Selling your Poughkeepsie home in a today's market
With a mild winter it is a good time to list your Poughkeepsie home. Sellers we are still dealing with a buyer's market. What is a buyers market? this typically occurs when there is high inventory and it takes more than a 8
plus months to clear. Seller I am going to be blunt, to get your home sold you will have to do much more than when sellers were in the driver's seat. Because of limited funds you might not want to fix certain problems before listing; that would be a mistake. It is my view, fixing problems prior to listing will result in a higher return.
- Pay attention to Poughkeepsie market data this does give you a feel for what is happening in the market.
- In this market you really need the assistance of a real estate agent. And when you hire one please listen to the agent's advice. I am sure you were probably used to a market analysis using data for the last 6 months. That is out the window- the period is now much shorter.
- There is no room for overpricing your Poughkeepsie home. Even properties that seems to be priced right are staying on the market longer. Again, please listen to your agent because the buyer really doesn't care how much you think you need to net.
- Be flexible, be prepared to negotiate even if you receive a low offer, and remember buyers are looking for bargains because they know there is plenty of inventory.
- Make sure to provide good access. A lock-box is a good way of making the property accessible to other agents beside the listing agent.
- Make sure you are honest with your agent as to why you need to sell
- Take care of landscaping.
- Make sure the house is cleaned and preferably staged.
- If the home is not selling and the agents show you data to indicate a price reduction is needed, do it!
- Have all documents pertaining to the property ready: deeds, survey, utility information for a whole year, warranties and manuals , record of service for heating system/ac. Also have information on when septic was pumped and any repairs and improvements.
- If there is a shared driveway or road be ready to provide the maintenance agreement. If there is a HOA know what the fees are and what they include.
- If you have a well you might want to be proactive and test to make sure you won't have an issue when an offer is made.
- Make sure you have all approvals and Certificate of occupancy. Building inspectors have been known to have home owners remove decks, or rip out walls from rooms not having the proper approval.
- How about your septic, was it approved for a 3 bedroom house but you now have a 4th bedroom and an additional bathroom? That could be a problem if your paperwork does not match the Board of Health documentation.
- Do you have an older Poughkeepsie home? Is there presence of asbestos inside or on the exterior? How about lead, radon and mold? These environmental issues can be costly and maybe should be addressed ahead of time.
- Is there evidence of a buried oil tank on the property? Cleanup of a leaking tank is the owner's responsibility not the government's.
I hope this list gave you some ideas as to how to get prepared to sell your Poughkeepsie home in a competitive market
