Larry Barton, RA
Kauai Real Estate lives here!
Tips on Selling Your Home or Residential Investment
STEP 1: Creating a Marketing Plan Create a marketing plan for your home that will help distinguish it in your local marketplace and attract buyers to your property. This may include:
- Advertising
- Posting your listing on the Internet
- Holding an open house
- and more.
STEP 2: Setting the Price A key part of the marketing plan is setting the list price.
If a home is priced too low, it may cost you money.
If a home is priced too high, potential buyers may be scared away.
To determine the best asking price review the cost of recently sold homes, evaluate the competition and study marketplace trends. Larry Barton is well trained to use this information to help you reach the right asking price. It is also helpful to discuss other terms and conditions, such as timing and items that can be included with the sale of the home (e.g., furniture, hot tub, appliances, etc.) Both of these can make your home more attractive to potential buyers.
STEP 3: Showtime Now it's time to get your home ready for the spotlight. Start with a good cleaning, then eliminate any clutter, add a fresh coat of paint and tidy up the yard. "Staging" your home is an art in itself and deals with presenting the house in its most favorable light as you would want to see a home you were considering for purchase. Talk to Larry Barton, your real estate professional about other tips that can help boost a home's curb appeal and impress potential buyers once they're in the door. One way to make a home more attractive is to purchase a Home Protection Plan. This insurance protects you, the seller, from paying repair or replacement costs of major items during the listing period and eliminates unwanted surprises. It also protects the buyer during their first year of homeownership.
In addition, make sure you are aware of all the federal, state, and local disclosure laws. This information can be obtained by the specific local and federal government agencies or from Larry Barton.
STEP 4: Protecting Yourself In some cases, a home sale can also be an invitation for danger. Here are some things you can do to make the process safer.
- Ask for identification
- Ask for pre-approval letters
- Lock up and hide collectibles and valuables
- Remember "For Sale" signs bring in buyers. Do not allow your children to open doors to strangers.
- If you have pets, make sure they are controlled
- Remove any dangerous items
- Talk to Larry Barton about additional safety tips to help protect you and your family.
STEP 5: Making the Deal A buyer has made an offer - now it is time to negotiate. Rely on Larry Barton, your real estate professional to guide you through this process. He will help you arrive at an acceptable price, terms and conditions.
Once you have accepted an offer, help keep the deal together by meeting deadlines and criteria, including home inspections, appropriate buyer visits, scheduled deposits and other steps. In fact, during this period there may be a renegotiation of the accepted offer price depending on the outcomes of these visits. As the closing nears, you may also need to perform repairs or do additional work to the house as agreed upon in your contract. In addition, you will need to have the house "broom clean" prior to the closing so that the buyer can complete a final walk through. You can either credit a cleaning fee to the buyer or clean the house yourself. I recommend a credit to the buyer to avoid any discrepancies on what “broom clean” is.
When you finally arrive at the closing table, come prepared with the appropriate certificates and approvals as required by your town, county and state. Ask the appropriate agency or get a list of what you need from Larry Barton. Once the money has exchanged hands and all the papers are signed, it's time to hand over the keys and concentrate on your next big project - getting YOUR new home in order.
Larry Barton, RA, CENTURY 21 All Islands Kauai
P.O. Box 223700, Princeville, HI 96722
(808) 639-7532 Cell / (808) 240-2417 Direct line / (808) 826-9884 Fax / Email Larry
P.O. Box 223700, Princeville, HI 96722
(808) 639-7532 Cell / (808) 240-2417 Direct line / (808) 826-9884 Fax / Email Larry