Selling
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Inventory Levels Are Likely To Continue To Decline For The Next Few Months |
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 Inventory levels - the number of homes on the market for sale - are likely to continue to decline for the next few months. Above you can see the monthly inventory levels in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County over the past seven years. We typically see inventory levels declining at least through January or February. Of note -- this doesn't mean that new listings won't be hitting the market over the next few months -- they will. But there are likely to be fewer new listings and an equal or greater number of buyers, causing inventory levels to continue to decline. We should then start to see an uptick in overall inventory levels when we enter the spring market in March or April. If you are hoping to buy a home soon, you are likely to have fewer options than usual over the next few months. If you are hoping to sell a home soon, you are likely to have less competition from other sellers than usual over the next few months. | |
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Should We Call An Almost Bedroom A Bedroom? |
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 Consider these three houses... 1. A house with four bedrooms... plus... a room that has a window and a closet -- but is also a room you have to walk through to get to the sunroom. Is this a four bedroom house, or a five bedroom house? Maybe 4.5 bedrooms? 2. A house with three bedrooms with normal ceiling heights... plus... an additional attic bedroom with very limited areas where you walk around if you are taller than about 5 feet. Is this a three bedroom house, or a four bedroom house? Maybe 3.5 bedrooms? 3. A house with two bedrooms... plus... a third bedroom that you can get to only by walking through the second bedroom. Is this a two bedroom house or a three bedroom house? Maybe 2.5 bedrooms? But... we need to get to a whole number... so do you round up or round down? If you round down, it is likely that every buyer that views your home will find that it has enough bedrooms -- and they'll likely be pleasantly surprised at the additional sort-of bedroom -- but you might miss out on buyers who really need that other bedroom and thus don't even consider your house based on the bedroom count. If you round up, it is likely that many buyers that view your home will be disappointed to conclude that it does not have enough functional bedrooms -- though you will likely have more buyers looking at the house in general, because of the higher bedroom count. | |
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November Home Sales Surge with 12% Year Over Year Growth and 5% Increase in Median Price |
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 Happy Friday morning, friends! It's hard to believe there are only 19 days remaining in 2024! This year has flown by, and we'll soon be ringing in the New Year! Speaking of new beginnings, I'm excited to let you know about the latest news in our family - our son, Luke, is now also a Realtor!  Luke looks forward to helping individuals and families navigate the real estate market in the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County area and is also continuing his studies at JMU, pursuing a dual degree in Independent Scholars and Communication Studies with minors in Entrepreneurship and Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. In some other fun news, The Steel Wheels are hosting another Winter Roots concert in February at JMU's Wilson Hall. You can find the details of the concert here, buy tickets here... and... enter to win a pair of free tickets here! And now... after all that... let's hit the real estate data...  First up... look at those November home sales!?! Last November there were only 72 home sales in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County... this November... 130 home sales!?! This took me by surprise. Even if we considered November 2023 to be a bit slower than normal, when we look back at November 2022 there were only 93 home sales... so this November was certainly a surprising surge of home sales for our market. This surge of home sales in November lead to -- no surprise here -- continued improvement in how this year's home sales compare to last year. We have now seen 12% more home sales this year than last in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County when looking at 11 months of data. Of note... the 1,254 home sales seen thus far in 2024 is still quite a bit lower than the 1,482 home sales seen in the first 11 months of 2022. And how about those prices? The median sales price for all homes sold in 2024 in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County is now approaching $350,000... which is a 5% increase compared to the median of $330,000 seen last year. Moving on to look at few sub-sections of the market, first let's see what's happening in the detached home market - which excludes townhouses, duplexes and condos...  The main metric I have highlighted above is the median sales price in 2024 compared to 2023. A year ago the median sales prices of detached homes was $350,000... and we are now quickly approaching a median sales price of $400,000 in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County! This marks an 11% increase in the median sales price in the course of a year. Meanwhile, in the "attached homes" market -- which mainly includes townhouses but also duplexes and condos...  The median sales price is not climbing quite as quickly for townhouses, duplexes and condos... but that median sales price has eclipsed $300,000 for the first time in 2024. We can also learn a bit more about the nuances of the local real estate market but breaking things down between the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Here are the numbers for the City...  As you will note in the top half of the chart above... we have seen 9% fewer home sales in the City of Harrisonburg this year compared to last year... but as shown in the bottom half of the chart above... the median sales price has risen 5% to $295,000. Let's compare these figures to Rockingham County... you'll find they are quite a bit different...  