The Top 10 Questions About Home Selling To Ask a Realtor

Selling your house seems like a daunting task. If you're considering selling your house in the next year, bookmark these 10 questions to ask before you do anything else. And read until the end for the strangest question I’ve been asked about selling a home.

photo by Mikhail Nilov

10. What Should I Disclose to Potential Buyers?

Before you even sell your home, it's a good idea to address any issues you're aware of. If you know of damage to the roof, broken tiles, etc. you can make sure they're repaired before listing the home or, at the very least, be upfront about anything you know of to avoid potential problems when you're under contract and even potential lawsuits. You could take things a step further and get a pre-listing home inspection but it's not necessary.

South Carolina has a property disclosure form, and though the agent can't complete this for you, they can assist if a seller is uncertain about what to disclose.

photo by Samson Katt

9. Can I determine how much my home is worth from an internet website?

The short answer is, no. Third-party real estate sites like Zillow and Trulia aren't local to every real estate market so they rely on formulas and algorithms to generate home values. This means they're not as accurate as a Realtor who pulls information from the MLS, and tax records and creates a comparative market analysis based on location and home condition. 

Can you use one of these sites when researching? Sure, but do so with the understanding that they're not accurate and the estimates could be off by a little - or a lot.

8. Should I price my home higher to leave room for negotiations?

This is a common question from sellers, and it's an approach that causes friction between family members when deciding on the list price of their homes. I've worked with sellers wanting to price homes $20,000 and in some cases higher than my suggestion in the hopes that they can capture the best price during negotiations. The real answer is that homes should always be priced to sell. 

Whether you're selling your home in a buyer's market or a seller's market, a home listed within an appropriate price range will create the most interest and eventually sell close to the listing price. In this market, we aren't seeing a need for "room to negotiate" so pricing your home attractively is leading to multiple offer situations and above list price as well.

7. How will you market my home?

A well-rounded, comprehensive marketing plan to sell your home should be expected from any qualified Realtor you speak with. While traditional efforts should still be used such as a sign in the yard. Gone are the days of an ad in a real estate magazine and a postcard in the mail and that's it.

With over 90% of home buyers starting their home search online, it's important that your Realtor has an active presence online, a high-quality website, a blog with helpful content, and they employ targeted social media ads so you know your listing is getting the maximum exposure.

6. How will we communicate?

Your Realtor should always ask what your preferred method of communication is, whether it's phone, email, or text. I always let the clients decide what the best way to communicate is. If I have a lot of important stuff to say, I usually email and we can follow up with a phone call if further clarification is needed. Another important bit of information to ask about is whether or not the agent has a system in place to provide feedback after a showing.

5. How will you vet the buyer?

The rate of success when selling a home goes up exponentially when you work with a Realtor that's skilled at vetting the buyer. Vetting a buyer starts with a pre-approval letter and a strong offer. 

In addition to the purchase price, how much is the buyer putting down? Are they asking for closing costs? What kind of earnest money are they offering? 

All of these answers give us an idea of the buyer's financial situation. Prior to ratifying the contract, a call to the lender is important to make sure they've gone further than just a simple credit pull.

photo by La Miko

4. What do I need to do to get my house ready to sell?

When it comes to getting your home ready to list, I make it really easy for my sellers:

• Is it dirty? Clean It.

• Is it a rat’s nest? Declutter it.

• Is it smelly? Freshen it.

• Is it messy? Organize it.

• Is it broken? Fix it.

Of course, there's a little more to it in order to get your home ready to sell, but if you follow those rules you'll be in far better shape than most sellers.

3. Should I invest in upgrades?

Sellers have a big advantage in the current real estate market. Home inventory is low and buyer demand is high. This has caused homes to go under contract in a matter of hours instead of days. In addition, home sellers are fielding multiple offers often above the original asking price.

With that said, it seems like the real question about upgrades should be, "Why bother" right? Well, regardless of what type of housing market you find yourself in, you're always going to be looking to get the most return on the sale of your home.

So, it's a good idea to make as many repairs to the home as you're comfortable with and improve the curb appeal to put the home in its best light. In a seller's market, homebuyers tend to think more in terms of the home's potential, than its shortcomings.

2. What are buyers looking for? Any deal-breakers?

The answer to this is different for each type of buyer. Some may want a particular school district, while some want a one-story home. Some need the master bedroom on the first floor, while some don't want to deal with the upkeep of a large yard. Some may want a pool while for some a pool is a deal-breaker.

Your Realtor should "Interview" you to understand your thoughts on what makes your home special. And, they should also use their experience and intuition to know what other features of your home are highly marketable. Whether those features appeal to a small segment of buyers or a large one, they should be able to position your home in the most appealing light that garners the most attention.

photo by Alena Darmel

1. When should I list my house?

There will always be the age-old advice that listing your home in the spring is the best time to sell in order to guarantee a quick sale for the best price. And while the numbers don't lie that spring is traditionally the prime season for home sales, when someone has future plans involving a home, they may wonder if they should sell now or wait until closer to the time. 

An example: I have a client that's moving out of state and plans to purchase new construction in their new location. If the home won't be ready until the end of the year, what are their options? 

1. They could sell now and move into a short-term rental out of state. 
2. They could sell now and negotiate a rent back from the buyer. 
3. They could wait until the new home is closer to completion.

These examples support my belief that the best time to list your home is whatever works best for you in your current situation.

BONUS: The STRANGEST question I've ever been asked by a seller is...?

A seller once asked me if it was also my job to help them pack once I sold their home!

Unfortunately, the answer to that question is no.

Conclusion

Asking questions as a home seller is not only a good idea, it's imperative in order to have all the information you need before beginning the process of getting your home ready, listed, and sold. The more information you have about the home selling process, the fewer problems you'll have leading up to closing and the better your decisions will be about any issues that do come up.

For this reason, it's important to choose the best real estate agent in your area that meets, or even better, exceeds your expectations in representing you.

Did I answer your home seller questions? If I missed any, please contact me and ask - I'm always happy to help.

Ashley Melton, Realtor®  |  843-670-2333  |  Ashley.Melton@AgentOwned.com