Selling your house is not the easiest thing to do, especially when you’ve created so many memories in it with your family and friends. But when life turns you a corner and you need to find another home, selling your current one doesn’t have to stress you out more or take away your precious time.
Luckily, the Atlanta zip code is one of the most sought-after destinations for the future. There will be plenty of potential buyers for you. The challenging part here now is how to make your property stand out in a sea of similarly pleasing houses. What you need to do to sell your house in Atlanta will depend on how soon you want to sell your house and how much money you can set aside for selling-related expenses. With this, let’s briefly explore some of the most favored ways to sell a house in Atlanta.
For Sale by Owner (FSBO)
FSBO is fairly self-explanatory. People favor this method because it saves them from paying a commission price. However, this is more advisable for people who have the time to create a listing, interact with potential buyers, host a viewing, negotiate, review documents, and take care of the closing process. If you are not in a hurry to sell your house, then you can go ahead and try selling by yourself. Here are a few tips to help you with that:
1. Stage Your House Even for Photos and Virtual Tours
One of the lessons the global Coronavirus pandemic has taught us is the possibility of doing business remotely. In the real estate industry, photos and virtual showings have become increasingly significant because they give people continuous access without spending for transportation (and breaking protocols).
Some people hire professional home stagers to prepare their property. However, not everyone is willing to pay an average of $97/hour just to remove clutter and rearrange the furniture. With this, you can look up plenty of online guides on how to do a do-it-yourself home staging. Some of the basic things a lot of experts recommend include:
- Temporarily store away personal paraphernalia (like family photos)
- Make everything squeaky-clean, including frames, window jambs, etc.
- Wash all the linens, including curtains, bed linens, furniture linens, table runners
- Rearrange furniture (or hide some) to create space
- Make the entryway free of clutter
- Do not display trash bins
- Repair the mailbox if needed
- Use warm & cozy colors, and make sure they match with the color of your walls
2. When Renovating, Prioritize Functionality Over Design
If a window is jammed or the doorknob is stuck, repair those first before buying new throw pillows. If you also need to repaint, prioritize the exterior because it is more exposed to damaging weather conditions.
Design can be subjective; hence, your potential buyers may not mind how your house looks, but they will remember broken floor tiles, broken light switches, holes in the walls, water-damaged ceilings, etc. You can check the minimum standards of the Atlanta Housing Code to help you prioritize repairs.
3. Study Your Competition, Do Not Overprice
If you list your house on a multiple listing service like Zillow and Opendoor, you have to be competitive with your price. The first thing buyers will usually look at is the property’s price, and if your house’s price is too high, people might not even consider opening your listing.
County records usually document home sales in your neighborhood. But if you don’t have the time to visit the office, multiple listing services also display recently sold homes.
4. Read About Do’s & Don’ts When Negotiating
This is where real estate agents are most valuable. They know how to satisfy both buyers and sellers. Remember that buyers will always ask for a lower price the first time, but it doesn’t always mean that it’s the maximum price that they can afford. This is where negotiation comes in — how will you give/show more value to your buyers without giving in to their low offer price? So before you start talking to your potential buyers, make sure to at least do basic research online and listen to what experts have to say.
5. Hire a Legal Real Estate Consultant
An attorney will guide you with all the paperwork needed. He/she can also help you double-check the contents of each document. It can be pricey, but at least you can be sure that there will be no legal problems in the future.
Contact a Real Estate Agent
Real Estate Agents have a wider network of buyers. If you want to sell your house fast at market price, a real estate agent will benefit you a lot.
When you look for an agent, it would be best if you start gathering referrals from friends and family. This way, you can get a credible review of the agent’s performance and see if he/she will be a great fit for you. Apart from the agent’s sales performance (how many houses has the agent sold, how fast was the agent able to sell a house, etc.), it is important to evaluate how that person communicates and the level of integrity that he/she practices at work — you wouldn’t want an agent who gives you false hopes.
Sell Your House to an iBuyer
iBuyers are professional home buyers that can purchase your property for cash. Unlike brokers, you wouldn’t have to pay them a commission because they are the direct buyers. We call them instant buyers because they can buy your property remotely without conducting a home viewing. Unfortunately, one of the drawbacks is that there is rarely room for negotiation, and you’d most likely be offered a price lower than the market value.
Sell Your House to Other Professional Home Buyers
Apart from iBuyers, there are also traditional home-buying companies like us. We can also buy your house for cash in as fast as 7-14 days, depending on when you want to sell. Unlike iBuyers, though, we at Spire understand that people may sometimes sell their houses because they don’t have a choice. Well, if you are also having second thoughts about selling your house, let us help you explore what other options you have before you resort to selling.
You can contact us via the form below or call us at (678) 318 – 1801!