In contrast to the 9% decline in the number of City sales... we're seeing a 19% increase in the number of County sales -- though the median sales price in the County has increased by 5% over the past year, just as the City price has increased by 5%. Slicing and dicing the data one more time, let's look at new home sales compared to existing (resale) home sales. First up, new home sales...  My oh my how the new homes are being built, and are selling. We have seen a 32% increase in the number of new homes that have sold in Harrisonburg and Rockingham Count this year (364) compared to last year (276) though - interestingly - we're right back to about the level (374) where we were two years ago. The existence of newly built homes in our community continues to be a significant factor in our overall housing market. And the existing home sales... did they increase by 32% Nope...  We are seeing an increase in existing home sales (+5%) this year... but nowhere near the 32% increase seen in new homes. This is not too surprising, as many homeowners simply do not want to sell their homes right now given the super low mortgage interest rates that many homeowners still have on their current mortgages. Now, then, you made it past the charts... let's see what we can learn from some graphs showing the latest trends in our local market...  This graph (above) paints the picture more clearly than the chart of data earlier on -- the 130 home sales in November 2024 was unexpectedly high -- way higher than last November (72 sales) and also well above the average (112) of 2020 through 2023. But, remember, this high number of closed sales in November 2024 would have been the result of buyers (and sellers) signing contracts in September or October... since it takes some time to get from contract to closing. Thus, we'll look ahead a bit further on in this report to see what contract activity took place in November 2024 to better predict home sales activity in December 2024. But first, how is 2024 stacking up compared to prior years?  Home sales are on the rise again! After declining in 2022 and 2023, we are now seeing an increase in the number of home sales taking place in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. The 1,254 home sales seen in the first 11 months of 2024 puts us 12% ahead of last year. Visualized differently, here's how the trajectory of home sales and home prices have changed over the past year...  After multiple years of 10% annual increases in the median sales price (only one year of that type of increase is pictured above) we are now seeing a more modest 5% increase in the median sales price over the past year in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. I think this is more likely to be what we see moving forward as well -- a 5% (ish) increase in prices over the course of a year. Meanwhile, the number of homes selling has certainly rebounded over the past year... bottoming out around 1,206 annual home sales a year ago, and now back up to 1,339 annual home sales. How does the current number of home sales compare to some past years, particularly pre-Covid? Let's take a look...  Looking back to the pre-Covid days (2016-2019) we were seeing an average of about 1,300 home sales per year in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Then, Covid. During the pandemic and it's aftermath, which included super (super) low mortgage interest rates -- we saw the annual pace of home sales quickly climb above 1,400 then 1,500 then 1,600 to then crest at 1,673 in 2021. But then, as mortgage interest rates rose (and home prices rose) the number of home sales fell rather quickly - back down to 1,206 in 2023. This year, however, with 1,254 home sales in the first 11 months, it seems likely we will get back to that 1,300-ish level by December 31. So, maybe we are now back to the 1,300 home sales a year range, after having been quite far above it, and then a good bit below it. Stay tuned in 2025 to see how this plays out. Now, about that contract activity...  You can see it clearly here (above) that a crazy high number of contracts in October 2024 was what lead to the crazy high number of closed home sales in November 2024. So what shall we expect over the next few months? The 91 contracts signed in November 2024 was a normal-ish number of contracts for a November -- it was higher than the 78 we saw last year, but slightly lower than the 2020-2023 average of 97 contracts. Thus, we should likely see around 80 - 95 home sales close in December 2024. With all of those closings in November, are there still quite a few homes under contract right now? Sort of, kind of...  Pending sales were higher than expected at the end of September and end of October... but perhaps unsurprisingly because of all of the closed sales in November... the pending sales count is lower at the end of November than we might have otherwise expected. This is also an indicator that we'll see a bit of a slower month of closed sales in December and likely in January -- though this is somewhat to be expected in these winter months. And inventory levels -- how do they compare to last year?  There are significantly fewer homes on the market now as compared to a year ago. Last September through November we saw inventory levels of 206 to 230 homes for sale -- while we are seeing a more consistent 160 to 165 homes for sale during the same timeframe this year. Last year's higher inventory levels were mostly a result of rapidly increasing mortgage interest rates that slowed the market, causing inventory to start building. About those mortgage interest rates...  They've been up, they've been down, they've been all around!?! Mortgage interest rates were steadily declining for quite a few months in the middle of 2024 (May - Aug) but they have now increased again, getting closer to 7%. I think we will likely see mortgage interest rates continue to fluctuate between 6% and 7% over the course of the next year. If you're waiting to buy until rates get below 6%, it might be a long wait. Now, for a brief summary of the big picture and the latest trends in the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County real estate market... [1] We are seeing 12% more home sales this year than last. [2] The median sales price has increased by 5% over the past year. [3] Detached homes are increasing in value faster than attached homes. [4] We are seeing a decrease in City home sales and an increase in County home sales. [5] We are seeing a much larger year over year increase in new home sales than existing home sales. [6] Inventory levels remain relatively low. [7] Mortgage interest rates continue to stick between 6% and 