Home Selling Simplified With A Seniors Real Estate Specialist

There are a lot of moving parts when selling your home. A real estate agent for seniors is a valuable resource when you are in the downsizing and/or retirement phase of your life.

The often-complex process can be made more difficult due to physical and financial limitations and the strong emotions connected to your family home.

Having a Seniors Real Estate Specialist like myself at your side can simplify selling your home every step of the way.

The following are the five main ways in which I will help you with your home sale:

Five Essential Steps To Selling Your Home

1. Pricing Considerations

The listing price of your home is often the first thing buyers notice. The price is one of the criteria they set in their search for a home.

Buyers usually have a price range for the type of home they are looking for. Selecting the right price is an essential first step in the listing process.

As a Seniors Real Estate Specialist I will analyze your home and compare it to the local market to arrive at a competitive selling price that benefits you.

2. Staging Your Home

Price may be the first thing a buyer notices, but how you show off your home can be the difference between closing a deal with a buyer and watching a buyer walk away.

Staging your home means presenting it in the best light, sprucing up the curb appeal, and giving the inside a new shine. This should take place before the For Sale sign goes up.

I know what buyers are looking for and as a Seniors Real Estate Specialist I can guide you through the process of getting your home looking its best.

Some ways I will suggest you go about staging your home:

Light landscaping
(weeding, trimming, mowing the lawn, etc.)
Making necessary or cosmetic repairs
(leaky faucets, sticky, etc.)
Hiring a service to thoroughly clean top-to-basement
Rearranging rooms so the size and function of the room are easy to view
Putting valued possessions in a safe place

The staging process can be stressful because you’re being asked to rearrange your home for the sake of someone else. But, it’s necessary so that home buyers can visualize what their life could be like when they are living there.

As a Seniors Real Estate Specialist I understand this can be emotional for you and your family.

I will be available for your questions and concerns all the way through.

3. Listing your home

The listing process involves signing the agreement between you and me as your Realtor. I will review all of the items in the necessary paperwork with you.

Signatures are collected, and then I list your home on the Multiple Listing System (MLS). This gives your listing worldwide market exposure.

I will be available to you to answer your questions to make you comfortable and confident with the paperwork.

4. Showing Your Home

A buyer’s agent will bring prospective buyers into your home to show them around and discuss its features. The buyer’s agent, in most cases, will likely not be me but these showings are scheduled through me as your representative.

The homeowner does not usually experience showings as part of the selling process. It’s best for the homeowner to leave the home while their home is being shown to prospective buyers.

Showing a home to prospective buyers while you’re present can put you in an awkward position of feeling forced to answer the buyer’s questions. And it can be uncomfortable for the buyer to discuss possible changes to the home without feeling like they’re insulting your taste.

For this reason, I will ask you to be out of the house during a showing. This is an excellent time for you to run errands, visit friends or family, or go out for coffee or a meal.

It’s best to stay near your cell phone however, in case I need to reach you regarding any required follow-up with the potential buyers, including their intent to write an offer on your home.

Individual showings are sometimes scheduled on short notice, which means you might have to quickly leave your home and occupy yourself for the duration of the showing. This is easiest when you maintain your home in “showing-ready” condition, with only minor household tasks to do to get ready for the showing.

As a Seniors Real Estate Specialist I understand that this can pose unique challenges for people with mobility issues. I will take special consideration of your schedule and abilities.

I work with your best interests in mind and will adapt the showing schedule to meet your needs. Showings work really well when I as your realtor and you as the seller communicate openly and co-operatively to facilitate showings to buyers with a good amount of flexibility. The home needs to be shown easily so that it can sell.

5. Negotiating the Sale and Closing

It’s exciting when an offer is made on your home. But sometimes the offer may not be what you hoped, especially when it’s a buyer’s market—when sellers outnumber buyers.

How do you know if the offer is reasonable and should be considered, and how do you begin negotiations?

• I will be notified that the offer is being sent and when it arrives I will present it to you. I understand the local market, and I am familiar with your needs. I am well-equipped to advise you through the process. Remember though, I am here to advise you, but YOU are the decision maker.
• We need to find a time, to discuss the offer over the phone before the offer expires. We will discuss the options available to you to accept the offer, and/or make a counter offer, or decline the offer.

It’s important to know that the negotiation process almost always requires give and take from both the buyer and the seller.

BONUS:

6. Packing and Moving

Moving out of your family home can be overwhelming. Not just the organizational and physical parts but the emotional aspect, too. Life-long possessions can trigger many memories, making it challenging to decide what comes with you and what is given a fond farewell. Family members can help you through this process, but sometimes a third-party specialist such as a home organizer is what you need.

I can put you in touch with professional services that can:

• Determine how much can fit into a new home
• Help you make decisions on what to keep and what to part with
• Manage the packing, moving and unpacking process

If you decide to handle the moving on your own, it’s recommended that you start organizing and packing as early as possible. Set small, achievable goals and break up the work to relieve any emotional stress you might experience. It almost always takes two or three times as long as you think it will.

And if you do decide to enlist professional help, I am available to connect you with a senior moving specialist in your area. (Or you can search on your own at the National Association of Senior Move Managers website: nasmm.org.)

For additional advice about getting your home ready to sell, Click Here to read my article Easy Ways To Make Your Home The One That Buyers Want

Click here to contact me by email if you would like to chat about how I can help you simplify your home sale.