Jersey Shore Realtor, Kate Jahns-Rossi - Real Estate Agent brokered by eXp Realty

When you are considering selling your house, or have decided to sell, follow these steps to ensure a successful listing! Step 1: Meet with your agent and discuss what is important to buyers and how to best prepare your home for sale. Step 2: Consider making repairs and upgrades that give value to your home. A pre-home sale inspection might be a good idea if you have an older home. Step 3: Create a gameplan for what repairs need to be made and how your sale will progress. Do you need to store items off property? Do you need to hire a handyman? Where will you and your family go during showings/open houses? Where will you be moving and how much time will you need to make the transition? Step 4: Ask ask me for a home prep checklist! This checklist goes room by room to make sure you home is list ready.

Get that sold price up by considering some repairs with a good return on investment. Not all buyers have the vision to see what your home could be, so even little changes will help them see the bigger picture. Here are 4 high-ROI improvements that buyers will love: 1. Open up the floor plan. Knock down walls and create the spacious layout that's on many buyers' wishlists. 2. Install hardwood floors or refinish your current ones. According to NAR, refinishing hardwood floors will recoup 100% of the cost at resale, while new hardwood floors recover 106% of costs. 3. Swap out fixtures in the kitchen and bathrooms. New knobs, pulls, and faucets, are an inexpensive way to create a cohesive, modern look. 4. Paint in a neutral palette. This allows buyers to picture their things in your space.

It sometimes happens that a home does not appraise at or above the contract price. When this happens, we go back to negotiations to determine if we can save the deal by adjusting both the sales price and the terms of the contract to the satisfaction of both buyer and seller. Usually we are able to work it out and save the deal. You always have the right to refuse to lower the price to meet the appraisal, but it’s usually in your best interest to try to work with the buyer to resolve the issue as the next appraisal could result in the same valuation. If you are concerned about the appraisal value, go ahead and have your home appraised before setting the listing price.

Determining your home’s market value is one very important reason to use a real estate agent. I will do a comparative market analysis (CMA) to help you set the correct listing price. I look at recent sales of comparable homes, similar homes that are under contract, and homes that are listed in the same price range of your home. Then I compare features of the homes including the size, style, number of rooms, age of the home, amenities, condition, lot size and placement, and the location or neighborhood. (Note: the tax appraiser’s assessed value of your home has nothing to do with the market price.)