When it comes to selling our home, we always want the most money possible and we want the home sold as fast as possible. After you’ve signed with a Cassina agent, there are a number of things to expect during the selling process. You’ve got the listing price settled, you’ve made necessary repairs, and now it’s time to awe the buyers. Here’s what you can expect:
Placement on the MLS & Your Lockbox
As soon as the listing agreement is signed, the real estate agent will usually put your home in the Charleston multiple-listing service (MLS). Inclusion in the MLS lets other agents in the area know that your home is in fact up for sale. Next, a lockbox and a “For Sale” sign is put up on the property. A lockbox is most commonly affixed to the front door. It makes it possible for agents with interested buyers to get into your home when you are not there.
Now, some home sellers find the idea of the lockbox to be kind of unsettling, but it’s important to realize that agents want to be able to show your house when their buyers are available. In addition, the lockbox keeps your home secure as only licensed agents can access it and it records you has been there.
Open Houses
Your real estate agent will usually hold two open houses rather quickly. Prior to these open houses, you may get swamped by a number of clean-up and touch-up requests that will get the home fully ready to show. The brokers’ open house will typically happen on a weekday. Area agents will visit the property to become familiar with it so that they can better recommend it to their clients. There is also a public open house traditionally held on a Sunday. It is best for a seller not to be present during these events because, understandably, both agents and buyers want the freedom to look around and to make comments without hesitation.
Patterns In Buyer Interest
Most buyer interest will appear during the first two or three weeks after your property is first listed. Potential buyers that are looking for a house, and happen to like yours, will usually want to see it right away. The traffic will usually subside after those initial weeks. However, don’t worry too much. The average days on the market (DOM) is perhaps 60 to 90 days. In a slower market buyers will often take even more time.
Watch for those buyers that come back for a second or a third visit. Repeat visits show serious interest in your home. You’ll want to encourage your own agent to remain closely in contact with the agents of such buyers. It’s important to look at any offer, even a low-ball offer, as something positive. Any offer at least begins the process of negotiation, and this often leads to a sale.
Keeping Your Home Clean
Keeping your home perfectly clean, especially when you have children and pets, is one of the more challenging aspects of selling your home. However, it’s important to remember that buyers are trying to picture what it would be like to live there. They often don’t have the imagination to look past those dishes in the sink, or the spilled pet food, or those toys scattered across the floor. Do your best to keep those cleaned up.
Sales Strategy Adjustments
Usually, if there isn’t an accepted offer in the first six weeks, sellers may get frustrated. The initial excitement that they felt when the listing agreement was first signed has now worn off, and sellers often grow weary of continuing to make their houses look like perfect model homes. If interest in your Charleston home has not appeared in those first six weeks, it’s usually time to meet with your agent to discuss strategy. Especially in ever-changing markets, it’s vital to look at the possibility of changing the price. It’s also important to look at additional physical improvements that might enhance the appearance of your property.
Selling Your Home
If you know what to expect as you first sign that listing agreement, it can be much easier to get through the entire selling experience. Be prepared for what’s to come and you’ll avoid at least some of the normal stresses of selling a home. To learn more about selling your home, contact us or read our free home seller’s eBook:
