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If you’re selling your house yourself near Indianapolis, you need to know the five places sales get stuck. If not, you find out at the closing table. But if you do, you get the most money and do it well.
1. Price by neighborhood first. Filter comps by neighborhood, not city or zip. Then square footage, not bedrooms. Same number of stories. Year built within 10 years. Sales in the last 180 days.
Fewer than four comps? Go back in time before you go wider, and stay in the school district.
Online adjustment sheets, like “subtract $10,000 if your home is on a busy road or add $20,000 for a ranch,” look specific. But they’re wrong becausethey have zero specificity. for your neighborhood. (And Zillow has never been inside your house. Are they counting the upgrades you’ve done? Or drastically over pricing which causes a house to sit?)
2. Eyeballs. The MLS syndicates to Zillow, Realtor.com, and Homes.com. Do you post your house onto all the various websites or are you OK with less eyeballs?
Imagine selling your car, if you get one person’s opinion on your car versus 100 how confident do you feel the price is accurate?
Professional photos, best room first. A heavy yard sign on 4×4 posts. An electronic lockbox whose code resets (so your code isn’t given to everyone). And be careful what you say when you are in the house for a showing.
3. The net to you. The total money may be incredible, but what goes in your pocket?
Will you offer buyer broker compensation? You don’t have to, but can your buyer pay it out of pocket? Who pays closing costs? Get your loan payoff to the title company early.
4. Where deals stick. The appraisal comes in at $300,000 on a $350,000 contract. What happens to the $50,000? FHA and VA repair requirements. Inspection responses, and what paperwork you’ll use. Who holds the earnest money. Pre-approval or proof of funds?
You can bury an army in paperwork.
5. Your next house. Downsizing, upgrading, a farm, new construction? Know how the timing lines up before you list.
A deal is not zero-sum. Create as many yesable propositions as you can.
You don’t need a house picked out or a plan. If you’re wondering what may or may not be possible for you, email me at nlamkin@c21scheetz.com and let’s talk it through.