7%. So, as we prepare for 2025... Home Buyers should connect with a great lender, get a preapproval letter in hand, and go see houses within the first few days that the hit the market. Home Sellers should be realistic in the pricing of their homes given that prices are not increasing as quickly and mortgage interest rates are remaining quite high. Homeowners who do not plan to sell should enjoy their home, their likely low mortgage interest rate, and enjoy not having to engage in what can be a hectic and/or stressful process of selling and buying a home. As you think about YOUR year ahead, if it might include a housing transition (buying, selling, both) feel free to reach out so that we can chat about the market, the process, your hopes and dreams and so that I can know how to best support you in that potential move. You can contact me most easily by phone/text at 540-578-0102 or by email here. Until next year (!) have a wonderful remainder of 2024 - and I hope that you have the opportunity to spend some quality time over the next few weeks hanging out with, laughing with, having fun with, the people in your life who bring you joy! | |
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Interest Rates And Home Prices Affect Home Sales Trends, But Life Events Do As Well! |
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 It's easy to think, or say, that interest rates and home prices are the largest or main factors affecting whether sellers sell and buyers buy. But... sometimes life events or life changes eclipse the impact of interest rates and home prices. You are a new grandparent and you want to spend more time with your new grandbaby who lives eight hours away? I'm not at all surprised that you plan to sell your home and move. You have a new job opportunity with an exciting company in a city three hours away? I'm not at all surprised that you plan to sell your home and move. You are retiring in northern Virginia and your two kids both went to JMU and still live in Harrisonburg? I'm not at all surprised that you plan to sell your current home and move to Harrisonburg. There are lots and lots of life events or life changes that can cause a homeowner to all of a sudden be ready to sell... or can cause someone to all of a sudden be ready to buy. These buyers and sellers that became such because of life events will still stop and consider interest rates and home prices... but the life event is typically what will actually cause them to decide to make a move. | |
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Do Not Be Surprised If You Have Lots Of Showings Of Your Home. Do Not Be Surprised If You Do Not Have Very Many Offers. |
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 This is not the case for all houses, or all new listings, but... in the current market I'm often seeing two things happening... 1. Lots of showings of new listings. Inventory levels are quite low right now, so plenty of buyers want to go see new listings if they are anywhere close to what a buyer might hope to purchase for their next home. Low listing inventory results in lots of property showings. 2. Fewer offers than the large number of showings would suggest. But... home prices and mortgage interest rates are quite high right now, compared to where they have been over the past five years... so plenty of buyers who came to look at your house might decide not to make an offer. Sometimes it just comes down to the numbers (your home price, current mortgage interest rates) and sometimes it's that the house is not "right enough" for the buyers. So... hopefully you'll have plenty of showings of your home when it hits the market (this is likely) and hopefully you'll have lots of offers (this is less likely). The market (buyers) responds differently to every home as it hits the market for sale, so don't take this as universal advice or insight across all price ranges, locations and property types. For further insights on what you might experience if you list your home for sale, touch base and we can dive further into the more specific details of the sub-market for your home. | |
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How Many Homes Are Going Under Contract Within Three Days, These Days? |
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 Only about a quarter of homes that are going under contract are doing so in three days or less. And actually, only about half are going under contract within a week and a half... 11 days. So, it's taking 12+ days for about half of homes to go under contract. And it's taking 46+ days for about a quarter of homes to go under contract. All that is to say, homes aren't going under contract quite as speedily as they were a year or two ago. So, with some new listings - yes - you will need to make a decision (and potentially make an offer) very quickly - but not necessarily on most homes any longer. | |
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If You Will Be Selling Your Home In The Spring, Start Preparing Now |
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 Preparing your home to sell takes time, for most. Perhaps your home is neat and organized and show ready and we could take photos tomorrow to list your home for sale -- but this isn't the case for most homeowners. There will likely be a few small projects you will want to take care of before putting your house on the market... and you will likely need to do a bit of decluttering... and you might need to remove some items from counters, cupboards, closets and more to have your home show best. If you plan to sell your home this coming spring, but wait until spring to start on the projects -- it will likely seem overwhelming. If you plan to sell this coming spring, to downsize, or move to a retirement community or to move to be close to the kiddos, or to get a bit more space, or for any other reason -- let's talk now about what you can be doing over the next few months to prepare your home to sell. It will be a much more relaxing process if you start making small steps in the right direction now or soon -- rather than waiting until early spring to begin. | |
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How Much Slower Are The Winter Months In Our Local Housing Market? |
