As you may have seen from the recent headlines, the homebuying market is more competitive than ever, so there’s never been a better time to sell your home. Across the country, record-low inventory is making housing prices extremely competitive, making it the ideal time for military families who are preparing for a PCS this summer to put their current home on the market. Paired with all-time low interest rates, many buyers are eager to purchase a home before rates go back up. If you’re looking to take full advantage of the current seller’s market, here are five tips you need to know.
1. Price Your Home Correctly
There is no doubt that everyone wants to make as much money as they can when they sell their home, but it’s also very important to be realistic. You can use a home estimate tool to get a good idea of what range you can expect to sell your home, and then work a real estate agent to determine an appropriate list price.
2. Declutter and Prepare to Sell Your Home
Once you’ve decided that you’re going to sell your home, and especially if you are preparing for a cross-country move, you’ll want to get started on clearing out the clutter within your home. This is an important step to complete before taking pictures of your home for the listing.
Removing items and tidying up helps to maximize the space in your home and focus a potential buyer’s attention on the overall layout and rooms of your house. Clutter can devalue your home in a potential buyer’s eyes and even in a competitive market you want to ensure you are set up for success.
Box up everything you don’t absolutely need to have out and place it out of site or in a storage unit – even if just for the photos. And don’t forget anything that’s been sitting in the back of your closets and cabinets since your last move.
3. Be Accommodating with Showings to Sell Your Home
The selling process can be challenging, especially when potential buyers start scheduling times to see your home and you need to be out of the house.
Once your home is listed, try to say “yes” to every single showing request – the good news is, many showings these days are happening virtually. Unless it’s truly not possible, be accommodating and flexible when you can with showing your home to potential buyers. Though with the current market, you won’t be surprised to find these requests may come in faster than before!
4. Plan Your Next Move Earlier than You Think
With homes selling so quickly, don’t put your home on the market if you haven’t already secured a new living space and have a confirmed timeline. In past buyers’ markets, owners could plan to stay put for a while once an offer was accepted, which gave them extra time to look for a new home. In today’s market, you might have to negotiate a later closing date or negotiate with the future buyers who are eager to move in right away.
5. Work with a Qualified Real Estate Agent to Guide You through the Process
Selling a home is a massive decision with a lot of nuances for military families and you don’t have to do it alone! According to new research, 97%* of active-duty service members and their spouses say it is important to work with real estate professionals who have expertise working with active-duty military and their families.
The Realogy Military Rewards program can assist you with your entire home selling experience and was created specifically to help support military personnel and veterans. You’ll have the opportunity to work with an experienced real estate agent familiar with the unique military homeseller’s needs who will support you every step of the way, as well as earning $350-$7,500 in cash back after closing.
When you’re ready to get started to sell your home, please call 1-800-752-3642 to speak with a Realogy Military Rewards Advocate or visit Realogy Military Rewards today and hit “Sign Up”.
* The survey was conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Realogy among 250 U.S. active-duty service members and 250 spouses of active-duty service members, between February 25th and March 3rd, 2021, using an email invitation and an online survey.
