Making the decision to sell a home in the Houston area is a major choice, and it requires plenty of time, patience, and guidance from an expert in the real estate industry. Whether you have gone through the home selling process before or this is your first time, it is important to understand how the process works and the best ways to achieve your real estate goals.
In this guide, you will learn all that you need to know when it comes to achieving your goals when you sell a house in the Houston area. Our realtors at Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty - Chris Schmidt Team are happy to answer any and all questions you may have about the process and address your concerns. We want to ensure you have the best possible home selling experience, and our realtors are committed to this goal.
How Do I Find a Real Estate Agent in the Houston area?
If you have decided that now is the right time to sell a home in the Houston area, then you are likely considering enlisting the help of a real estate expert. Depending on how you look at it, the number of options available to you can be a very positive thing or an overwhelming fact. How can you determine which realtor is right for you and will help you accomplish your home selling goals?
As you are probably well-aware, having a skilled realtor on your side throughout the entire home selling process is invaluable. With the best realtor in the area, you can rest assured that you will accomplish your real estate goals quickly and efficiently. You also get peace of mind knowing that an experienced realtor can offer you access to information, resources, and tools needed to successfully sell a home in the Houston area.
So, how can you find the right realtor? One of the top tips we can offer is to interview multiple real estate professionals and get the statistics you need, including their sales figures, selling speed, customer reviews, and more. Be sure to ask them the tough questions about their marketing strategy, recent sales, number of pre-qualified home buyers in their databases. With this information, you can make the most well-informed decision.
To Discuss Your Home Sale or Purchase, Call or Text Today and Start Packing!
How Can I Improve My Curb Appeal?
As a home seller, it is essential that you are able to attract the interest of as many home buyers as possible. One of the ways to do this is to ensure that your home’s curb appeal, the view from the outside, is in the most pristine condition that it can be. Remember, the curb appeal is the initial view that a home buyer will get of your house, and it can be the make-or-break moment for a home buyer before they ever have a chance to see the interior. That means the exterior needs to be in perfect shape.
Thankfully, it doesn’t take much to improve the curb appeal of your home. Simple things can be done to make sure that your home does not lose any of its existing curb appeal and to improve what you already have.
Make Sure To…
- Mow and care for your lawn and landscaping
- Keep your gutters and roof clean
- Add some flowers, greenery, and other plants to your property
- Replace old or outdated hardware on your front food
- Get new house numbers, mailbox, and light fixtures
- Paint the front door a color that pops
- Make sure your exterior is symmetrical with front door accents, light fixtures, sconces, and more
- Create a welcoming sitting area on the front porch
- Consider adding a decorative gate or small fence for a country chic appearance
- Add new shutters or refinish old ones
With these simple, and relatively inexpensive, improvements, you can rest assured that more home buyers will feel welcomed into your home and want to explore the interior as well.
Should I Stage My Home Before Listing it?
In short, yes! Professional staging of a home is an essential part of listing the house because it is the best and easiest way to ensure your home is ready for another family to visualize themselves living there. If you keep your family photos, knickknacks, and keepsakes all around the home, it is difficult for potential home buyers to mentally replace your items with theirs. They essentially need a blank slate.
With a professional stager, you can leave it up to an expert to transform your home into a welcoming and inviting space for its next owners. The stager will use neutral colors and decor that can be easily replaced in the minds of home buyers with their own belongings. Depersonalizing ensures that you are maximizing the appeal of your home.
How Much Does it Cost to Sell a House?
This may not seem like a question that needs to be asked by home sellers because you are the one who stands to profit from this sale. Home buyers will be giving you money for your home, and many home sellers do not consider that there may be costs associated with the sale of their homes.
However, there will most certainly be some expenses involved for you as the home seller that you may not be expecting. First and foremost, there will be a good deal of closing costs for you to pay, and you will usually be expected to pay the realtor’s fees for your real estate professional as well as the home buyer’s realtor. Some other expenses that are often associated with selling a home include professional staging, landscaping, repairs and renovations, and photography.
