If you're considering selling your home you might be wondering how much work you actually have to put into it to sell it. Well, I will give you the straight answer; nothing. If you want to sell your home you can do it right now without touching a thing. It's called selling "as is" and it's not super difficult to do so. But, here's the caveat, you're not going to get as much from your home as you could.
Any homeowner can list their home as is. This means that they are not willing to do anything to sell the house. A buyer can still get a home inspection so they understand any work that will need to be done, but the seller is not obligated to complete any of that work. You'll often find it as-is house with short sales or bank-owned properties where the bank just will not put any effort into repairing the house. Because of this, homeowners and banks are willing to take a loss on the home or less money.
If selling your home seems like a daunting task because you're looking around and seeing a whole bunch of issues that need to be taking care of, selling as is may be a good option. However, sitting down with a real estate agent and discussing the issues that should be taken care of and some that you can let go might be a better option. Not every buyer will expect perfection in a house before they agree to buy it. This is where negotiations can make a world of difference. There are several ways to list the house.
List the house in as-is condition, making remarks to agents and buyers that no work will be done.
List the house not as is and see what the buyer comes back with.
Repair or replace safety concerns or issues before listing
You might be surprised as to what buyers will agree to buy. Some buyers can be extremely picky asking for every little detail to be corrected, but again, here's where negotiations can come into play. Buyers and sellers can go back and forth negotiating for certain repairs or replacements or even just taking money off at closing.
Remember, you're probably not going to get as much from the sale of the house if you sell just the way it is. - And maybe that's okay!
There are a lot of different ways you can list the house and tackle repairs. At the very least, a homeowner should try and clean the house before listing. This is something you should sit down with your listing agent and discuss prior to posting it on the MLS. Simply talking through certain repairs or replacements can put you in a better headspace and prepare you for the listing process. You never know, a buyer may fall in love with your house exactly as it is, not requesting anything, however, if you prepare yourself for the worse, you might be pleasantly surprised.
Want to discuss listing your property? Let's talk!
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