G: $325,000 (New Listing). Comparable Home H: $319,000 (New Listing). Tim and Sue now have the highest priced home in the area in their price range. When a buyer looks at the comparable home prices, it is now the worst value proposition in the marketplace. Most sellers, like Tim and Sue, do not realize the market can shift so far so quickly. It cannot be stressed enough how important it is for you to price your home right the first time. House D sold, and House E had a pending sale from the start.
WHY SHOULD THESE STORIES MATTER TO YOU?
Do you see how important it is to know the true value of your home? Moral of the story: Anyone can lose money in the real estate market. A seller unfamiliar with the ever-changing market risks selling the home for less than it’s worth or losing a sale because of incorrect pricing at listing. In most cases, sellers never even realize it. Pricing errors happen to private sellers all the time. Knowing the home’s true value protects you from settling for less money.
HOME SALE “HORROR STORIES”
Any real estate transaction can go awry. Out of ignorance, mischief, or larceny, issues can arise to complicate selling the home or cost the seller money. Having a real estate professional involved in the transaction will provide knowledge, somewhere to turn, and action.
PRECLOSING ERROR: BUYERS MOVING IN TOO SOON
An agent-represented home owner was selling a house owned in a small town in Washington State. She accepted a buyer’s offer, moved, and was awaiting the transaction’s closing. The seller found out that the buyers were moving in before the date of closing. The seller called her agent, who contacted the buyers’ agent and noted that the buyers should not have had the keys and
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