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 It is common knowledge that the winter months are the slowest when it comes to home sales -- in our local market, and beyond. But just how much slower are they? The graph above shows the average number of *contracts signed* per month during the winter (Dec, Jan Feb) as compared to during the spring (Mar, Apr, May) based on the past three years of home sales in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. So... Is 100 buyers buying a month a significantly slower pace of buyers committing to buy than 142 buyers buying a month? Yes. Is 100 buyers buying a month still a pretty solid amount of buyers buying per month in the context of the spring market only comprising of 142 buyers buying a month? Yes. Is it possible that the number of buyers buying per month during the winter is artificially constrained by a lower number of sellers being willing to sell per month? Yes. So... if you are thinking about selling your home in the next six months... should you wait until spring? You could, but I don't think you need to if you would rather sell and move sooner than springtime. There will still be plenty of buyers buying over the winter, even if it is not as many as will be buying in the spring. | |
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Find The Balance Between Optimistic And Realistic Home Pricing |
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 For much of the past few years, being optimistic and being realistic about pricing your home were one and the same. The last similar home sold for $450K? Let's price your home at $475K. Three offers within days. Yahoo! But now, higher mortgage interest rates are pricing some buyers out of the market - which makes it ever more important for home sellers to find the balance between being optimistic and realistic when pricing their home. The last similar home sold for $450K? Perhaps we price your home at $449,500. A competing home has been on the market for 60 days priced at $455,000? Perhaps we price your home at $445,000. We can't just throw any price on your home and hope for the best -- we must do a careful analysis of the market, including past sales and current competing listings before determining a final pricing strategy for your home. | |
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Room Size Is Difficult To Understand Solely From Real Estate Photos |
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 Darn those wide angle lenses. ;-) It's pretty a pretty common phenomenon these days... we'll go walk through a house that looked FANTASTIC online... only to find out that all (or most) of the bedrooms are TINY! I don't really blame the seller, or the seller's agent, or the photographer... it's going to happen these days given high quality photography and wide angle lenses. My takeaways, generally, are... 1. It's important that we go walk through homes to get a sense of room size, house layout, where furniture will and won't fit, etc. Viewing a house online, alone, is not enough. 2. Don't feel bad about taking the time to go see a house that ends up not being a great fit after we walk through... that is often the only way to get a true sense of the house. 3. Sometimes we will be able to review room dimensions or floor plans prior to visiting a house... which might help us notice particularly small spaces... but walking through is still important. 4. I don't think sellers need to mention how small particular rooms are... or not use a wide angle lens... but you should price your home accordingly if many buyers will disqualify themselves based on room size. | |
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How Much Would You Value Not Having To Prepare Your Home For Showings? |
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 Most home sellers would assign some amount of value to not having to prepare your home for the market. This might allow you to skip... 1. Touch up paint 2. Final organization 3. Final cleaning 4. Photos 5. Showings You can likely skip some or all of these if you are in touch with a buyer who you know wants to buy your house. But... you probably wouldn't put tooooo high of a value on not having to prepare your house for the market... If you believe your home will sell on the market for $375K... and the known buyer wants to pay $370K for your house, you'll probably go for it. If they want to pay $365K you might still go for it. But if the buyer only wants to pay $360K for your house... many or most sellers will go ahead and take the time to make the final preparations to get their house on the market. After all, why potentially leave $15,000 on the table by selling to the known buyer who wants to pay that lower price for your house. This also does not account for whether your house might fetch multiple offers and sell for a bit above the asking price. If you hope to sell for $375K... and a known buyer wants to pay $360K... and you end up selling for $385K when you get your house on the market... you would have left $25,000 on the table by selling to the known buyer before listing your house for sale. But... every seller's situation is different. Let's think through and talk through what works best for you... and what your priorities are when it comes to pricing, timing and ease of sale. | |
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One Out Of Four Homes Is Taking Longer Than A Month To Sell |
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 Plenty of homes are still selling (going under contract) plenty quickly. But, not all of them. Over the past three months (Aug 10 - Nov 10) we have seen 315 home sales in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County as recorded in the HRAR MLS. Of those 315 home sales... 85 of the homes took more than 30 days to go under contract. Thus -- 27% of homes are taking longer than a month to go under contract. So... if you are getting ready to sell your home, I am hopeful that it will be under contract within a matter of days... or weeks... but it could take more than a month to sell. Not too many years ago, this was quite normal and not at all unusual -- but over the past five or so years, the pace of the market has increased so much that it might seem unfathomable that it might take more than a month for your home to sell. | |
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Home Sellers And Buyers Will Often Disagree About Needed Updates |
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 A homeowner selling their home, especially if they have lived in it for a while, is often likely to only see small updates that might be needed in the home - and would likely describe them as elective...
