Chris Hounchell REALTOR

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Award-winning Florida real estate Broker PROUDLY SELLING IN PINELLAS, HILLSBOROUGH, PASCO, MANATEE & SARASOTA COUNTIES since 2004.

What Makes a Motivated Seller

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You want to sell your house that makes you a motivated Seller. Right? Maybe not. While every homeowner would love to sell their house for the listing price, or as close to it as possible, motivated Sellers are aggressive in their listing practices and willing to make a deal to get to the table as fast as possible.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Why is your motivation? Did you accept a new job offer or are you going through a life change such as a divorce or illness? Are your expectations for the sale in line with the current market? Are you physically able to get the house prepared to sell?

Motivated Is Not Desparate

Desperation is not a good selling point and it’ll become apparent to potential Buyers. While you as the Seller may be desperate you need to keep your anxiety in check and put forth a strong but inciting listing. If your listing appears desperate, Buyers and their agents may suspect something seriously wrong with the house and shy away from showings. If you do find a interested Buyer they may not be willing to make a fair offer to you, thinking they have you up against the ropes.

What Makes a Motivated Seller

The Price Is Right

Pricing is going to be one of the biggest factors in selling your home. If you’re truly motivated you’ll price your home competitively from the start. Your Realtor may even suggest aggressive price reductions at 30, 60, and 90 days. You also need to be willing to negotiate with a Buyer. Whether it’s on the price or concessions, be ready to make some kind of deal to get to the closing table.

 Get Ready, Stay Ready

A staged home sells faster than a non-staged home, according the National Association of Realtors. Whether you spend money on staging or do it yourself, keeping your house in that same condition every day is important. Operating under the assumption that a potential Buyer is going to walk through your home every day is the mindset you’ll need. You’ll also want to make your home as accessible as possible to showings. That means there should be little to no reason to decline or cancel a showing. And once you have an offer, make sure you have new living arrangements lined up and you’re prepared to move out as soon as possible.

While there is no wrong time to sell (or buy) identifying your motivations for doing so will help you achieve your desired outcome. White hot markets don’t always yield the biggest sales price and slower markets don’t necessarily mean a “for sale” sign will sit on your lawn for months on end. If you’re motivate to sell now, being enticing, flexible, and ready is the key to your success.

Benefits of Selling During the Off Season

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School is back in sessions, the temperatures are cooling down (slightly), this time of year is known as the “off season” in real estate. Traditionally, real estate’s busy season is April through July, with many closings wrapping up by August. But what if you need or want to sell your home at a different time of year? Are you bound to accept a lower price? Maybe not. Let’s look at the benefits of selling during the off season.

The Competition

One of the very first things you’ll notice during the off season is the lack of inventory in the real estate market. That’s a great thing for any Seller. Fewer homes for sale means your listing will be shown to more often to potential Buyers. There will be fewer listings to distract Buyers and fewer options for them to choose from when it’s time to make an offer.

The Buyers

People searching for a home during the off season are serious and motivated Buyers. Maybe they’re moving because of a job or a life-changing event, whatever the case they are decided on purchasing a home now instead of waiting for their “dream” home, which may not even exist, to appear on the market. These types of Buyers may also mean you’ll have less showings, indecision, and demands on the Buyers’ part since they’re on a deadline. They’ll also be more willing to get to the closing table on time than a Buyer who may have all summer to sort things out.

Benefits to Selling During the Off Season

Your House Looks Great

The off season also ushers in the busy holiday season and many homeowner decorate according. Go ahead and decorate with a gentle touch. (Griwswolds need not apply.) Holiday decorations usually take the place of your every day items, such as photos and other personal items; which homestagers recommend you remove anyway when you list your home for sale. Fall colors or twinkling holiday lights can make your home even more warm and inviting than it already is.

More Time With Your Realtor

While every good Realtor will attempt to give your home undivided attention, the busy season and a packed listing inventory can make that more difficult. Now that the market has slowed down, your Realtor will have more time to create a customized marketing plan for your property and host more events like open houses and agent previews before the listing hits the market.

Have you ever sold a home during the “off season”? Would you do it again?

Benefits of Buying During the Off Season

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Want in on a secret? There’s no bad time to buy a house. Spring and summer offer a wild range of options but fall and winter, the “off season”, offer advantages of their own.

Benefits of Buying During the Off Season

Time Is On Your Side

A Seller willing to list during the off season may be one on a deadline so you’re more than likely to have a counterpart that is ready to make decisions quickly. The Seller isn’t the only person motivated to get to the closing table. Realtors, mortgage lenders, and other parties all have lighter case loads during the off season. This means underwriters are able to get your loan approved faster and inspectors can get out to the property sooner. Realtors are also more available for inspection appointments and running down last minute details they may not otherwise have time for during the busy season.

Tax Benefits

There’s almost always a slight increase in closings right before the end of the year. Why? Because the purchase of a home can be written off for the current tax year. What better way to ease the shift in your budget than decreasing your tax liability and hopefully increasing your tax return. You don’t need to wait until December to make your purchase though, you’ll still reap the benefits sooner than someone who bought earlier in the year.

The Competition

We talked about competition in our post about selling during the off season but it also applies to Buyers. If the housing market in your area is hot, chances are you’ll end up priced into a less desirable home or you’ll find yourself engaged in a bidding war if you shop during peak season. But if you can wait until the off season you’ll have less Buyers vying for the same inventory.

Smooth Move

Are you planning on repainting before you move in or hiring the professionals to move your possessions? Many home improvements vendors and moving companies see their business decrease during the fall and winter months. This is good news for Buyers since you’ll be able to hire the vendors of your choice and take advantage of their open schedules. Some also offer off season rates or discounts to drum up business.

If you can put off your home buying until the off season you may have some added gains but it shouldn’t be the only reason to jump into the real estate market. If you’re thinking about buying check out our post to see if you’re really ready.