One of the questions I get asked pretty regularly is, “What should I do to my house before I sell it?”
Should I paint? Replace the flooring? Remodel the bathroom? Fix the landscaping? Wait until spring? What should I list it for?
My answer is usually pretty simple.
Before you start spending money or worrying about all of those things, call your favorite Thrive agent and have us come take a look.
A listing consultation is free, and honestly, an hour spent walking through your home with an experienced real estate agent can probably answer questions that would otherwise take you hours of researching online.
And you might be surprised by what we tell you.
I’ve walked through plenty of homes where sellers thought they needed to spend thousands of dollars getting the property ready for market when my recommendation was to leave certain things alone. I’ve also seen homes where a few relatively inexpensive changes could make a big difference in how the property presents to buyers.
Every house is different.
That’s why I think it’s important to actually walk through the property before making those decisions.
During a listing consultation, we can talk about what I would change, what I wouldn’t change, where I think you should spend money and where I think you should save it.
We can also talk about timing. Should you list now? Would waiting make sense? How long might the process take? What happens once you accept an offer? What should you expect during inspections, appraisal and closing?
And, of course, we can talk about one of the biggest questions:
What is your house actually worth?
This is another area where I think sitting down with a local real estate agent can be incredibly valuable.
It’s easy to pull up Zillow, look at your tax assessment, or search for a few nearby home sales and come up with a number.
But those numbers don’t always tell the whole story.
An experienced local agent can actually walk through your home and see the things an algorithm can’t. We can look at the condition, improvements, layout, location, garage, basement, lot and overall presentation. Then we can compare those things with properties that have actually sold and what buyers are responding to in the current market.
And sometimes homeowners are pleasantly surprised.
I’ve met with owners who had a number in their head only to find out that I believed we could potentially sell their home for considerably more.
That’s where having someone who understands the local market can really matter.
It also brings me to another question I get asked all the time:
“How much does it cost to use a real estate agent?”
It’s obviously a fair question, and it’s something we should discuss openly with every seller.
But I think there’s another question that’s just as important:
“How much more can a great real estate agent help me get out of my home?”
If you’re selling one of your largest assets, the goal shouldn’t necessarily be to find the cheapest way to sell it. The goal should be to determine what approach gives you the best overall result.
That’s a big distinction.
Our job isn’t simply to put your house on the MLS, stick a sign in the yard and wait for someone to buy it.
At Thrive, we want to figure out how to present your property to its fullest potential.
That means determining the right pricing strategy, making recommendations before the home hits the market, using professional marketing, photography, video and online exposure to get attention, communicating with buyers and agents, negotiating offers and helping manage everything that happens between accepting an offer and actually getting to the closing table.
All of those things can affect your final outcome.
Could someone sell a house without an agent? Absolutely.
But there’s a difference between simply selling a house and maximizing the opportunity you have when you sell it.
A strong marketing strategy can create more interest. More interest can create more competition. Good negotiation can affect price and terms. Experience can help avoid mistakes and solve problems when they come up during a transaction.
That’s where I believe a good real estate agent earns their value.
So if you’re thinking about selling your home—even if you’re six months or a year away—my first recommendation isn’t to start remodeling.
It’s not to start packing.
And it’s definitely not to spend a weekend trying to figure out your home’s value on the internet.
Call your favorite Thrive agent and have us come out.
We’ll walk through the property with you, answer your questions, talk about what your home may realistically sell for, explain the process and help you put together a plan.
It’s free, there’s no obligation, and you might walk away realizing you’re much closer to being ready to sell than you thought.
Don’t just live. Thrive.
John Mercer
Broker/Owner, Thrive Realty