But a potential home buyer considering a purchase of that same house might see things quite differently...
I'm not here to say that either party is right or wrong - I understand where the seller is coming from (the house doesn't need many updates) and where the buyer is coming from (I would want to make lots of updates). The challenge, of course, is when all of this is converted into pricing. A seller will likely price (value) the home higher given their minimal view on needed updates. A buyer will likely value the price at a lower price point given their broader view on needed updates. | |
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Last Call (Just About) For Selling Your Home In 2024! |
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 Most contracts (and buyers and sellers) have been making it to closing within about 30 to 45 days. Which means, that if you decide today that you're going to sell your house, and we have it on the market by the end of October, and it is under contract within 7 to 10 days (by Nov 7 or Nov 10) a buyer might be proposing a closing date of December 15 or 20 or 30. So, as much as it might seem like there is plenty of time left this year... if you are hoping to sell your home this year, or before the holidays, you will likely need to start putting plans in place now (over the next week) to get your house on the market. You can, of course, list your home in November or December and plan to close in January or February -- but if you want to have it sold and closed by the holidays, or by the end of the year, the time to act is now! | |
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Sometimes An Offer Is So Strong A Seller Will Not Wait For Other Imminent Offers |
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 Wahoo! An exciting new listing just hit the market. You are excited to go see it and will definitely consider making an offer. You know it will likely be a popular listing, with the potential for multiple offers, but you have already been pre-approved for your mortgage, you are going to see the house on the first day it is on the market, and you will likely make an offer on the second day that it is on the market. That should be enough, right? Well, maybe. Sometimes, an offer shows up that is strong enough to cause a seller to adjust how they were otherwise planning to receive and consider offers. If an offer comes in on the fictional house above on the afternoon of the first day that it is on the market... that is above asking price, cash, without an inspection, with a closing to take place in 20 days, with the seller able to rent back for free for up to three months... 1. Who could blame the seller for going ahead and accepting this very (very!) strong offer. 2. Who could blame buyers if they are disappointed when they find out on the second morning that the house is on the market that they are too late to submit an offer. So... 1. Buyers - Be willing to make a strong offer, quickly, if you want to try to get the seller to respond before considering other offers. 2. Also, Buyers - Know that an early offer from a motivated buyer might very quickly eliminate your opportunity to compete to buy a house that you really like - so, make an offer just as quickly as you are ready to do so. | |
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If You Will Be Moving To Sunnyside, VMRC Or Bridgewater Retirement Community, We Should Talk Sooner Than Later |
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 We are fortunate in this area to have many wonderful retirement communities, such as Sunnyside, Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community (VMRC), Bridgewater Retirement Community, and many others. So, if you have lived in this area for a while, and are of a stage of life where your next move might be to one of these retirement communities, we should probably talk sooner rather than later. While your move to a retirement community might seem (and might be) well off into the future... it also might sneak up on you faster than you suspect. Once you are "on the list" at one or more of these retirement communities, you will start to receive periodic calls to let you know that a home or apartment is opening up -- with the big question of whether you want to make the move now. Oftentimes your answer might be "no" - but sometimes "just the right place" will become available at the retirement community, and all of a sudden you will be ready to make the move - and, likely, you'll need to move forward pretty quickly with getting ready to sell your home. So... if you are thinking you might move into one of these retirement communities over the next few years (or even sooner) then let's talk sooner than later to discuss what preparations you do or do not want to start making to be able to sell your home when the time comes. | |
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The Next Owner Of Your Home Might Love Different Parts Of It For Different Reasons, And That Is OK! |
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 If you built your home -- or if you have made any sort of improvements to it over time -- you are likely proud of your design decisions, the style and character of your home, and so many of the finishes and fixtures you carefully and intentionally chose for your home. But guess what... the next owner of your home might have an entirely different vision for your home... and might change some things or large things that you love about your current home. And... that's OK! Enjoy making your home a comfortable, enjoyable, usable, safe and happy space while you live in it -- and then know that once your home has a new owner, they might make some changes that you would have *never* (gasp!) made yourself. And again, that's OK! Some sellers are delighted to see what a next owner does with a house to make it their own. Some sellers would rather never know. Figure out which camp you're in, for the most part, and let that guide your future decisions about driving past your old home, or visiting it in the future. :-)
