Selling a Home in Wilmington
A lot of people have considered selling their homes recently, with the current real estate market favoring sellers. However, selling a home in Wilmington is unfamiliar territory for a lot of folks. We’re here to discuss some things that we recommend in order to get the most money possible for sellers. What does selling a home in Wilmington look like?
First, we cannot stress enough the importance of having an experienced real estate agent to represent you. People often assume that they can sell their house on their own, which may be possible, but they are likely to make some mistakes that could cost them big bucks. Most people don’t know what their house is actually worth, so they need a professional to guide them to the right price without selling themselves short or overpricing it. Some people have used discount firms online to try and save some money, but that’s a risky move. These firms don’t know the local market, nor do they know the sellers, so oftentimes things fall through the cracks and the sellers don't wind up netting the amount of money off the sale that they need to. Having a local professional gives you access to resources that you would not otherwise have, such as a trusted network of local vendors and marketing experts to assist with getting you ready to sell a home in Wilmington.
Safety is also a huge reason to have an agent represent you. Agents have lockboxes that only we have access to. They track who goes inside the house, and when. We have tools that allow us to prequalify buyers and run background checks before we even let them in to see the house. Selling a home in Wilmington l can be stressful, so that added peace of mind from knowing your home is secure is priceless.
Another thing you get from a skilled listing agent is honesty. That honesty is what is going to get you the most money possible for your house. That may mean not always hearing what you want to hear, but knowing that your agent has your best interest in mind. We’re not trying to be insensitive. It’s our duty to our clients to point out aspects that might be off putting to buyers. Seasoned agents know that getting your home ready to sell includes pointing out what may seem to be insignificant details, that are actually potential deal breakers for some buyers.
Curb appeal is paramount in selling a home in Wilmington. The outside is so important because local buyers will almost always drive by the house before ever calling an agent to see the inside. If the outside is not appealing, it doesn’t matter how lovely the inside of your home is, because buyers will not care to see it. Getting rid of cobwebs, cleaning windows, pressure washing, and lawn care are all things that can increase the chance of getting more buyers into the home to get it sold.
Most buyers decide within 30 seconds of entering the home whether or not the house will work for them. Bearing that in mind, an experienced agent will advise you to minimize clutter, possibly rearrange furniture and depersonalize the house so that buyers can envision themselves living there. Also, an honest agent will point out pet odors that sellers are sometimes immune to. We are happy to provide you with air purifiers to help remove unfavorable odors, which is just one less thing for you to have to tackle while getting your home ready to sell in Wilmington.
Having an adept agent help with getting your home ready to sell is imperative because they will be ready to tackle unexpected problems, and get ahead of the curve with potential issues that are not noticed by the untrained eye. For instance, we had a listing through our team where the seller had her AC coming in through window units. Luckily for them, they had a seasoned agent that suggested checking out the HVAC unit that was presumed to be broken. The unit was, in fact, in working condition. We got an HVAC technician out to service it, got rid of the window units and got the windows back into good shape. That was critical for that seller because it not only made the house more appealing to buyers, but it made lenders more comfortable and willing to finance that particular property, increasing the number of potential buyers.
Selling a home in Wilmington isn’t just putting a sign in the yard and a lockbox on the door. Right now, especially, pricing the home is so important as this market fluctuates. Housing inventory is still low in Wilmington, but starting to slowly increase. This is a time when you need an expert pricing advisor to pinpoint a listing price. If it is overpriced people won’t bother looking at it, and if you lower the price because it hasn’t gotten any bites then buyers will assume that the house has issues or something is wrong. Targeting the price that is just right for the market will yield multiple competitive offers which will then yield an above asking sales price.
The Wilmington real estate market has seen a small shift since interest rates have started to rise, but not much. It’s still a great time to be a seller here, so don’t shy away because of daunting headlines. There are plenty of qualified buyers, and not enough supply to meet the demand. Lenders are getting creative with loan products to boost the purchasing power of buyers, which is keeping the dream of home ownership alive for a lot of folks. If you need help selling a home in Wilmington, look no further than the Jennifer Bullock Team! From start to finish, you can trust that you will receive authentic, reliable guidance to get you top dollar for your house.