In past articles I have laid a solid foundation of ideas for someone who plans to sell their home. I used the five senses to show how home buyers will value your Berks County real estate.
If you have not read the articles yet here are the links:
SIGHT- Berks County Home Buyers Need to See the Light
SMELL- Berks County Home Buyers can Smell a Good Deal
HEARING- Berks County Buyers Hear What Your Home is Saying to Them
TOUCH- Simple Touches Can Lead to a Successful Berks County Home Sale
TASTE- Taste Affects The Intrinsic Value of a Berks County Home
The most important sense to a Berks County home seller is the sense of VALUE! “What is my home worth?” This is often the most requested piece of information most Berks County home sellers want.
Yes, they want to hear what I can do to sell their home, where I advertise and how long I have been selling Berks County real estate. But they all pale in comparison to the main question…HOW MUCH?
It is not always easy to answer this question without considering many different factors about the home. The home seller’s circumstances can play a role here but it normally equates to a timing factor more so than a value consideration.Only a qualified realtor in Berks County is qualified to value your home or farm for sale in Berks County.
After analyzing and reviewing the home, market conditions and many other circumstances, I can normally give the home seller an accurate range of value for their Berks County home. There are many Berks county homes for sale, and listing prices for homes in Berks County, PA vary greatly. My valuation may or may not please the home seller, but it will honestly be my best educated opinion which is as good as it may get in Berks County.
I always offer Berks County home sellers the option of pricing their homes themselves. This is achieved by meeting at my office; reviewing the pertinent market information; explaining and offering guidance and arriving at a price to list the home along with a sales strategy that will meet other goals, such as length of time on the real estate market
If I do my job correctly, the home seller and I will arrive at around the same value consideration. The facts almost always tell the story.
When Berks County home sellers list their property with agents who do not supply valuable valuation information and a proactive plan of action, they are all headed for failure. If you do not agree with your agent’s assessment of your property’s value, high or low, there is an issue. It could be lack of trust in the agent’s ability to competently value your property and do the job you expect. After all, if the agent thinks the asking price is too high how are they going to negotiate the sale for you? It is important that the agent and seller both agree that the home price is correct for the market.
The agent may believe the home is listed too high but take the listing anyway in hopes that you will come to your senses and agree with them in the future. In the meantime, buyers may call them, and they can at least pick up some business off the inventory. Your home!
Either way, if you and your agent are not on the same page as it relates to value, it is likely you will not have a cohesive plan moving forward. It turns into more of a hope-to-sell and a price-seeking effort, aka gambling on the prospect of success.. That is not what you need in this, or any, home selling market.
After I review the market information compiled on the home with the seller, and before they make a decision, I ask them to do one important thing. Think like a Berks County home buyer.
Take a night out with your wife, friends or family. You can simply go for a walk, but whatever you do just leave your home for a couple of hours. While you are out, mentally schedule an appointment with yourself and your significant other, if any, to see a home you want to buy. The home you are going to buy is yours.
Upon returning to the home, think about what you like and do not like about it. Would you pay the price you are considering asking for your Berks County home? Would you consider changing things or fixing that something you have ignored for the last decade? Be serious, honest and candid.
I ask my customers to make notes and share them with me afterward. Even better, set up this appointment with me, and I will show you the home. At the least you will find out a lot about how proficient I am when showing your home.
It is important that my Berks County home sellers and I are on the same page when it comes to home valuation. This is often the basis for our whole home selling plan. It could also be a reason not to list your home at this time due to negative value consideration.
A home market analysis is much more than finding out what other homes in your area have sold for. There are many other factors at work here. In my 19 years, I have compiled many ways of considering a Berks County home’s value. The thing I make sure of is that if the home is not selling, it is not due to a lack of marketing or effort on my part. The effort and marketing will always be there.
Take it from my over 1,000 customers, I always have a plan!
Sincerely,
Jeffrey C. Hogue
