Is an Open House a Good Idea When Selling Your Savannah Home?

  There are many great Savannah, GA area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (912) 658-7255 or (912)272-3463 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

With the spring selling season just around the corner, we figured it would be a good time to discuss open houses. 

Are they worth it? If so, what value do they provide? 

Today, we'll answer those questions, so you can make informed decisions when selling your Savannah home.

The McIntosh Team often holds open houses, but we prefer to do them when the home is vacant. The reason we prefer showing an empty or properly staged house is because a lot of people will come through. If you have valuables or cherished family items, you put them at risk during an open house.

In most cases, you'll only have a few Realtors watching your home. If five different people show up at the same time, you may have strangers wandering through your home, which is never a good thing. Obviously, we try to do the best we can to keep an eye on everyone, but it can be very difficult. The biggest risk of having an open house, then, is how uncontrollable it can be. While rare, it's something to keep in mind.

On the other hand, there are many advantages to having an open house. Any exposure is good exposure when it comes to selling your home. Will their be tire kickers, neighbors, and professional lookers? Of course, but they might have friends, family, or coworkers who are looking to buy. The chance that they might spread the word about your home makes an open house completely worth it.

It's all about weighing the risks against the rewards of having an open house. Ultimately, it comes down to your specific situation. If you have questions about whether an open house is the right move for you, give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love to help you make the decision that will benefit your home sale!

How to Avoid Being Surprised by HOA Fees When Selling Your Savannah Home

There are many great Savannah, GA area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call us at (912) 658-7255 or (912)272-3463 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Recently, we've received many questions from those of you who watch our videos, and we are going to do everything in our power to answer them in future videos. Today, we want to address the questions of HOA fees and how they can affect you, whether you're buying or selling.

Not long ago, we worked with a seller who ran into HOA fees and was taken by surprise. When we first listed their home, we looked at the mortgage payoff, property taxes, real estate commission, and all the things that are usually figured in to help sellers understand what to expect on the HUD statement. 

The one thing the seller was not aware of was a HOA fee in the amount of $850. He didn't realize that he had agreed to it back when he purchased the house. Any time the title is transferred, under the agreement he made, he had to pay an $850 fee to the homeowners' association in order to do so. 

We just want this to be a warning to you, so you aren't caught off guard when selling a home. You need to be aware of the homeowners' association fees you agreed to years ago when you first purchased your home. It's something you'll want to keep in mind and think about when budgeting for your move.

On the buyer side of things, be aware that you may have to pay an initiation fee to join the homeowners' association in your new neighborhood. They're typically not too expensive, but you need to keep an eye out for them as well.

If you have any questions about this topic, or would like real estate assistance of any kind, don't hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email at any time. We would love to hear from you!  

How to Prepare Your Home for the Market

Welcome back to our video blog! A lot of sellers ask us what they can do to get their home ready for the market.

The most important step in getting your home ready is to make it appealing to the buyers. How do you do that? Imagine your home is a model home. Go ahead and start packing; take down the personal items and remove any clutter. Your buyer should be able to picture their life in the home.

You also want your home to be in good condition. That doesn’t mean just aesthetically, but structurally and mechanically, as well. It’s important to address any repairs before the buyer looks at the home. If you leave it up to the buyer, one of two things could happen: 1) the buyer could disregard your home all together because they don’t think you have the means to fix it or 2) they will automatically reduce their offer because they think the home is worth less than the listed price.

Addressing the problems before can prevent you from losing a bid and losing money.

I hope you found this information helpful. If you have any questions or are thinking about buying, selling, or investing, please give me a call at 912.272.3463

Thanks for watching!