Five Factors for the First Time Home Seller

You have owned your home for a few years now, after finally taking that plunge and becoming a First Time Home Buyer - Congratulations!  

But, lets face it - Life happens. Jobs change. You need more space.  Maybe it's just not your ideal location anymore.  You're ready to become a First Time Home Seller. 

You found your way through the purchase OK with the help of your last agent - they should be fine to help you navigate this sale, right?  Is "fine" what you're looking for?  Is "fine" going to be enough when it comes to selling your biggest asset? 

Before you sign up with the agent who helped you buy your home here are a Five Factors to consider for the First Time Home Seller. 

1. What's a Neighborhood Expert? And how much does that affect your price?

A great listing agent will know not only the value of your city and your school district, but they will know the value of your neighborhood.  Heck, they will even know whether you're on the best street in the neighborhood!  Are you set back from the main roads?  Do you have a path behind your yard that cuts straight through to the neighborhood pool?  Is there a Metro stop planned just down the road?  Or a commuter bus right around the corner? 

A Debbie Dogrul Associates Agent will know all these variables, how to market them to your potential buyers AND how they factor in to pricing your home competitively. 

To find out who your neighborhood experts are, look for an agent who not only who markets to you but who sells near you. 

Click here to see just some of our recent sales in your area. 

2. What are buyers looking for today? Does your house need any  updating to appeal to buyers?

What appeals to buyers of houses like yours?  

Is it the same as it was when  you bought your home or has the market shifted?  If it's shifted, what has it shifted towards?

If you need to make repairs or fix areas before you sell, do you have the resources and connections to address those items?

Getting to the bottom of these questions can be done by going out and looking at houses in your area for sale, seeing what they offer and how are they priced.  If you do need to make repairs though, you'll need to connect with the appropriate craftsmen to do the job - and that's a whole other round of research and screenings.  Again, these items can make an already growing To Do list even longer. 

A Debbie Dogrul Associates Agent can streamline this whole process for you.  Because we are actively working with sellers, we know what appeals to buyers of homes like yours, and we have access to a network of contractors and craftsmen that provided work to our previous sellers. 

Debbie Dogrul Associates Listing Agents are poised to help you determine the best course of action for the sale of your home.

3. Are you in control of your timeline, or are outside forces dictating when things need to happen?

This can seem straight forward, if you have a new job and need to be in Houston in 3 months then your home sale here should track with that in mind.   What that means in terms of actionable steps, is not as clear.  From when the house goes on the market, to pricing, to negotiating contract terms - everything takes time and those timelines can vary.  

On the other hand, if you are moving for reasons that give you control of the timeline, does that really mean that you are in no rush?  Or do you have a set date in mind you would like to be moved in to the next house.

Debbie Dogrul Associates Agents know how to structure the marketing and negotiate the sale of your home to keep your timeline on track all the way through.  

4. Do you need to sell this home to buy your next home?

It's a common occurrence to see the proceeds from the sale of this house put towards the downpayment on your next house; but getting all the pieces to line up just right takes an experienced coordinator.  From implementing an assignment of funds with the title companies, to scheduling walk-throughs and moving trucks there are a lot of moving parts to just selling or buying; when you are doing both at once - the To Do list really starts to grow.   

Working with a highly experienced Listing Agent, like one from Debbie Dogrul Associates, affords you peace of mind knowing that you're move is being directed by someone who has successfully guided sellers through these steps many times before and can advise you on options, plans and strategies to make your move as seamless as possible. 

5. Reputation Matters

So you're looking for a Listing Agent who 

• Is a Neighborhood Expert who can advise on pricing your house appropriately,  
• Has a network of resources to make your house appeal to your potential buyers,
• Can structure a plan to keep your sale on track for your timeline, 
• Help your navigate the nuances of selling and buying at the same time.

But can you trust them?  

If you have not yet met them in person, an experienced Agent should have a strong presence online to showcase their past history working with their sellers. 

All Debbie Dogrul Associates Listing Agents meet these checklists, and offer an array of services above and beyond that have successfully helped our sellers make their move and earned our team rave reviews. 

Check our Debbie Dogrul Associates past client reviews here and here.

To take the next step and set up your, no-obligation, meeting with the Debbie Dogrul Associate Neighborhood Expert for your area, click here.  

We look forward to hearing from you!