6 Questions to Ask Before Selling Your Seattle Home

The value of houses in Seattle have skyrocketed over the past two years. 

A confluence of beautiful scenery, tight housing inventory, and a booming tech scene makes the Seattle area a top target for buyers. As a result, Seattle homeowners saw their homes’ value climb in leaps and bounds. 

Perhaps you are watching homes sell like hotcakes in your corner of Seattle, and you wonder if it is time to sell your house. Every seller has different motivations when upgrading to a new home, and you have to ask yourself if now is the right time to list your home.

That is why we’ve compiled a list of questions for Seattle homeowners to ask themselves when wondering if they are ready to sell their home. 

Is now the right time to sell? 

Choosing when to sell a home is a personal decision that differs for all homeowners. 

After years of living in a starter home, you may want to upgrade to a storied Victorian in Queen Anne. Other homeowners may want to downsize and use the funds gained from a sale to pad out their retirement and even move out of the Seattle area. 

Currently, listings are scarce on the market and Seattle homeowners that list now are likely to garner a lot of interest in their property. That is why Seattle homeowners will want to always keep tabs on the market to find the best time to list their house. Watch out for any homes for sale that hit the market and see how quickly buyers close on the listing. 

This should tell you how popular homes in your area are while providing a guidepost when pricing your own house. 

How can I get the most for my home?

After seeing your neighbors list their homes for sale, you may wonder how much your home is worth. 

It is easy to pour love and emotion into the valuation process, as your home is worth the world to you, and your listing price can reflect that. But what you want to do is find comparable sales in your area and use that as a starting point for your own listing price. 

A listing agent can provide you with comparable sale data, and help point out trends in your area. Depending on the volume of available listings and interested buyers, you can get away with a higher asking price. Beyond watching the market, another way to raise the value of your Seattle home is by updating appliances and renovating tired rooms. 

Buyers want to see the potential of your home, to see if it is where they can picture living their own life. But that is harder to do when a drab coat of tired paint awaits potential buyers. Repainting a few key rooms can breathe new life into your house and makes it easier to market your home at a higher price point. 

The same goes for new appliances. While your old gas range serves you well, you can easily raise your listing price by replacing old fixtures with new ones. The upfront investment can go a long way, especially if you list your home at a time when there are not many homes for sale.

Once you’ve gotten the needed renovations, repairs, and replacements in order, it is time to arrange your home for open houses.  

How should I prep my home for showings? 

You spend years living your life within these four walls, that makes it feel each nook and cranny in the home is worth the world to you. 

These nostalgic feelings can affect how you stage your home, but you have to make sure you market the home in a way that appeals to all buyers. While you love the photo and decoration arrangements in the living room, sellers will want to tidy up the home to provide a chance for buyers to picture their life there during open houses. 

Take down family photos, put neutral plants on decorative shelves, and scrub down the home as well as possible. 

Let the light shine in, open up window curtains and blinds to show off the sights, and breathe fresh air into the rooms. 

As you freshen up your Pacific Northwest gem, take the time to put together a shortlist of listing agents. It pays to work with a professional that understands your needs as they guide you through the sale process.

Should I hire an agent? 

After their first go-around, some people go through the trials and tribulations of purchasing a home, and they believe they can take on the sales process like a pro. 

But the truth is that selling a home is just as complicated as purchasing one, and getting the best deal for your home means working with an expert real estate agent. A listing agent provides advice on how to show your home, market the property in a tight market, and guide negotiation strategy to make sure buyers pay top dollar for your home. Agents can stand in place of the homeowner, so the buyer and seller do not have to interact.

While it is tempting to work with the first agent you find, invest time into meeting a few agents to see which one can fulfill your needs. Selling a home provides you with a windfall of capital for a new home, but you still have to pay expensive closing costs. 

Is it expensive to sell a home? 

Purchasing a home is an expensive endeavor, but selling a home entails high closing costs as well.

There are foundational fees associated with selling a home, like spending money on staging the property, which includes repairing and replacing broken fixtures. But the most expensive cost is usually the broker commission, which you can negotiate. And the best way to get a great rate is by interviewing multiple agents, as no rate is set in stone. 

You have to steel your nerves as agents will say they are immovable. But there are ways you can save more depending on who you list with. For example, sellers that list with Prevu Real Estate get a full-service experience for a fair commission. Prevu asks sellers to only pay 2% commission to the listing agent plus a buyer’s agent commission.

Which offer should I pick? 

Figuring out which offer is the right one amidst a bidding war is not easy. 

Every buyer will try different ways to appeal to your needs, but some terms are better than others. For instance, if you are selling a fixer-upper, look for buyers that are waiving home inspections and any other contingencies. 

If you need to sell as soon as possible, look for buyers equipped for a speedy transaction with a locked in closing date. Seek buyers that have fully-underwritten pre-approvals. But of course, cash is king, and many Seattle sellers in a hurry to sell prefer buyers who can make an all-cash offer and close quickly.

There are likely less contingencies to worry about with a cash buyer, and these transactions can close in days rather than weeks.

Interested in selling your home in Seattle? Learn how you can save on commission with Prevu’s Seller Program.