5 Tips for Selling Your Home in a Pandemic
I recently saw a post on the Florida Realtors website that is full of great information and tips during these weird times so I thought I’d share and spread the word.
This post and video will give you 5 things to do when selling your house in a pandemic.
Now the first thing you may be thinking is that people are not selling their homes but the market is still chugging along. People have to move for various reasons — either it’s because of a job, family issues, needing more space or less space, and the list goes on. Even though inventory is slightly down, pending home sales index is up 16.6% from this time last year so there’s still a lot of activity.
With low mortgage rates attracting buyers and upward pressure on prices, many sellers are viewing this market as a wonderful time to sell.
If you are selling or plan to in the near future, here are a few things that should make the process go more smoothly.
1. CLEAN AND DISINFECT YOUR HOME THOROUGHLY. FINISH UP ANY DIY JOBS AND WORK ON YOUR HOME’S CURB APPEAL
Many sellers are still inviting potential buyers into their homes for showings. Cleaning and disinfecting as well as you practically can is a good move any time but especially important when you have people come in and out.
Curb appeal is an important part of making a favorable impression. Sure, buyers may have seen photos of the property on the internet but their attitudes can shift to the negative if they pull up and the home doesn’t look good.
2. RESCHEDULE ANY IN-PERSON OPEN HOUSES (IF DESIRED). ASK YOUR REALTOR TO CREATE A VIDEO TOUR AND SCHEDULE AN ONLINE OPEN HOUSE
Showing your home can be different than holding an open house. Wanting to manage a handful of people versus a steady stream of buyers and agents can make a huge difference. If you don’t feel comfortable holding an open house either reschedule or do it virtually.
A good real estate agent can even film a video highlighting the key aspects of the property and answer questions. It would be beneficial to have an open house AND a virtual tour but being able to adapt should come with the territory during an event like a pandemic.
3. USE TELECONFERENCING AND E-SIGNING PROGRAMS TO NEGOTIATE CONTRACTS
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This is one of the best improvements in real estate during the 21st century. I was able to list and sell my own personal house by signing everything digitally. Once everyone involved signed I even instantly received a copy of the documents via email. Talk about convenient and efficient! Because it’s Florida, I did have to physically sign the closing paperwork but didn’t have to be present at the closing.
Being able to conduct business face-to-face offers many opportunities but being able to do it electronically will save you time, money, and effort. Take advantage of that.
4. BE FLEXIBLE. KNOW THAT CLOSING DATES COULD SHIFT SO BE SURE TO ACCOUNT FOR POTENTIAL DELAYS
This is actually terrific advice whether we’re in a pandemic or not. Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. So many things can happen from emergencies, to sickness, to unpredictable events. It should be the goal of everyone involved to complete the deal on the agreed time frame but it doesn’t have to be the end of the deal if things are moved a little bit. Things can change in a “normal” closing so one during a pandemic may be a bit more fluid and none of the parties may be able to do anything about it.
5. DON’T PANIC. PEOPLE HAVE MORE TIME TO HOUSE HUNT
Just like the previous point of being flexible, “Don’t panic” is great advice for every stage of any situation, especially ones involving real estate. Being diligent, being proactive and working with a healthy sense of urgency is the approach to take and panic can just blow everything up because panic can lead to irrational thinking and wild actions and that just doesn’t do anyone any good.
Use these 5 tips to help sell your home in less time while being safer in the process.
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