If you’re thinking about selling your home, you probably have a ton of questions. Learn the answers to the most common questions home sellers ask.
You’ve been thinking about selling your house for a while now, but you keep putting off getting started with the process. All the while, you’ve been wondering, “What do home sellers do to get ready?”
If you’re wondering how to even begin the process of selling your home, you should find this article helpful. We’ll go over some of the frequently asked real estate questions and try to provide information you can use.
We’ll also try to help you identify good questions for real estate agents when selling your house. Read on for answers to some common real estate questions for sellers.
Ten Real Estate Questions Answered
These are the questions most home sellers seem to need answers to. Some of them are ones you’ll want to discuss with your realtor as well.
1. How Do I Find a Good Realtor?
This is a great first question since your realtor will help address many if not all of the questions that follow.
When choosing a realtor, make it an informed choice since not all will be equally well suited to meet your needs. Here are two sites that should help you:
- How to find the best real estate agent in your area
- 9 Red Flags to Watch for When Picking a Real Estate Agent
We believe that, together, these sites provide a thorough look at criteria for selecting an excellent realtor to help sell your home.
2. What Else Should I Be Doing While Searching for a Realtor?
Good question! This is time you should be spending getting your house ready to sell.
First, start organizing and removing clutter from your house. Hide it somewhere or put it in rental storage. Also, make any minor repairs, such as painting or caulking, to improve the look of the house.
If you have time, we highly recommend having a pre-listing home inspection too. This involves hiring a home inspector to identify problems and potential problems so that they can be taken care of before buyers have their own inspection.
A pre-listing inspection allows you to make needed repairs and/or set a reasonable selling price before an interested buyer comes along and the negotiations begin.
3. What Are Good Questions for Real Estate Agents When Selling a House?
The following are some good questions to ask at the start of your formal interactions with the realtor you’ve chosen:
- What is your honest first impression of my house as it is now?
- How should I prioritize things that still need to be done to the house?
- Given what still needs to be done, what do you consider a good date to target for listing?
- Based on your experience, what do you foresee as the time frame for selling the house?
- How often will you hold open houses?
- What happens if the house isn’t sold by the time I need to move?
You’ll think of other questions along the way. Be sure to write them down.
4. What Should Home Sellers Disclose to Potential Buyers?
Ask this question after your pre-listing home inspection. Your realtor will let you know about legal requirements for disclosure as well as what you want potential buyers to be aware of before having their own home inspection done.
5. How High Should I Price My Home to Leave Room for Negotiation?
The prevailing wisdom is that overpricing your home in anticipation of negotiations is not a good practice. TheBalance.com explains why this is the case:
“The reality is that many overpriced homes have never had a serious offer. That’s why, as counterintuitive as it may seem, an overpriced home might be an indicator of a potential bargain.”
Here’s a site that answers the question from a different perspective–and a lot more boldly.
6. How Is a Good Offering Price Determined? What Should My Asking Price Be?
This is one of the most frequently asked real estate questions. Realtor.com has this helpful article (with accompanying video) to help you out.
In your specific situation, your realtor probably will propose a value based on an average of holes recently sold in your area plus the price you originally paid (perhaps accounting for any major improvements such as a new roof).
7. What Commission Will the Realtor Expect?
Nationwide, the average realtor’s commission for selling a house is 6%. You’re wondering, though, to what extent this is negotiable. Here is a good, concise answer.
Remember, there’s a lot that goes into selling a house for someone. The work might look quick and easy, but it definitely is not. Plus, all those yard signs, brochure listings, the cost of gas, etc. can add up!
8. What Will Be the Total Cost of Selling My Home?
This is another of the most common real estate questions. Bankrate.com provides a thorough explanation, though.
The realtor’s commission is the largest amount most people will spend–but think of what all that person (hopefully) did for you. One somewhat hidden cost is staging the house. Some people can get pretty carried away with this!
9. What If I Decide to Sell My House As-Is?
Selling your house as is can be a sensible option for some people. Just be sure you’ve exhausted all other options. Here are some sites that offer advice on this option for someone selling a house:
- How Do You Get the Most out of Selling a House ‘As-Is‘?
- How to Sell a House As-Is When It Needs Repairs
10. What Happens at the Closing?
During a closing, the property title and ownership are transferred from the seller to the buyer. The buyer signs various documents prepared by the escrow or closing agent and also pays whatever closing costs are due.
Although this process varies from state to state, it is usually managed by an escrow agent (sometimes an attorney), whose job it is to handle real estate closings and prepare. the related documents.
Your Future
We hope you consider most of your real estate questions answered at this point. However, like most home sellers, you probably have some still lingering. And, likely, you will still have these questions well after the sale.
In fact, you might ruminate for years as to whether you should have done something differently when selling your house. This is known as “experience”–and a big reason why experience is considered so valuable.
For now, though, take a deep breath and get in touch with a realtor who can get the whole process of selling your house going at full speed. Don’t forget to bookmark our site to never miss any of our latest posts!
