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	Seller's Top Ten Frequently Asked Questions
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Sellers Top Ten FAQ's

1. Q:  Aren’t the winter holidays a bad time to have your home on the market?

A:  In North Texas, the peak months for closings are May through October, so there is more activity during some months than others, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have your home on the market during the holidays.  Holiday decorations make the home show well.  Some buyers aren’t controlled by the seasons.  People get transferred year-round, the move may involve a change in schools and it’s more convenient to move at the end of the calendar year, people get divorced year-round which forces sales and purchases of homes, and if there are fewer homes on the market during the holidays, then you won’t have as much competition.  Usually those looking at this time of year are the more serious buyers.  The only thing I can guarantee you is that you won’t sell your home if it’s not on the market.  Besides, top producers like me continue to work hard during the holidays rather than giving up and taking the rest of the year off.

2. Q:  Should I redecorate before I put my home on the market?

A:  That depends on how much you plan on doing.  Talk with a real estate agent and get an idea of what your home might sell for through a Comparative Market Analysis.  Spend money to maximize your net, but not so much that you can’t recover the investment.  If your décor is dated but in good condition, the home will show okay and buyers will recognize that it has been well cared for.  Some buyers may not care if the décor is dated.  It’s tough to guess what a buyer might or might not like.  If you do redecorate, go with light, neutral colors, which will make the home feel larger.  With flooring, ceramic tile is always safe, even if it costs more than vinyl.  Many buyers expect ceramic tile over vinyl.  Price the home accordingly and let the buyer make an offer accordingly, but pay attention to the feedback you receive from showings.  You may need to redecorate if you continually get comments that the home is dated and you haven’t received any offers.  If the home shows wear, whether the décor is dated or not, it may be wise to paint and replace carpet, especially if you are in competition with new construction.

3. Q:  If I can’t get the price I want for my home, shouldn’t I wait a while to put it on the market and let it appreciate? 

A:  Not necessarily.  Interest rates could go up, driving potential buyers out of the market and costing you more in interest for the loan on the new home you want to buy.  Home prices could go up, so the home you want to move to may cost you more.  Then the ultimate question becomes “how long are you willing to wait?”  You need to know at what rate homes on your area have been appreciating over the past few years as well as what the projected economic conditions are for the near future.  Waiting also might cause you to lose some tax advantages and you could end up making two house payments. 

4. Q:  Won’t I save money by selling my home myself, rather than paying a commission to a real estate agent?

A:  Not necessarily.  For Sale By Owners (“FSBO’s”) tend to overprice their home, taking longer to sell.  Most buyers use a real estate agent and don’t want to hassle with a FSBO.  The result is that the FSBO makes unnecessary additional house payments, pays more taxes, and is inconvenienced by more showings.  Rather than his or her home being a “shiny penny,” it can become “stale bread.”  Remember that as your real estate agent, I am a trained negotiator, I am not emotionally involved in the transaction, I know the market values and I understand the needs of both the buyer and the seller.

5. Q:  Is it better to list with a large company that provides many services or with a small company that may provide more personal service?

A:  Well, as you can see, the key word in this question is “service.”  What is most important is that you choose the right real estate agent, regardless of the size of his or her office.  You want a real estate agent who will listen to you, who will communicate with you, who will work hard for you, and who is in this business full-time.  Selling your home should not be a gamble.  You need a real estate agent who has a system.  Together, we will price your home, using a Comparative Market Analysis as a tool.  I call every agent who shows your home, requesting feedback, and I communicate it to you; the good and the bad.  I will make recommendations to you throughout the listing period in order to expeditiously sell your home.  Once you have chosen the right real estate agent, the advantage of him or her being associated with a large office is the muscle behind the organization.  The advantage of listing with a large company like CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company is that we are a “one stop shop” for buyers.  That means we have more services to offer our buyers and sellers in facilitating the purchase or sale of a home.  With over 35 agents in our Weatherford office who are constantly communicating with each other about their listings and the buyers they are working with, you have many agents working to sell your home, not just one.

6. Q:  Isn’t it best to list my home at the high end of the market range or above so I’ll have room to bargain with buyers?

A:  No.  If you price the home too high, it may sit and be ignored by prospective buyers, who will favor more reasonably priced homes.  It’s better to price the home to sell so you will attract more offers.  Stick at or close to your list price.  If you’re fortunate enough to receive multiple offers at the same time (it happens more often than you might think), the competition between buyers could result in a higher sale price.

7. Q:  Should we use an info tube attached to the yard sign?

A:  No.  I don’t use one.  People are usually looking for reasons to eliminate homes from their list.  If they find a negative on the info tube flyer, they may eliminate your home without ever seeing it.  My sign has my name and cell phone number on it, in addition to our office number.  Buyers will usually call the listing agent first.    I want to talk with people about your home, emphasizing its highlights and trying to convince them that they should to see it.

8. Q:  Is it a good idea to offer a homeowner’s warranty to any buyer purchasing our home?

A:  Yes.  Most buyers are going to ask for one anyway.  You can use it as a marketing tool in an effort to give your home a leg up on the competition, letting the buyer know you are offering something of value to the buyer.  Many sellers don’t know that they can take out a sellers warranty for a small fee, to be paid at closing, which can cover many items during the listing period.  If the inspection turns up an item in need of repair that’s covered by the warranty, the seller pays only a service fee and the item will be fixed or replaced, saving the seller some money.

9. Q:  Will you be the only agent showing my home or will there be others?

A:  I will be placing your home on the Multiple Listing Service (“MLS”).  The MLS in North Texas covers 29 counties and there are over 19,000 real estate agents     who are members.  In being on the MLS, you in effect have thousands of agents working to sell your home as they search for compatible listings for their buyers.  When you consider those numbers, it’s unlikely that I will actually bring the buyer on your home.  However, there are many things I will do in marketing your home.  (See the answer to FAQ #10.)

10.   Q:  Will you advertise my property beyond just sticking a sign in the yard and placing it on the MLS?

A:   Yes.  With CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company, your home will be listed on over 40 websites, including Realtor.com and Century21.com, the two websites with the most page views in the country.  Your home will appear in our CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company Home Guide, which has 18,000 copies distributed all over the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex every other month.    I will preview your property at our weekly office meeting, telling the agents in my office about your property.  We go on property tours twice a month, where our agents view and comment upon homes on the tour schedule.  In some cases I publicize a home to area real estate agents through Brokers Open Houses and to the general public through Public Open Houses.  The greatest exposure comes through being listed on our MLS, and with a custom built personal website, I have one place I can direct buyers to that will tell them everything about your property.  Over 80% of all buyers use the internet in their home search.