Are you ready to sell a house, or to sell your home?

How do you know if you are ready? How do you know if it is the right time?

These are the types of questions many people ask themselves when they are thinking about their future, where they are going and what they want out of life.

At AV HomeConsultants, we believe that it is very wise to ask these questions before making your decision. After all, the decision to sell your home is most likely the biggest financial and emotional decision you will ever make!

To help you to determine whether you are ready to sell your house, we have put together a short list of things to consider, both financial considerations and personal considerations.

   Why are you considering selling your home?

Is it because you are an “empty-nester” and no longer need a house that big? Or maybe you are relocating to another city, or simply have become tired of the neighborhood? Maybe you want to realize the profit built up in the equity in your home, or perhaps you simply can’t afford to meet the mortgage payments because your circumstances have changed.

Whatever your reasons for considering selling your home, it is VERY important that you understand them very well. This is a huge decision, and it is better to take some time and think carefully before rushing in with a decision you may later regret.

Talking with a professional real estate agent at this early stage of the decision making process may help you to make a better decision, or perhaps help you to see alternative choices that you have not yet thought about. At AV Homeconsultants, we would be happy to provide any assistance we can at this early stage.

   How much do you expect to get for your house when you sell it?

We all know that this is a very difficult question to answer, however you need to make a realistic assessment of what your home is worth is on the open market BEFORE you can really make the decision to sell.

The hard facts are that your home is only worth as much as someone else is willing to pay for it. The determination of what that dollar may be is very hard to estimate unless you are in the market. However, somehow you should make this estimate before you can make an informed decision to sell.

Click here for more information on how to calculate what your home is worth.

   Are there alternatives to selling your home?

In our experience, we have found that many potential sellers have not really thought through the alternatives to selling their home. One very practical alternative could be to rent it out, or perhaps if you are facing financial issues, refinancing could be a better option than selling.

Frank and honest discussions with your professional real estate agent could help you identify any of a number of alternatives that could work better for you. Contact us at avhomeconsultants.com if you feel we can help you in any way.

   Where will you live when you sell your home?

This sounds like a very simple question, but when you think about it, it becomes far more important than you may have at first realized. By selling your home you are left with a couple of alternatives. Either you buy a home somewhere else, or you rent , or maybe you move in with a kindly relative or friend.

In either of cases, be sure you have a plan in place that covers any unforeseen contingencies. What happens if you decide to sell and your house sells in a couple of days instead of the few weeks you were expecting? The purchaser has the funds and is looking for a quick escrow. If you have no contingency plans in place you may miss the sale because you are unable to move quickly enough!

Or perhaps your house sells slower than you expected, but you have already committed to purchase elsewhere… and now you have finance issues. These are all situations that your professional real estate agent has experienced before, and he/she will be able to help you through them by showing you what can go wrong and what you can do to overcome them.

We strongly recommend that before you make a final decision to sell your home, that you contact a real estate agent that you trust and discuss with him/her your thoughts, reasons and needs.

The earlier you do this in the decision making process, the more likely you will make the right decision.

We are more than happy to discuss your needs and thoughts on this aspect. After all… we are professional within a very difficult market, and have seen first hand the many difficulties that can beset people who are ill informed. If you feel you would like to discuss these things - on a no commitment basis - please feel free to contact
AV HomeConsultants.

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