Once you have completed the staging, renovations, and landscaping, you can have a professional photographer come to your home, take photos, and make sure your real estate listing stands apart from all of the other homes for sale. While these expenses may be significant upfront, they will be well-worth it in the end when you can list your home for the highest possible price and expect to get it.
What Should I Ask to Find the Best Realtor?
As we have said, locating the right realtor for your needs and real estate goals is not simply a matter of calling the first real estate professional you see on a billboard or TV commercial. Rather, you need to do some serious research and investigation to find the perfect realtor who will dedicate themselves to assisting you.
Once you do a bit of research and come up with a short list of realtors who seem like they might give you the assistance you need, it is time to hold some interviews. That’s right! Interview your potential realtors. You will be hiring one of them, so you need to ask them some tough questions before you put your trust in their work. These tough questions should relate to their credentials, track record, past sale performance, local real estate market specialties, and past client recommendations and reviews.
Only after learning all of these details can you make a well-informed decision about your real estate future.
How Do I Determine My Listing Price?
One of the most important parts of the real estate listing when you sell a home in the Houston area is your asking price. In general, home buyers will first look at the listing price before they ever view the home because they need to make sure that the house is in their price range and worth the price that it is listed at.
So, how can home sellers determine the right price at which to list their homes to attract the highest number of home buyers? There are a number of ways to make this determination, including conducting a comparative market analysis, hiring a professional appraiser, or working with a realtor to determine the right asking price.
There are a number of factors that will influence your home value, and therefore your listing price.
These include such things as:
- Size of the home and property
- Layout and design of the house
- Condition of the interior and exterior
- Age of the home
- Features and amenities
- Upgrades and renovations
- Comparable home sales in the neighborhood within the last 6 months
These factors are almost always used to determine home value, and then you will have a clear idea of what your listing price should be in the local Houston area market.
What Legal Documents Do I Need to Sell My House?
When you sell a home in the Houston area, there will be a number of legal documents which need to be filled out and filed correctly in order for the sale to go through properly. These required legal documents include:
- Two forms of identification
- Copy of purchase and sale agreement (and addendums)
- Closing statement
- Signed deed
- Bill of sale
- Affidavit of title
You may also need the following documents, depending on your situation:
- Loan payoff information
- HOA forms and guidelines
- Survey results
- Home inspection results
- Documentation proving repairs and renovations
- Home warranty information
- Any relevant wills, trusts, and/or power of attorney letters
- Relevant affidavits
- Closing disclosure
- Correction statements for any lost or defective paperwork
To ensure that all necessary paperwork and documents are filled out and a smooth transaction occurs, our team at Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty - Chris Schmidt Team recommends that you work with an experienced realtor and/or attorney who understands everything that needs to be done throughout the entire transaction.
How Do I Market My Listing to Find a Buyer?
When you want to sell a home in the Houston area fast and to get top dollar for it, it is essential that you know the most effective strategies for the task. If you work with an expert realtor such as ours at Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty - Chris Schmidt Team, you can guarantee that your home will be marketed only to the most interested home buyers so that you get offers quickly and that meet your pricing criteria. Our team is well-versed in developing an effective marketing plan because we are dedicated to helping you achieve your home selling goals.
Some of the ways that we are able to market your home so effectively include utilizing online listings, having professional photography done, offering virtual tours, and taking full advantage of everything social media has to offer. If these (and many more strategies) seem like something you would like to benefit from, be sure to give us a call and find out more.
What are Strategies for Negotiating and Closing?
Once you have a home buyer lined up, it is necessary to begin negotiations so that you can work toward a quick and profitable closing. Negotiating is a process of give and take, especially when one side is much more favorable than the other. If you receive offers that are extremely low, you also need to know how to handle them.
