Most Important Questions To Ask Before Selling Your Home

May 25, 2021

Questions To Ask Before Selling Your Home

Selling your home is not easy. There are a lot of decisions to make before selling your house in Long Island, especially if you need to sell your house fast. But, you can make the home selling process easier by being prepared by asking questions. Many of the most important questions to ask before selling your home don’t always come to mind right away.

You definitely don’t want to list your home with a realtor and find out the true costs of selling a house, both in time and money. It’s also critical to have a home selling backup plan in case selling your house doesn’t work out as you planned.

The following can get you moving in the right direction, covering the most important questions to ask before selling your home:

  • When is the best time of year to sell my home?
  • How long will it take to sell my house?
  • How much will selling my home cost me?
  • What should I do if my house doesn’t sell?

It’s important to know that you don’t need to go the traditional real estate listing route. Learn how to make selling your home easier and faster, and be sure to ask the below 4 important questions.

The 4 Most Important Questions To Ask Before Selling Your Home

1. When is the best time of year to sell my home?

There is no rule for when you can sell your home. But there definitely seasonal shifts that could make selling a home faster. There are even certain days that could be key factors for easier home sales.

For the most part, spring and summer seasons are the best for selling a house fast. Fall and winter are the slowest seasons. Why? People don’t shop around for homes in the fall and winter, and they certainly don’t want to move in poor weather conditions either. 

This does, however, depend on what region you live in. For instance, in Nassau and Suffolk counties of Long Island, fall and winter can bring on harsh weather conditions that freeze out home buyers. The summer months in Long Island are best for home sales, especially for families that don’t want to move children during the school year.

Did you know that selling your home in June instead of May, just a one month difference, can net you nearly 3 percent more money on the sale of your house? That’s the power of seasonality. Hence why this is one of the most important questions to ask before selling your home.

Other questions to ask before selling your home that relate are:

  • What are the local housing market conditions?
  • Is real estate in demand where I live?
  • How long can I wait to sell my house?
  • What’s the value of my home right now?

You can get a free cash offer on your home in less than 24 hours and know how much your home is worth today.

2. How long will it take to sell my house?

Another one of the most important questions to ask before selling your home is, “How long will it take to sell my house?” This is a question that many home sellers don’t really think to ask, since most people don’t know how long it really does take. 

The truth is, your home can sit on the market for weeks, and even months. There are a ton of factors for why your house isn’t selling too. For instance, it could be that you’re location is not the most attractive. Or your home’s condition could be not as appealing to buyers that aren’t looking for a project.

The National Association of Realtors found that the average home on the market will not sell fast. In fact, the average home will sit for about 62 days. In the northeast, like Long Island, it could be longer.

3. How much will selling my home cost me?

There are also costs associated with selling a home. You don’t simply get an offer, receive the money, and be on your way. There are processes and people involved in the sales process that will get a piece of your home sale. 

Did you know that around 10 percent of the money you get on the sale of your house will go to fees and expenses? If you sell your home for $210,000, you can automatically expect $21,000 less at closing.

Common real estate fees and expenses to expect when selling a house are:

  • 5 percent real estate agent commission
  • 1 percent staging and prepping the house for sale
  • 2 percent seller concession fee
  • 1 percent home ownership costs
  • 3 percent closing costs

There are also repair costs that could be cutting into the money you actually get for your home. There are, however, ways to cut costs and pocket more. For instance, you can skip the real estate agent and sell your home for cash fast. No need to pay thousands to someone else, and have your home sit on the market for months.

4. What should I do if my house doesn’t sell?

This is definitely one of the most important questions to ask before selling your home. Because if you can’t sell your house, you may be at financial risk, or have stress linger, depending on why you need to sell your home.

The good news is that you don’t need to worry about if your home sells fast or not. Why? There are alternative ways to sell a home in the digital age, like iBuyers. In fact, you can get a cash offer for your home in 24 hours or less.

Traditional real estate methods are no longer in a seller’s best interest. With DealHouse, you can get a strong offer for your home without playing the waiting game, or paying a laundry list of people at closing. 

Get what you need and deserve for your home today the DealHouse way.

Chris Chiarenza