Rent vs. Sell: Sellers Weighing the Options

With the residential market seeing a slow down in recent months, many clients have asked me for help in weighing their options of rent vs. sell. Now, as a commission based, licensed real estate agent, you may think I'd encourage them to sell their homes - List with Me! 6% Commissions! - but I've found servicing clients makes the best business, not sales. It's about weighing the pros and cons, specifically looking at each client's needs, situation and goals.

You are relocating to a different city (surely not leaving San Diego?!?), your family has grown and your current house is not big enough or your preferences have simply changed. These and more could be some of the reasons you are required to sell real estate, i.e. your current home. When conversing with real estate agents, you will often find that when they talk to you about buying real estate, they will refer to your purchase as a "home." Yet if you are selling property, they will often refer to it as a "house." Buying real estate is often an emotional decision, but when selling real estate you need to remove emotion from the equation. You need to think of your house as a marketable commodity, a property, a piece of real estate. If you do not consciously make this decision, you can involuntarily create a situation where it takes longer to sell your property.

This post is continued from Tips for Selling Real Estate part 1

6. Make repairs before you sell

Buyers want a home that has no postponed maintenance, newer appliances, well-run plumbing, proper electricity and heating, modern conveniences, and one that is ready to occupy. Quick fixes before selling a home always pay off. However, deciding which repairs bring the biggest return depends on a variety of factors like time of year, location of home, market conditions, competing inventory, etc. Following are some of the fixes that you could consider: