“How do I sell my home fast in Charleston, SC, and how can I make sure I get the best deal out of it?” It’s a question that sellers like yourself would ask, but the truth is that the answer is not so simple. Selling a home is more than simply putting your property on listings and hoping for the best. You’ll need to work hard to greatly boost your home’s resale value.
A general rule of thumb is to keep your property from staying in the real estate market for too long, and you don’t want to grab onto the first offer you get, either. Learn more with this step-by-step guide to selling your home.
Deciding to Sell
“Is it time to sell my home in Charleston?” The answer to that question is entirely up to you. If you feel like you’re emotionally and financially prepared to move away from the place you called home for a while, then you can consider the option of putting it up for sale.
Timing matters, too. Even if you’ve prepared yourself to make the big move, you might find it difficult to sell your old home if there are few buyers in the real estate market. If you look into the red-hot real estate market in Charleston, SC and nearby areas, you’ll discover that now is the best time to sell: with high demand but a short supply of houses for sale, you can sell higher than the median sale price.
Preparation to Sell
Now that you’ve decided to sell your home, it’s time to begin preparing it for the next owners. Start by removing any personal items that may distract your prospective buyers, and create an impersonal yet clean space where they can envision their future selves. By removing your personal style, your buyer can easily visualize your property as their future home.
This is also the time to fix any glaring major or minor issues. Chipped paint, leaky faucets, and holes on the ceiling are immediate red flags to buyers, so take the time to do a couple of quick fixes around the house. You’ll also want to apply a fresh coat of paint in the rooms if you want to boost its visual appeal, though opt for more neutral colors rather than bright ones.
Pricing Your Home
“How much do I stand to earn if I sell my house fast in South Carolina?”
Now, that’s a trickier question. It’s important to strike a balance when putting a price on your home. Sell it too high, and you might scare off the buyers. Sell it too low, and you might end up on the losing side of a deal.
Start by comparing the prices of homes for sale in your neighborhood, then set your own price around that number. For instance, home prices in Charleston, SC tend to be valued at $414.9K. This should give you an idea on how much you can go for with your property.
Marketing Your Home
At this point, you’ll want to work with a real estate agent who can help you promote the best features of your home. You can help speed things along by making sure that your home looks clean and attractive and staging it with the help of a professional. The goal here is to create a good and lasting first impression and to make the living space look as appealing as possible to your buyers.
Choosing Offers
Once buyers begin lining up with their offers, what then? Generally speaking, you have three options here: accept an offer, make a counteroffer, or reject the offers altogether. Trust your real estate agent in helping you choose which one to accept, or when you should make a counteroffer.
Unlike the usual offers, counteroffers happen when you negotiate the terms and price made by the buyer. It could be anything, from leaving certain appliances behind to adding credit for paint. If you’re planning to give a counteroffer, make sure to put it in writing and give your buyer a time frame of 24 to 48 hours to respond.
Escrow Inspections and Appraisals
An offer has been chosen, and the deal is almost sealed. Now, it’s time to make sure everything is in proper order. Your agent will open the escrow and order a title policy just to make sure that the deal actually pushes through once the buyer’s loans have been funded.
This is also the time when your property will be inspected and appraised. Usually, appraisals go without a hitch, but you’ll still need your agent by your side if your property receives a low appraisal or if your buyer decides to cancel the contract based on an appraisal.
Closing the Deal
Once everything has been smoothed out, make sure to have a lawyer who specializes in real estate matters to draw up the contract of sale. Everything, from the items included to the closing and possession dates, will be spelled out in this contract. You’ll also want to ask your lawyer for tax implications and exclusions.
With all the paperwork out of the way, it’s time to say goodbye to your old home, get the movers out and about, and hand over the keys to the new owners.
The process of selling your home is definitely bittersweet, but it shouldn’t be stressful either as long as you have your real estate agent helping you every step of the way.
For an experienced agent in Charleston, you may call Carmilla Rena at 843.926.2007.