Ask Daydream Properties
Should I hire a realtor to sell my house or should I try on my own?
There’s a lot involved in selling a home. Assuming you are savvy with market trends, once you’ve gotten your house clean and staged, completed all the required paperwork, hired a professional to take photos and consulted with an attorney, then you can begin to market your home. Hiring outside resources to assist with time-consuming tasks such as these, frees up a lot of time, allowing you to focus on the things you’d rather be doing. In addition, without a realtor, your home will not be accessible to as many buyers and you will be left to handle showings on your own. And studies show that on average, agent-assisted sellers sell their homes for more money.
In my experience, the sellers who list on their own and price on their own want to get in on the fever of the market. However, good agents will rarely let their buyers overpay for a home. (And for buyers, it’s always good to have an agent. Never buy directly from the listing agent whose job is to work for the seller.)
How can I make my house stand out from other homes?
Staging is key and it’s one of my favorite parts of this job. (Other than making my clients a TON of money!) I simply love walking through a new listing and discovering all the pieces that I can use to make the property shine and stand out from the others. I think it’s good practice to remove all personal items from the home so buyers can visualize themselves living there. However, sometimes a home has so much character and charm I find it really delightful to highlight those fun, quirky parts you’ve grown to love over the years. Maybe it’s a built-in shelf that opens into a secret room or a lovely window seat where you can watch the birds frolic in the leaves. A home is an extension of yourself and I really love to get to know my sellers so when the time comes to sell their home, I’ve taken special care to share the good things that potential buyers might not see.
What simple updates/refreshes will offer the biggest return?
Curb appeal is huge. If at all possible, clean out any items from the yard that serve no real purpose. Maybe you have a really neat antique radio flyer wagon sitting in a flower bed collecting rust. Get rid of it. Fresh flowers, a swept front stoop and good lighting all play a key role in a buyer’s first impression. Inside the house, fresh paint is always a plus as well as a deep clean. Do you need to update that powder room off the kitchen? Maybe not. Maybe the buyer would like to customize it and make it their own.
My house needs some repairs. Do I need to make them?
Unless your name is Bob the Builder then probably not. It’s really smart to have an agent come by and tell you what is most important to focus on when preparing your home for sale. Sellers get great relief when I walk through and tell them the project they have been putting off for years is not a deal killer at all. Having attended hundreds of inspections, I know what could potentially become a hassle come inspection time. In a seller’s market, buyers will sometimes take repairs on themselves in order to make the transaction go smoother.
Selling your home can be a stressful and busy time. However, realtors are there to help you with all of the questions and challenges, guiding you through each step of the process— saving you time and money. Why not hire someone who loves doing this for a living?
Heather Weasler has been a realtor since 2013 and absolutely loves it. She believes her previous experience as a public school teacher helps her educate her clients about the process of buying and selling a home. She is known to be fiercely loyal and believes being a retired roller derby skater helps in the negotiation process “quite a bit.” She considers herself an expert in the Dane and Door county markets and is pretty fluent in Jefferson, Rock and Green counties as well.
She specializes in staging and marketing, highlighting those special characteristics to make a home stand out from the others. She loves getting to know her clients and chose this field of work because “making people happy is my number one priority.”
DAYDREAM PROPERTIES & INVENTURE REALTY GROUP
701 E. Washington Ave. Ste. 102 Madison, WI 53716
608.333.4553
