If you’re planning to sell your home this year, you have plenty of decisions to make in regard to the sale. Who will choose as your realtor? When will you list your property? Where should you set the price? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! At Home Avenue, we know selling a home can be slightly overwhelming, especially if you’re new to the game. But we also know that with the right team of seasoned professionals behind you, your sale can go off without a hitch. Below, we’re discussing a few critical decisions you’ll inevitably make when selling your home, and how they can impact your experience.

Flat-Fee Realtor or Commission-Based Sale?

If you’re planning to sell your home, you want to keep as much of the profit as possible, right? One of your most important decisions when planning your home sale is who you select as your realtor, so make sure you do your due diligence. Basically, you have three options:

• Flat-fee realty service. In our flat-fee model, you pay a $595 down payment and another $2900 when the sale closes. If your buyer has representation, you’ll also pay a 2-3% commission to the buyer’s agent. That’s all you pay. Nothing more. But here’s the kicker: You get the same quality service that you’d get from commission-based realty, just without the exorbitant commission fee.

• For sale by owner (FSBO) listing. In our FSBO MLS listing service, you select from three options with pre-set price tags: basic, plus, or showcase. All of our packages come with MLS listings, professional photos, traffic to your listing, market reports, and more. The services you receive depend on the package you select.

• Commission-based realty. At Home Avenue, we don’t offer this service because we don’t believe you should pay outrageous commission fees to sell your home. Commission-based realty will generally cost around 5-6% of the sale price of your home, which in Minnesota, equates to about $16,000 — quite a bit pricier for the exact same service, no?

Your choice is up to you, but think about it: What could you do with all that extra money? Celebratory vacation, anyone?

When Is the Best Time to List Your Property?

If you have the option of choosing when to sell your home, it’s always a good idea to discuss your listing options with one of our realtors at Home Avenue. We can recommend the most appropriate time of year for your property sale and fill you in on market competition.

Traditionally, spring and summer are the busiest times of the year for real estate, so if you want a lot of eyes on your listing, now may be the time to start thinking about your sale. If you’re not in a rush, though, slower times of the year may give you a leg up on the competition, simply because there aren’t as many sellers competing for attention.

Is a Pre-Listing Inspection Necessary?

Though a pre-listing inspection isn’t required, we highly recommend you have one. Regardless of the amount of time you’ve lived in the home, there may be issues you aren’t aware of, and without an inspection, they’ll inevitably pop up at the worst possible time. Your pre-listing inspection should cover the following areas:

• Mechanical components
• Windows and doors
• Water damage
• Mold proliferation
• Foundation cracks

The last thing you need is to discover a hidden issue that slows down your sale, or that makes a prospective buyer lose confidence in the property, so don’t neglect this step! Once you have the report in your hands, you can make any necessary improvements to ensure your home is ready to sell.

Looking for Low-Commission Realtors? Trust Your Sale With Home Avenue

If you’re getting ready to sell your home in the Twin Cities metro area, our team at Home Avenue is ready and waiting to help you get the price you deserve. Even better, when you partner with our team, you get to keep more of your hard-earned profit in your pocket. For over 30 years, we’ve been delivering unmatched flat-fee realty services and FSBO MLS listing services for property owners throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and we’d love to make you our next fully satisfied client. To learn more about how we can help you sell your home successfully, give our team a call at 952-929-7355 or connect with us online, and we’ll be in touch!