Some erroneously believe that putting your house on the multiple listing service (MLS) is the only way while neglecting to realize and implement a direct sale. You don’t have to hire an agent to sell your house. There are other options close at hand when selling your Seattle house. Ascertain what listing your house is really costing you when selling in Seattle!
The MLS is no guarantee in many an example. A number of properties will cost a lot in big expenditures and take a lot of time and attention to sell. Average cost to sell your house with an agent is over $15,000 according to some studies. So before it costing you so dearly in payment to an agent and that on top of the stressors of your move, make sure you understand that to sell your house you have options.
Commissions
Agents charge 6% of the final price of the sale which puts you down a 1000s just like that at the closing table. Is it worth it? That depends but sometimes it very well could be in certain cases.
Administrative Costs
Not all agents operate on the premise that you pay extra costs on their behalf such as flyers, listing fees, open house catering, etc. Make good and sure before signing a listing agreement that you are fully apprised of the facts. Agents are bound by the contract that is made and they should hold up their end.
Clean Up
In Seattle it is a great idea to have your house cleaned by professionals before putting it on the market. Carpets need replacement? If not, those will need to be typically steam cleaned. The home will need to be keep up its appearance during the time it is listed as many times there are those last-minute visits and random showings of people dropping in to see the house.
Staging & Storage
The hope is that plenty of folks will come to see your house. Timing the showing to coincide with the times you are at work of out is possible to schedule with your agent. Sellers will often get storage units to clear out their personal items from the space to give it a more magazine like appearance until the house sells. This makes it less cluttered and messy. Professional staging the home is also a popular option.
Repairs And Upgrades
Depending on the condition of the house, these expenses could be small or end up setting you back thousands. As any homeowner knows, sometimes when you find one thing that needs repairing, it can lead to 10 more. And once your potential buyer has they home inspection done, they will likely want to negotiate repairs with you as well. You are under no obligation to make all of the repairs, however, if you want to sell the house, you might want to consider some negotiation.
If your house is way out of date compared to other properties on the market, you will want to refresh some things to make it current. You can have a big impact with small improvements such as new flooring, painting, and fixtures. As with the repairs, these costs can snowball too. There might be a few trips to home depot in your future!
Landscaping
Before listing, you might consider reseeding the lawn, planting some flowers along the driveway, or having your trees professionally trimmed. All of this adds to the curb appeal and overall appearance of the house. You’ll need to keep up with it while it is listed by regularly mowing, weeding and sweeping. Depending on your neighborhood and available time, you might hire a professional landscaping company to keep things in order each while the house is on the market.
Monthly Responsibilities
Like it or not, every day that you continue owning the property, it is costing you money. This is why flippers aim to sell as quickly as possible, they don’t want to hold on to the property longer than you have to. You will have to pay monthly utilities, taxes, insurance, likely a mortgage and costs for monthly maintenance. When you think of all the little things your house needs over time, the bills can add up pretty quick.
As you can see, the costs to sell a Seattle house using an agent can add up quickly. Some properties will cost more than other to prepare for the MLS. In order to save time and money, you can choose to sell your Seattle house to Sell a House Washington. We will not require any repairs nor charge you any commissions. Before you call an agent, find out what we can do for you!