Buying or selling a house is a big financial step, and you want to get it right. The problem, though, is that even experienced buyers and sellers don’t always know all the tricks that make for success. But you don’t have to go through this months-long process only to have an outcome that doesn’t fully satisfy if you know what to do – if you know some crucial insider secrets. So check out these 6 agent secrets to help you buy or sell your house in Alameda County.
1. Take Your Time
If you don’t want to sell your house in Alameda County, but rather want to buy one, perhaps one of the most important things you can do is simply take your time. Haste makes waste, they say, and it often does when it comes to home buying.
“Once you’ve decided to buy, it’s important not to rush the house-hunting process.” According to one agent, “When I’ve had clients make real estate deals they’ve regretted, they’ve almost always coincided with time pressure . . . You almost always overpay relative to what you would have paid if you were on a more cautious timeline.”
If you’re moving to a new town, you might even consider renting while you shop for a home. “While it might seem like a waste to pay rent when you could be building equity, the amount you overpay due to a hasty purchase – or the cost of having to move again after buying a house that doesn’t meet your needs – could dwarf the cost of a few months’ rent.”
You can also contact a Alameda County agent at (408) 893-1866 for help in determining the right course for you.
2. Choose Your Agent Carefully
Whether you intend to sell your house in Alameda County or buy one, choosing the right agent is immensely important. It’s probably even more important for buyers, which is one of the not-so-secret secrets agents know.
You have to make sure your agent’s goals and incentives align with yours and that the agent is looking out for your best interests. Here’s an illustrative example of why this matters . . .
“One indication that a person is dealing with a good [agent] is if they’re ready to make an offer and the [agent] encourages them to think about whether that property is in poor condition or overpriced . . . It’s a good indication if your [agent] is willing to tap the brakes instead of the gas. Agents get paid whether or not their clients get a good deal. Indeed, if a buyer overpays, his agent actually gets a slightly larger commission. But a good real estate agent will still advise caution if he feels a buyer is bidding more for a house than it’s worth, or overlooking serious flaws.”
3. Get Your Own Inspector
Another of the agent secrets for getting a better deal when buying a house in [market] involves the inspector. Only the good agents will tell you this, but you should get your own inspector.
After you’ve made an offer and the seller has accepted it, the next step is typically the inspection. During a home inspection, the inspector will look for issues and flaws such as structural problems, roof leaks, termites, and mold. As a buyer, you want to find every possible problem, so it’s a good idea to choose and hire an inspector independently. This isn’t the case when you want to sell your house in Alameda County, but it’s definitely a good policy when you’re buying.
“[W]hile it’s in your interest to choose an experienced and aggressive inspector, it’s better for the real estate agent to have an inspector who isn’t so picky. While few real estate agents will deliberately recommend an incompetent inspector, you might get a more thorough inspection if you decline your agent’s recommendation and choose an inspector based on your own independent research.”
4. Enhance the Lighting
Now if you want to sell your house in Alameda County an important agent secret has to do with lighting. You might not think so, but lighting is an important factor in selling a house, and you need to do everything you can to maximize it.
“Second only to location, lighting is the one thing that every buyer cites as a necessity. Proper lighting is essential in the home selling process. Fortunately, there are simple steps that can make a home brighter. Take down drapes, clean the windows, change the lampshades, increase the wattage of light bulbs, and cut the bushes outside to allow sunshine in. Conversely, a poorly lit house will have the opposite impact. Improper lighting can actually turn off prospective buyers.”
5. Make Quick Fixes
Certainly, to sell your house in Alameda County, you’ll need to make some repairs and (possibly) upgrades. But the secret here lies in the fact that, in most cases, you should make only the quick fixes.
What you shouldn’t do is go overboard and do too much so that you don’t get a return on the investment. It’s much harder to recoup your expenses on major home-improvement projects.
“Instead,” industry pros say, “consider updates that will offer the most return. Get a new fresh coat of paint on the walls. Clean the curtains or go buy some inexpensive new ones. Replace door handles, cabinet hardware, make sure closet doors are on track, fix leaky faucets and clean the grout. While these changes do not amount to much individually, their cumulative presence can dramatically increase the aesthetic value of a home. Perhaps even more importantly, they do not eat up a lot of your budget.”
6. Concentrate on the Kitchen
This may seem to run counter to what we just said about doing only the quick fixes, but to sell your house in Alameda County you do need to concentrate on and prioritize the kitchen – a secret many sellers overlook.
In fact, some industry experts maintain that you’re not really selling a home. Rather, you’re selling a kitchen. The kitchen is that important to buyers. “The benefits of remodeling your kitchen are endless, and the best part of it is that you’ll probably get 85% of your money back.”
Consider this. Installing new countertops can cost several thousand dollars. But if you don’t do that and you’re kitchen looks dated, a buyer may ask you to knock as much as $10,000 off the asking price.
Get More Secrets to Buy or Sell Your House in Alameda County
These are some of the top agent secrets for buying and selling, but there’s much more you can do. You can discover more of the insider tricks of the trade by talking to your Alameda County agent. So when you’re ready to buy or sell your house in Alameda County, contact us today at (408) 893-1866 .