St. Thomas Real Estate Trends

NOW IS THE TIME TO START YOUR PLAN!

Think of this

“Twenty years from now you will be more  disappointed by the things you

didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw  off the bowlines. Sail away

from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your  sails. Explore. Dream.

Discover.”  ~ Mark Twain.

Planning for the New Year?  If selling your home is part of your resolution list for next year, there’s plenty of prep work you can do to set yourself up for home selling success.

Here are 5 things you can and should start working on without further ado, if you want to get your home sold - smoothly and for top dollar - in 2012.

1. Put your intentions in writing. The first step to any real estate transaction -  to anything important in life! - is to get clear on your goals. Unexpected challenges and situations might very well come up in the course of selling your home. Have a clear idea of your ultimate goals at the outset  - this will help you make the right decisions along the way and to remind you when you might need to correct your course.

Be specific. Be clear.
What are your priorities? Speed or dollars?

Getting as clear as possible from the very beginning on your priorities and ultimate life objectives for the sale will allow you to communicate these crucial things clearly to your agent, and will power your decisions on issues like:

which home improvement projects, if any, to complete before you sell;

whether to accept a particular offer; and

how aggressively to negotiate counter-offers, and on which points to push back against a buyer’s offer.

2. Study the local market. The most successful home sales are the listings that are priced right from day one.
In order to position yourself and your property at the point of pricing nirvana, you’ll need to do some leg work ASAP! You don’t need to pick an exact price this moment, unless you’re planning to list your home super soon, but you can get started by:

visiting open houses,

studying nearby listings, and

talking with local agents.

3. Gather your paperwork. In planning for your sale next year, you can get a great head start by pulling together the necessary paperwork now. Keep in mind that the specific requirements vary by state, so this is not an exhaustive list. In general, you’ll need to have these ready: Disclosure documents, Compliance certificates, Mortgage statements, Financials, Property Tax Receipts

4. Prep your listing plan and timeline. - decluttering, staging and any repairs or cosmetic power-tweaks you plan to make; Discuss showing arrangements  so that local agents can get prospective buyers into your house.

5. Get a head start on your ‘home’work. 
Spend some time during your holiday vacation  to: 
     (a) obtain any advance inspections your real estate agent recommends, 
     (b) have any reasonable repairs completed, 
     (c) pre-pack and de-clutter your place, and 
     (d) add to your home’s curb appeal - painting the shutters and sprucing the landscaping goes a long way