Understanding the Denver Home Selling Process
The Denver home selling process involves a lot more work than just hiring an agent to take care of everything from listing to showing to closing. Most sellers are also involved in their own buying process, simultaneously working with an agent to find a home to move into. To simplify your life as a seller, it’s important you lean on the right professionals for support and take advantage of their knowledge and information.
Your Agent
One of the most important decisions you will have to make as a seller is deciding which agent you want to list with, and, if you are also planning on purchasing a home, deciding whether or not you want to work with one or two realtors. Either way, you’ll want to take the time to interview potential agents, which presents a great opportunity for some valuable free advice. As you provide your various prospective agents with a tour of your home, be sure to ask them for suggestions on ways you can improve your homes look before you list it. This includes everything from repainting rooms to simply rearranging furniture differently. Get as much input as you can, and allow yourself time to heed this free advice and ensure your home is in its best-selling shape.
Your Home Inspector
One of the biggest mistakes sellers often make is not having their home pre-inspected before they list it, and waiting until the closing process to discover potential issues. Have your home inspected before you list it, and ask your inspector for a list of necessary repairs as well as suggested repairs. Generally, a home inspection should cost less than $200. By getting an inspection done ahead of time, you’ll have the freedom to shop around for estimates without running the risk of paying a premium for a rush job by taking care of necessary repairs they are on a buyer’s deadline. Furthermore, you will be able to give the suggested repairs some consideration, opt to fix issues whose solutions will increase the value of your home – such as installing items like an energy efficient hot water heater, if your current one is getting old.
Your Mortgage Broker
If you are still paying off your home’s mortgage, or have a home equity line of credit, you’ll definitely want to meet with your broker before you list. Your broker is a great, free resource for financial advice to help you plan your next move. Do not be afraid to ask if your broker could provide you with their most recent title report as well as home appraisal, so you can check for a clean title as well as assess whether or not you should have another appraisal done before you list. Your broker will be able to go over the outstanding balance you will have left on your mortgage when you sell your home, how much you will need to sell your home to cover the remainder and whether or not you can get pre-approved for a mortgage on your next home. This will help you plan out your financial situation and give you an idea of your budget moving forward.
The Denver home selling process can be a time consuming and costly process. It is important for you to have a strong team of real estate professionals in place and then be willing to lean on them for their advice.