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How Will You Value Logistical Ease When Selling Your Home? |
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 For anyone who is selling a home and buying a home at the same time, there are some logistics we'll have to work through... If you are using the proceeds from your home sale to purchase the next home, there might be some wrinkles as to the closing and occupancy timeline. Do you move everything out of your current house on Wednesday, close on Thursday on both the sale and purchase and move into your new house on Thursday? That sounds simple enough, but it would likely be much easier if there were some overlap of occupancy of the two houses. What if you could move into your new home a week before closing? What if you could wait to be completely out of your current home until a week after closing? The buyer of your current home, or the seller of your new home, might be willing to participate in making the moving logistics easier for you... but that logistical ease might come at a cost. Would you be willing to sell your current home for $5K less, or buy the new home for $5K more if you could have the logistical ease of having access to both houses to aid in the move from one to the next? How much value does this logistical ease have to you? | |
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Most Buyers Will Want You To Move Out Of Your Home By The Closing Date |
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 So, you're getting ready to sell your home... but you're also buying a home... and you're wondering how this will all work out if you have to be out of one house by the closing date and can't move into the new house until that same closing date. Indeed, a good question. I'll start by pointing out that... Most Buyers Will Want You To Move Out Of Your Home By The Closing Date It's certainly possible that some buyers for your home might be willing to let you rent back for a few days or even a few weeks after closing... but that isn't likely to be most of the buyers. Most buyers will actually want to have access to the house as of the closing date... and will want you to be out of there at that time. Given that most buyers will want you to have moved out of the house by the closing date, what is a seller/buyer to do? The typical options would be... 1. Ask your buyer again, really, really nicely, if they'd let you stay in the house for a few days (or more) after closing. 2. Ask the seller of the home you are buying if they would let you move into the new house a few days (or more) before closing. 3. Move everything out of your current house and into a moving truck the day before closing, close the following day, move everything into your new house later in the day on the closing day. Yes, stressful. 4. Move out of your house, put things in storage, move into your new home a few days or weeks later depending on when that closing take place. Etc., etc., etc. Point being... you can't necessarily assume, as a seller, that you will be able to stay in your home any later than the closing date for the sale of that home. It will be awesome, of course, if a buyer will allow you to stay in the house after closing, but don't expect it or count on it. | |
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Every Home Seller Must Find The Appropriate Balance Between Optimal Preparation And Optimal Timing |
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 Some homes need more preparation than others before they would be ready to go on the market -- but there is always something that could be done. Whether it is a bit of painting, or rearranging, or de-cluttering, or mulching, or repairing, there are almost always preparations that can be undertaken in order to best prepare your house for the market. But... most home sellers don't have an infinite amount of time (or money) to make those preparations prior to listing their homes for sale... depending on quickly they hope to have their home on the market for sale. As such... Every Home Seller Must Find The Appropriate Balance Between Optimal Preparation And Optimal Timing If you want to move sometime in the next few months, but you're not in much of a hurry at all... you might prioritize the preparations of your home, going a bit further than some sellers to make sure everything is "just so" before photos are taken and your house hits the market. If you want to have your house under contract as quickly as possible, preferably yesterday, then you might optimize timing, and get your house on the market sooner rather than later instead of continuing to make further updates to your home. As or after we walk through your home together, we will discuss both the preparations you might make... and your ideal timeframe for having your house on the market... to try to find an appropriate balance between these two priorities. | |
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Scott Rogers
Funkhouser Real
Estate Group
540-578-0102
scott@funkhousergroup.com
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