At the risk of sounding morbid, the best time to think about how to sell a house is before it becomes necessary to do so. Although it’s not pleasant to think about, considering your sale long before you inherit a house can set the course to move forward whenever the time arrives. We all have our sphere of influence, and many people know real estate agents and consider them to be friends. Since most of us want to do business with people we know, this will apply to our siblings as well. This is a situation that can stir up a emotions as well, because each heir may want to work with people they know personally to sell the home. Strive to be as understanding as possible and know you're going to need to make compromises as you navigate through this season. One of those may be choosing a realtor. Take time to write out priorities for selling the home. It may be you want to get the most money possible, or you want to have a buyer that truly will care for the home and make wonderful memories there or you just want to get it sold fast. Clarify those reasons and try to prioritize which ones are the most important to you and your siblings and other heirs. Then bring in those realtors and ask them questions that pertain to your priorities. How do you propose we can get the most money for our home? (Having the highest list price has never been a recipe for getting the highest price, statistics show.) This home has very special meaning to us and we want someone who will cherish, appreciate and continue to build on our loved ones legacy. How do you propose we can attract that type of person and still be able to get a fair price for this home? You'll see what kind of creative problem solver they are. This is a key element to an effective real estate transaction. How can we get this house sold fast and still get a good price for it? Think of other questions you want them to answer that reflect your priorities for the sale.
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