How to List a Home for Sale

I do a lot of Buyer counseling, telling Buyers the step by step process to purchase their first home. Not many people ask me what to do when they want to sell a home. After conducting a number of searches I found a number of active listings with no pictures, some with no description and a few with the same copied and pasted description. I don’t know why people don’t ask what it takes to List a home for sale. Maybe they think they already know. Maybe people think it’s an easy process. Maybe people think it doesn’t matter who they List their home with — they may think all Real Estate Agents know what to do and are all the same. Well not all Agents are as dedicated or professional as others when it comes to Listing a house for sale. Here is a list of a few qualifications to consider.

 

Experience:

Experience can be a factor, but it doesn’t take 1000 listings to figure out how to do a great job of Listing a home for sale. It takes imagination, dedication, and communication. Figure it out yourself. An Agent with 100 active listings has a greater chance of letting details fall through the cracks than an Agent with 10 active listings.

Pictures:

This is the one that really irritates me. I see so many Listings with few, no, or poor pictures. Photography is an art. Pictures not only show pride of ownership, but pride in the work of the Agent.

Write UP:

Let’s face it, many Real Estate Agents are poor writers. Here again, the description should be designed to capture the attention of Buyers, as well as inform them of the outstanding features they are buying.

Communication:

It happens – call to set an appointment – wait – call back – leave another message – check the data sheet to find out – this Agent only replies to text messages or email. Is this really the image you want to place on your house when its for sale – dealing with an Agent whose too busy to be bothered with a phone call to schedule a showing appointment? It doesn’t happen often but it does. A good Agent will communicate with you by letting you know how many views your house had on major websites, call you when a showing is set, keep you updated on what the market is doing, and other major details.

Open Houses:

Are they really worth the time or effort? It all depends on timing and available buyers in the price range. Then you, the seller has to determine if it’s worth the extra time and cleaning to prepare a house for an open showing. Few houses actually sell from open houses. Buyers like to have a sense of control – show me the house at my convenience.

Listing a home for sale is as easy as locating a qualified, licensed Real Estate Agent and making sure they understand the importance of providing the following services.

  • Great Communication

  • Great Pictures

  • Great Write Up

  • Market Reports

  • Showing Set Up

  • Showing Reports

  • Explaining the details of an Offer to Purchase

  • Explain closing costs and estimated proceeds

  • Follow up with scheduled tasks

  • Communicate with the Selling Agent

  • Schedule the closing

  • Final Closing

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