This is an exciting time for home sellers. Most houses are selling within just a couple days on the market and buyers are fighting to get their offers accepted. It's important to slow down and really evaluate the offers that you have before make a decision.   #topeka #topekaks #topekarealtor #realestate #budgeting #realtor #sellingahome #sellmyhome #closingcosts #buyingahome #topekaagent #buyahome #buildwealth #investing #investment #invest #equity #rental #rentalproperty

Foreclosure is not a problem you can ignore and it will just go away. Be proactive and find a solution to save your home, your equity, and your credit!

When it comes to buying or selling a home, one of the first things many people do is check the estimated value of the property on Zillow.

It’s not a seller’s goal: you put your house on the market, hoping for a quick sale — but after months on the market,  you haven’t received any acceptable offers and few showing requests, leaving you to ask: Why?

You Have a MARKETING Problem if…

• The photos were shot with a phone camera or only feature an outside photo.
• Your MLS listing is missing room sizes or notes featuring details about your home.
• Your agent’s idea of online marketing is featuring your home on Zillow and Realtor.com.

You Have a PRICING Problem if…

• You’re getting lots of showings and no offers.
• You’ve received offers from a few buyers and they are all around the same price, lower than your asking price.
• The market has declined since you listed your house for sale and you haven’t adjusted your price to reflect today’s new reality.

You Have a SHOWING Problem if…

• Potential buyers can’t see your property when it’s convenient for them.
• You’ve restricted appointments to specific hours of the day with a 12-hour notice period.
• You’re home during the showings.
• Your dog is not in a crate and barks and intimidates the buyers.
• Your agent’s office doesn’t have a systemized process for other agents to book appointments.

You Have a STAGING Problem if…

• Potential Buyers are too distracted by the clutter and mess to see the house.
• You have a ceramic chicken collection or the walls covered floor to ceiling with framed family photos.

You Have a LOCATION Problem if…

• You’re on a busy street, adjacent to train tracks, have a hoarder as a neighbor or are otherwise located in an undesirable area
• You can’t change location, so refer to Point #2: You have a pricing problem. Every location sells at the right price.

You Have a HOUSE Problem if…

• Your agent is repeatedly getting the same negative comments from showing agents
• If you can’t fix the problem (ie lot size or lack of parking), then refer to Point #2: You have a pricing problem. Every house sells when the price is right.

You Have an AGENT Problem if….

• Your agent isn’t giving you feedback, updates and keeping you informed about what’s happening to the other houses for sale in your area.
• Your agent isn’t suggesting new strategies to get your house sold and adjusting to a shifting market
• Your agent just listed your house on the MLS and is praying it will sell itself.
• Your agent doesn’t understand the power of marketing

You Have a TIMING Problem if…

• There are many homes in your area for sale at the same time as you.
• It’s the Christmas season. Or the first nice stretch of summer weather.
• Interest rates have just been hiked.
• Nobody else’s homes are selling either.

You Have a MOTIVATION Problem if…

• You don’t really need to sell – you’re really just testing the market.
• You aren’t listening to what the market is telling you, because it doesn’t really matter. You want what you want, and if you don’t get it, that’s ok.

Truth:

The value of your home is really how much a Buyer is willing to pay for it. While real estate agents look to recent and nearby comparable sales to help us predict what that market value might be, market value is actually dictated by the Buyers making offers  and Sellers accepting them.

Something that goes overlooked during the home selling process that you may not know about...Holding Costs!

Holding Costs are the costs that you incur while a house is sitting on the market. Take a look at how much in Holding Costs is accrued while you wait for a house to be bought- it may be more than you think!

Some think the market has cooled, but the stats show that houses are still selling fast! Take a quick look and see that homes are still flying off the shelf faster than they were before the pandemic!

In our Topeka area real estate market, it's still a really good time to sell your home as inventory is low and demand is high. But this doesn't mean you shouldn't take additional steps to ensure you get top dollar for your property.