Can you sell my home? & Can I do it on my own?

The two most frequently asked questions real estate agents & brokers get every day.

In a nutshell: Selling real estate can be stressful, time-consuming, and
complicated. Plus you really need to know how to market your property.

Working with a true Lethbridge real estate professional comes with a lot of advantages over trying to go it alone.

By working with a FULL TIME Real Estate agent you’ll get:

An industry member who's bonded, licensed & insured.
Has current market knowledge. Someone who can help you navigate through existing inventory to make sure you get a good deal.
A working partner who has immediate access to other industry contacts & service providers to help you through a pain free transaction. Someone who saves you time by allowing you to focus in on the goal at hand whether you're buying or selling.

A skilled negotiator, who's not emotionally involved in the buying or selling process. Having a 3rd party buffer could save you lots of dollars. The above are just some of the reasons why, so many people come to a realtor to help them sell their Lethbridge home.

Can you do it on your own? Yes, you can sell your home yourself, but if you're considering it, then please read this article.

Getting Market Ready

Look over the property you have to sell. What needs to be repaired to make your property visually appealing to a buyer?

Clean up the yard, hang flowers and plants, and get rid of the weeds—the phrase “curb appeal” exists for a reason: there are a lot of folks out there who can’t see past the small imperfections.

This goes for the inside of the home as well. If there’s chipped paint, a major hole in the wall, or any other eye-sore, fix it. Do some home staging—re-arrange the furniture, de-clutter—do whatever you need to do to make your home look like a model home.

Potential buyers want to come in and envision what this house would look like if it were theirs, and the fewer personal items that are on display, the better. Don't just think "I want to sell my home", think "how to sell it to someone else".

Learn here how to get your house ready to sell.

Want to know your property's fair market value? Find out what's your Lethbridge house is worth.

Paperwork

Make sure you have all the documents required to sell a property. This would include any and all mortgage documents, a property survey, transfer of title, tax assessments, and any receipts for major upgrades, repairs, or renovations done to the property.

Likewise, if there are unpaid taxes, liens, or pending legal matters, gather those documents as well and be up front with the realtor about these situations—withholding pertinent information will only delay your potential for a sale.

Lethbridge real estate agent Jeff van de Bennet is happy to advise you.

Evaluate

The price tag for a listed property isn’t arbitrarily assigned; rather, an extensive analysis needs to occur. Hire an appraiser to come out and evaluate your house. He or she should be able to give you an accurate estimate of your property value.

Take this number and compare it with the current market value of similar homes in the area—you don’t want your prices to be the lowest in the neighborhood; likewise, you don’t want to necessarily be the highest, either. The next best thing for a buyer is feeling like they’re getting a steal; the next best is that they’re not getting ripped off.

Agreement

Together with your realtor, you need to come to an agreement about what the listing price should be. It’s important to stay reasonable, since selling a property can be an emotional process—the numbers, however, need to give an accurate reflection of the value of the property. You shouldn’t be giving the home away; however, you do want to sell, so set a fair price.

Contact Jeff van de Bennet for more advice on selling homes in Lethbridge, Alberta.