Deciding to sell your house in Georgia and relocate is a big choice, and it can be a very long process filled with delays. Regular home sales can take months of effort, and this amount of time may seem even longer if you are prepared to relocate and move on. To help you speed up the selling process, here is a list of 5 common delays you can face when you sell your house and a few tips for how to avoid them.
1. Finding the right agent
Finding a realtor to list with can be a delay depending on how critical you are when vetting agents. This process can involve you meeting with one or several local agents to discuss your property, your desired selling strategy, and the agent’s commission. During this process, you decide which agent is best for your situation. In the case of selling in order to relocate, you might prioritize seeking out experienced Georgia agents who have a record for quickly bringing in offers and closing deals, or maybe a realtor who can handle a remote sale for you if you have already relocated.
The process of vetting potential listing agents can take time, and it can turn into a larger delay than expected when trying to quickly sell your house. To avoid this, make sure you map out what the ideal selling process looks like for you so you know exactly what to look for when interviewing realtors. Alternatively, ask friends and family who have sold houses to recommend their past agents if they had a positive selling experience.
2. Normal listing prep
Before you relocate, you need to face the usual delay of pre-listing preparations in order to sell your house. This includes decluttering and depersonalizing the home, deep cleaning, and boosting curb appeal. All of these things make your listing more attractive to prospective buyers and increase the chances of you receiving an offer and being able to relocate more quickly.
Luckily, if you have already begun to relocate, then you have probably already started packing up personal items, such a clothing, pictures, and knick-knacks. You’ll want to declutter not just surfaces around the house, but also cabinets and closets; buyers often poke around in storage spaces to see how much room there is, and the roomier you can make spaces look, the better. It can also take a good chunk of time to deep-clean the entire property. You want to tackle dust, cobwebs, dirt, stains, and everything else in between the floors and the ceiling, which is no small task. In short, getting a home ready for listing can take a lot of time and elbow grease, and this might end up being a larger delay than you expected.
The best way to avoid this task becoming a delay when trying to sell your house is to clearly list and schedule all of the work that needs to be done. You can hire movers and cleaners to help you with this, but make sure you clearly outline when you expect the job to be finished. Alternatively, you can opt for a direct sale to a cash homebuyer, which eliminates the need for you to declutter or clean before you sell your house and relocate.
3. Pre-listing inspection
Many agents recommend that sellers invest in a pre-listing home inspection to avoid delays later in the selling process. This proactive step can be especially helpful if you have a limited amount of time to sell your house and relocate. The buyer’s inspection can generally be one of the biggest delays before closing a sale: depending on the results of the inspection, you could find yourself renegotiating with buyers on price and even investing your own funds into repairs before closing. Investing in a pre-listing home inspection allows you to have a fuller understanding of the condition of your property before you even set a listing price, and it lets you know if there are an problems that you need to disclose to buyers. This will help you avoid any nasty surprises later in the process, such a renegotiations or major repairs.
However, while this step can potentially eliminate later delays, it can also create more delays in your process. If your inspection finds that major repairs are necessary, you may have to invest time and money into repairs in order to list and sell your house. Depending on this condition of your property, there may not be much you can do to avoid this delay, but you will be handling it proactively.
If avoiding repairs is necessary in order to help you relocate quickly, then you can also consider listing your property as-is at a reduced price, though this may make it more difficult to bring in interested buyers. Alternatively, you can request an offer from a local homebuying company on your property as-is and avoid the listing process altogether.
4. The waiting game
When listing any property, the biggest delay is often the period you spend waiting for an offer, which can be a huge problem if you are trying to relocate within a certain time frame. After you get your house ready to list, you and your agent have to get property photos taken and write a listing description. Once that is done and the property is on the market, your agent handles showings and open houses while you wait for an offer. This process can take around 63 days on average in Georgia, depending on your local market and the condition of your property, so factor that into your selling timeline.
Things that you can do to avoid this delay are ensuring that your property is tidy and looks market-ready, even if you are selling as-is, in order to bring in more potential buyers. Also work with your realtor to ensure that you have written a listing description that highlights the best features of your property, and make sure you are familiar with your realtor’s marketing plan for getting as much interest from buyers as possible.
5. Renegotiating
Further delays can arise after you accept an offer. As mentioned before, your buyer’s inspection may find that repairs are necessary. This can lead to renegotiations concerning the price of your property and your investment into repairs. For example, if the inspection finds that the HVAC needs to be replaced for $4,000, your buyer can negotiate to have $4,000 removed from their previous offer, or they might even require that you invest in that repair before closing, which will obviously delay closing because you will have to invest in professional labor to fix that problem. Additionally, an appraisal of the property can reduce the selling price if the appraiser doesn’t think that the property is priced appropriately, which can increase the length of negotiations. In a worst case scenario, both of these factors can even lead to the sale falling through: your buyer may not be able to secure financing because the condition of the property doesn’t meet the minimum standards of their lender, which may cause you to have to go through the whole process again with another buyer.
To avoid this delay, it’s important that you and your agent have a firm understanding of your property’s value so you can negotiate fairly and promptly with your buyers. A pre-listing inspection will help with this. Additionally, make sure that you price the home appropriately when you put it on the market, and try to vet offers as they come in. For example, only accepting offers from buyers who are pre-approved for a loan gives you reassurance that the sale won’t fall through or be delayed due to financing issues.
Summary
There are a lot of steps you need to take before you can sell your house and relocate, and running into delays is a common problem. However, the best way to avoid unnecessary delays is to know what you’re up against when you sell your house. Try to be proactive: map out your selling and moving timeline, outline the tasks that need to be accomplished, and remain aware of any potential delays you can face when you sell your house so you can get ahead of them and relocate without difficulty.
Here’s How We Can Help!
If you are trying to sell your house in Georgia and relocate, you can sell to We Buy Houses In West Georgia today. We make fair cash offers on local houses in the West Georgia area. When we buy your house, you don’t have to worry about the traditional delays of selling. Our buying process is designed to help Georgia homeowners sell burdensome properties fast.
- Don’t worry about making repairs, decluttering, or even cleaning
- Avoid commissioning a Georgia realtor to list your property
- Bypass paying closing costs or any additional fees
- Quickly collect the proceeds from the sale and move on
If you want to learn more about how we can help you sell your house and relocate, we invite you to visit our How It Works page. Here, we offer full transparency about our homebuying process, including details about exactly how we calculate our offers. You can also check out Our Company page to get to know our team, our credentials, and our experience. Fill out the form below to get a no-obligation cash offer started now!