10 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Home Sale, Part 1

Here's part one of my two-part series on tips to ensure that you acquire the most money from your home sale this year.

Want to sell your Kansas City Home? Get a home value report here 

Want to buy a Kansas City home? Search all homes for sale here

If you’re selling your home this year, here are five of the 10 steps to follow:

1. Recognize that every real estate market is different. By having a deeper knowledge of the market itself, you’ll make well-informed decisions that other sellers won’t. Setting yourself apart in this way will allow you to maximize your equity and dollars acquired from the sale. Your agent should be constantly putting this information in front of you to assist you in your decision making.

2. Be sure to get your home inspected. Have a pre-inspection done on your home before it goes onto the market. This can be likened to a scenario where you’re buying a vehicle and you're trying to decide between two—are you more likely to purchase the road-ready, mechanic-certified car or the one that’s recently been traded in and has yet to be looked at by the mechanic? It’s no contest, right? The fact is a home that’s been pre-inspected is more apt to attract a higher offer.

“

By having a deeper knowledge of the market itself, you’ll make well-informed decisions that other sellers won’t.

”

3. Shape up before marketing. Simply put, be certain that your home is in tiptop shape before buyers view it. Using the car analogy above, a vehicle that sparkles inside and out, smells great, and would be a point of pride to own is sure to attract a higher offer than a dust- and dirt-coated car sitting on the lot. The same goes for your house. Some tips for preparing your home for sale include:

• A fresh coat of paint in areas such as the front door

• Maintain a super clean entryway

• Clean your windows and glass

• Replace any burnt out lightbulbs

• If possible, plant some flowers

4. Devise a great marketing plan. This is where an expert advisor comes in—their job is to guide you through the decision-making process to help you capture the highest price on your home sale.

5. Check into a company relocation assistance. If you work for a corporation or larger company, there may be some of this available to you.


Don’t forget to check back in a few weeks for part two! If you have any questions related to real estate, please get in touch with me. I look forward to talking to you!

5 More Tips for When Your Home Isn’t Selling

Welcome back to the second part of our series discussing what to do if your home just won’t sell.

Want to sell your Kansas City Home? Get a home value report here 

Want to buy a Kansas City home? Search all homes for sale here

If you missed our first installment, you can check it out here.

In continuation of my video last time, here are a few more tips if you’ve found it hard to get your home sold:

5. Offer your home on a lease option. There are a couple ways to do this: If you own your home outright, you can do an owner finance where, if you don’t have a mortgage on it, you can record that note at the county courthouse. This allows you to be the bank, so to speak, for the people buying your home. If your mortgage company allows it and your insurance company has been notified that your home is non-owner occupied, this can be a good option for those who aren’t able to sell

6. Ask your employer about relocation. There are a lot of corporate employer packages where relocation is an option. These can help with the expenses of selling your home.

7. Lower the price of your home. This will help make your home more competitive. For this to work, we need to do an analysis on the environment of your home’s price point and be sure that the condition, location, and marketing package you’ve chosen are competitive. This way, your home will be a clear pick for the buyers in your market.

“

Our guaranteed sales plan for clients says that if we haven’t sold your home in 90 days, we will step in and buy your house from you so that you can go on to buy the next one without contingencies.

”

8. Consider a real estate auction. My team does what’s called accelerated marketing, and there are four kinds of auctions that fit different strategies. The great thing about conventional marketing is that you can gauge the market and take your time to draw buyers in—there’s a lot of negotiation in a balanced market. With an auction, you set the terms up front, meaning you get to tell the buyer exactly what day the home is going to close, what terms are attached, and what inspection rights and financing rights the buyer has. The buyer who purchases your home will have to live with whatever terms you’ve set, and then they’ll pay commission. This option isn’t appropriate for every situation, but it is a conversation worth having.

9. Consider our guaranteed sale plan. We guarantee to clients that if we haven’t sold your home in 90 days, we will step in and buy your house from you so that you can go on to buy the next one without contingencies.

If you have any additional questions about what you can do to sell your home in a difficult market, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be glad to speak with you.

What to Do When Your Home Won’t Sell: Part 1

Are you having trouble trying to sell your home? If so, you may want to try one of these four alternatives.

Want to sell your Kansas City Home? Get a home value report here 

Want to buy a Kansas City home? Search all homes for sale here

Listing your home can be a stressful experience in and of itself, but this is especially true if you’re having a difficult time attracting buyers. To help address this common problem, our team is launching a two-part series on what to do when your home won’t sell. And today marks the first episode.

We’ll be covering the first four solutions in this installment, so let’s dive right in:

1. List again in the future. Sometimes the reason your home won’t sell is simply that the timing’s wrong. Sellers must consider current market conditions, as well as their own personal circumstances, before putting their home on the market. If you’ve been struggling to sell, sometimes the best solution is to try again at a more opportune time.


2. Refinance your mortgage instead of selling. If your motivation to sell is largely financial, then perhaps a home sale is not the right solution at all. This isn’t to say that a sale is entirely out of the question, but you should consider other options if this is your reason for listing. Speaking with a lender is a great first step. They will be able to inform you of your options based on your individual situation. 

“

If you’ve been struggling to sell, sometimes the best solution is to try again at a more opportune time.

”

3. Turn your home into a rental. This isn’t always the best solution for those who lack experience in acting as a landlord, but it can be a decent alternative to selling for those ready to accept this (often hefty) responsibility. There are renters out there who will take great care of your home, but you must be prepared for less favorable outcomes before you decide to rent out your property. You should also check with your mortgage company to ensure that this option is within your legal right.


4. Pursue a short sale. This option isn’t as common right now as it was in years past, but it is still available for those who need it. Still, like the other options we’ve listed, sellers must think carefully about their situation before pursuing a short sale. Having an attorney by your side when you do so may also be a smart move.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.