When you work with experienced realtors like ours, you can rest assured that you will have skilled negotiators on your side who will collaborate with the home buyer’s realtor, discuss terms in a rational manner, and get everything prepared for the closing process without bothering you with the details.
What Happens When I Finalize a Sale and Move Out?
When the final closing day arrives at last and you are ready to move out, you need to have someone on your side who knows how to get everything handled so that the process can come to an end quickly and efficiently. To finalize the sale, the paperwork needs to be filled out properly and signed, ownership will need to be transferred, and the final settlement procedures will be completed. All of this can take time, but our team will get you through it easily.
We also realize that moving and preparing the house for the new owners can be very stressful and expensive. Here are some tips to make the transition as easy as possible:
- Pack, load, and drive to your new home on your own (or with friends and family) since movers can be very expensive
- Get rid of clutter and unwanted items in the house before your move to ensure the process is easier
- Don’t push the moving timeline to your limits
- Keep in mind what condition you would like to move into your new home and make sure your old home is in the same condition for the new owners
While this may seem like a lot of work to be done and quite a bit of stress, following the tips in this guide can make it easier to sell a home in the Houston area and start fresh in a new location. Be sure to contact our team to get all the details and ask any questions you may have remaining.
Who is the Top Realtor in the Houston area?
If you have decided that now is the time to sell a home in the Houston area, your first call should be to our team at Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty - Chris Schmidt Team. As the best realtor in Houston, we have the experience, skills, and local insider information to guide you through the home selling process and ensure that you have the most relaxing and stress-free experience possible. Your success is our success, and we are committed to making sure you are 100% successful. We sell houses fast and for top dollar!
To learn more about the home selling process or to get started on your real estate journey, give our realtors a call at 713-322-5604 or fill out the form on this page with the requested information to get a detailed response from one of our skilled professionals.
To Discuss Your Home Sale or Purchase, Call or Text Today and Start Packing!
More Questions Home Sellers Ask
When you want to sell a home in the Houston area without a realtor, it is going to be more difficult than it would otherwise be if you used a realtor. Why? Because you have to make sure you have completed each step of the process, haven’t missed anything essential, and are well aware of the next stages before they occur.
You will need to dedicate a great deal of time, energy, and patience to process in order to be successful. Otherwise, a realtor would be handling all of that. There are plenty of resources available online, though, that you can find to assist you in every aspect of the home selling process without a realtor.
Selling a house fast means doing everything you can to attract the most interested and qualified home buyers to your listing. Follow the tips we have outlined above concerning improving your home’s curb appeal as well as the advice on professional staging to make sure that your home is ready for home buyers, inside and out.
Another great way to sell a home fast is to get a cash offer. When you do not have to worry about financing issues or other problems that can slow down the home selling process, you will be able to complete it much more quickly.
According to real estate experts, the best time to sell a home in the Houston area is in late spring and into July. This is what can be considered the home selling months and will ensure that your home sells quickly and for the highest possible price. During May, homes spend less time on the market and sell for the highest amount.
Statistics have shown that the winter season (November through January) are the months of the year where home sellers can get the least amount of money for their homes. They spend the most number of days on the market, and the least number of homes are sold during that time.
Although the Houston area is considered a seller’s market, the median sale price has decreased by 3.1% since the same time last year. The median home price is $319,654, and the inventory in Houston has increased 7.6% year-over-year.
According to Rocket Homes, the current real estate market in Houston is a seller’s market and has remained that way since the same time last year. Homes are selling faster and for higher prices, so home buyers need to act quickly and expect to pay over listing price for their perfect homes.
To get a cash home buyer when you want to sell a home in the Houston area, it is wise to enlist the help of a realtor. Our realtors have a database of pre-qualified home buyers who are ready to pay cash and are interested in purchasing a home like yours. Working with a realtor is the best way to ensure that you are getting a legitimate offer from a home buyer who has the funds to make the investment.
