their results. Poor inspection results can kill a good offer quickly. So, invest in a pre-listing inspection so that you can fix any major issues.

Your real estate agent can also help you determine whether it’s worth the time and money to fix an issue. You might be able to offer a buyer’s credit for the estimated cost to remedy the defect.

Assess the Competition

Real estate agents help you answer the million-dollar question. How much is your home worth? Your agent can prepare a competitive market analysis that shows similar properties that have sold in the area within the past 60 to 90 days. In order to provide accurate data, your agent will find homes with similar square footage. They will create a Comparative Market Analysis of recent sales of properties with the same number of bedrooms and bathrooms or adjust for other features that boost or sink the value of your home.

After finding the best available comps, your agent will average them to come up with its adjusted sales price. For example, say you have a four-bedroom, three-bath home in Austin. A similar home in your neighborhood lists for $400,000 but only has three bedrooms and two baths. Your real estate agent would increase the sales price to adjust for the value of the extra bedroom and bath in your home.

Figure Out Pricing

Assessing the competition is just the first step in setting a sales price for your home. If your agent feels that the market is heating up, they may suggest going in at a higher price. On the other hand, if you want to sell your home quickly, your agent may suggest listing your property under the average sales price.

The longer your home sits on the market, the less likely you are to achieve your listing price. Therefore, it’s crucial that you figure out pricing with an experienced, qualified real estate professional.

Create a Timeline

Ideally, you hire a real estate agent at least two months before you plan to list your home. This will ensure that you have enough time to prepare your home for sale and gather any necessary documents and paperwork.

Your real estate agent will help you create a timeline and task list for things to do prior to the listing. For example, your realtor will provide a comparative market analysis about six weeks before the listing to help you determine the right sales price.

Get a pre-listing inspection four to five weeks before the listing. This will give you enough time to go to open houses to get ideas on increasing your curb appeal and staging your home for sale. You can also make any necessary repairs, repaint, and clean and declutter your home.

A real estate agent can help you get your home ready for sale in innumerable ways. From determining when to sell your home to studying the sales price, a knowledgeable real estate agent has your back during the pre-listing stage of selling your home in Austin, TX.