Sell your Florida summer home
Selling a summer home requires some considerable effort. Here are five tips that can help you sell your Florida summer home as quickly and profitably as possible.
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Make the Unit as Showable as It Can Be
One of the most strategic ways to effectively sell a Florida summer home is to do everything that you can to make it show well to interested buyers. While some homes are sold as “fixer uppers” and have visible signs of needing repair, owners still need to take certain steps for them to show reasonably well. Homes need to be clean and free from clutter. Any obvious safety hazards should be addressed. If a home isn’t well-finished or well-furnished, it may be helpful to make it more sparsely furnished. Having the look of a blank canvass may in fact make it easier for homebuyers to visualize what they can do to make it their own.
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Prevent the Appearance of Pests
When you’re showing a home to a prospective buyer, the last thing you want is for an unwelcome bug or rodent to make a startling entrance. People typically realize that where there’s one pest, there’s usually more. A home that appears to have signs of any type of pest infestation could send a buyer running out. Apart from scaring buyers away outright, pests could cause concern about the possibility of serious damage within a home. Many rodents chew through ducts and wiring, and termites can completely destroy a home’s foundation. Humid areas in central Florida such as Orlando are particularly prone to biting insects, a pest that could shatter a summer homebuyer’s fantasy of rest and relaxation in warm Florida weather.
Read Also: Selling your Property: Create Curb Appeal in a Home
It’s imperative to make sure any active infestations within your home are addressed before you begin showing it, and you need to keep up with any necessary preventative maintenance programs.
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Set Your Asking Price Wisely
Florida housing prices changed significantly after 2008, and many homebuyers saw the value of their investments depreciate substantially. It’s difficult to accept having to take a loss on what should normally be an appreciating asset. However, the economic impact of the last recession on the housing market is still being felt across the country, particularly Florida. Over the past decade, home prices have begun to steadily balance out, but most have not yet returned to their former values. Thankfully, there is still a significant demand in the housing market throughout central and south Florida. Nevertheless, asking prices need to be set strategically in order for a house to be highly marketable and to sell quickly. Typically, it’s advisable to determine your asking price with expert guidance from a realtor. He or she will evaluate several factors in deciding what would make a price appealing to buyers. These factors will include recent sales of comparable properties in your area, the condition of the property, assessed values and property taxes, and whether there are any outstanding liens or obligations on a home.
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Work With an Experienced Realtor
When you’re getting ready to sell a summer home with help from a realtor, you should choose to work with somebody who has extensive experience selling properties in your area. A good realtor should have a strong presence in the local housing market. He or she should be able to help you with key steps such as advertising the listing on multiple platforms besides the MLS as well as having professional quality photographs taken to help draw in buyers. Working with an experienced realtor can ensure that both marketing and closing goes smoothly, and it may help you avoid having your property sit on the market for an extended period of time or needing to reduce your asking price.
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Have Everything That You Need to Facilitate a Transaction Ready in Advance
Prospective buyers will likely ask a variety of questions or request several kinds of documentation, and you should have the answers and materials readily available. For example, they may wish to know about when certain improvements were made such as HVAC or window replacements and their approximate cost. If your summer home is in a condominium building, they may wish to see information about the condo association’s annual budget as well as its declaration of condominium and rules and regulations. A lending institution may require documents such as a flood elevation certificate or a wind mitigation inspection. Ultimately, it’s important that you get access to everything that you think a buyer may need so that you don’t keep them waiting. Otherwise, you could potentially lose out on the opportunity to sell to them
Taking steps to make your home show well and working with someone who can help market it strategically will help make the process of selling a summer home easier. Put in some due diligence towards finding the best service providers and realtors in your area to achieve optimal results.
