It is never too early to talk with a professional. A good real estate consultant can help you navigate what repairs to make, the current market conditions, timing your sale and answer any questions you have. An analysis of your home is free. 

De-cluttering and staging, curb appeal, maintenance items you have put off is a great place to start. As far as what updates to do, or if you should update at all, that depends on the market and also how updated other homes that have sold in your neighborhood.

Yes, agents with experience in these situations can help.  They will help by telling you whether selling as-is, selling to a developer or fixing the home up to sell makes the most sense. There are many programs available that allow you to get renovations and pay at closing.

Yes, if you need to sell immediately the right real estate agent can help you. Modern real estate agents can connect you with the right investors, buyers or even iBuyer, depending on the condition of your home. You can profit more than selling to one investor who has contacted you.

Your house can be listed in a matter of hours. However, the preparation can take time so it is good to plan ahead. For example, getting a photographer scheduled  to take photos and edit photos usually takes 24-48 hours. And properly preparing the house can take considerably longer.

You may be able to sell your home and get the remainder of the debt forgiven if you have a hardship, with your lender’s approval. This process is called a “short sale”. A short sale will affect your credit, but is slightly better than foreclosure.

Yes. You can sign all necessary documents online with email, mail a key and then everything else can be taken care of with you out of state or even out of country. For closing documents you can find a notary close to you, or in some cases use an e-notary.

Yes. However a tenant can affect how the home shows which can in turn affect your net sale. If the lease has time left on it, you may only be able to sell to an investor. Waiting until the tenant is out and preparing your house can maximize your profit. 

You will pay your listing agent and also likely will offer a commission when putting a home in the MLS to the buyer’s agent.  Aside from brokerage commissions, the average is about 1% additional of the sales price for title fees, taxes and other fees. But it will vary. 

Typical listing agreements last 3-6 months, but it varies based on your area. Different brokers and agents have different policies on cancelling. The most flexible is to cancel anytime without penalty, while others have cancellation fees or will not allow you to cancel.

From the time you list the property, 60-75 days is average to close. But there are many outliers when selling. Some properties will list and close within 10 days. Other unique properties take longer. It also will depend on the overall market and condition of your house.

In Virginia, the buyer has 3 days to rescind the contract after receiving the resale disclosure. The disclosure takes up to 14 days to arrive from the association. I recommend ordering this about 10 days before putting it active on the market.

Maybe. This can be negotiated as part of the contract. In some cases a buyer may want help with closing costs. But the real focus should be on your net. Raising the price and then giving closing costs is one strategy, but keep in mind the home may have to appraise at contract price. 

In this day and age, it is not necessary and can put you at a disadvantage. Buyers will be able to see what other homes have sold for nearby very easily. With online search portals, pricing properly will get your home exposed to the most amount of buyers.

In 2020, MLSs have cracked down on showing your house to any potential buyers if it is in coming soon status. It is also in your best interest to expose the home to the maximum number of buyers. “Sight unseen” (no showing) offers can still be accepted.

A 1 hour window for showings is typical. You can make this shorter or longer, but it is good to allow the buyer at least 30 minutes and then to account for traffic or schedule delays. If you make the window too short it can deter buyers.

No. Best practice is to give the buyer and the agent time to see the home without you there. This will give them the privacy they need make a decision about the property without feeling like someone is listening or they are intruding.

Most showing requests these days happen online through text messages, automatic calls or an app. You can approve showings right from through the app easily.

This varies with the market conditions, your property type, time of year, etc. Some properties get 1 per week, others 5+ per day. This is also determined by how attractive your home is to buyers based on price, update level, etc.

If you are not getting any showings, you could have priced the home too high for the location, condition/update level, size/features. Some types of properties get less showings like high end properties. But zero showings is almost always a sign that you need to adjust your price.

Ideally, never. The best opportunity to sell is in the first couple weeks on the market. If you need an adjustment, look at the average days on market for properties that have sold in your area. Adjust if you do not get a contract close to that timeframe.

If you need to drop the price, you will want to look at: properties for sale in your area and properties sold. For sale properties show your competition. Houses that gives buyers the best value (updates, price, location, etc) will get offers. Sold properties help by showing the past results.

A real estate pro can help with a free report. But generally, look at comparable sales and competition (for sale properties). In a rising real estate market with few houses for sale, price at the top of comparables. In a slow market, price below other sold properties. 

If you are priced well and the offer came in right after listing the property, sometimes a polite rejection is in order. If the property has been on the market awhile, a counter could be more suited. Every situation is different, so hiring the right professional upfront will help.

You need to provide the buyer with a property disclosure statement. Essentially it advises the buyer to do their own due diligence. However, you cannot intentionally hide defects in the property. There are also special cases that require a disclosure, i.e. knowledge of lead paint in the house.

It depends on the size of your property, but 2-3 hours is average for a full home inspection. You should be out of the house for the inspection so that the inspector and/or buyer can feel comfortable discussing the property.

This depends on the inspector and buyer. Most prioritize looking for deficiencies that would affect the safety of the house and occupants. After that is usually deferred maintenance items that need to be done. Smaller items will be noted as well. The buyer may not request all items to be fixed.

In VA, the contract states that the seller must treat for termites before settlement. In addition, repair any damage caused on the interior of the home. Termites are common in Virginia, especially in older homes. The buyer cannot void the contract using this inspection.

If you have an inspection with a repair negotiation period you will negotiate over the repairs. You are not required to fix the items requested. However, most sellers choose to fix some of the requested items that are important to the buyer to avoid the buyer voiding the contract.

Lender required repairs must be done in order for the buyer to get their financing. The finance contingency will have more information about what needs to be done depending on the loan type. Usually, a seller makes the repairs and the lender will send the appraiser to verify completion.

No, an appraiser will come to the property just to measure and take photos of the inside and outside for their report. They do not mind a homeowner being home, but do not interfere or ask about the value. This inspection is short, usually 10-20 minutes max.

You cannot control an appraisal tied to a loan, as they are neutral. However, make sure they have all relevant information. Prepare a list of all the updates you have done since you bought the home and the value of those updates. A good agent will provide this to the appraiser.

If there is an appraisal contingency, these are the 4 most common scenarios. #1. You lower the sales price to the appraised value. #2. Buyer comes up with additional down payment. #3. A combination of the first 1 & 2. #4. Buyer will use the contingency to void the contract.

Your contract will include a list of conveyances that will tell you what needs to be left. It also will state that anything attached to the walls or installed such as light fixtures, HVAC equipment, water heater, etc. will convey with the property.

You are dealing with a very large asset, and dealing with a recent or upcoming relocation. Plus, when selling there are many factors you do not have control over. To destress, keep your mind on your goals, accept what you cannot change and deal with problems quickly as they arise.

This happens, you are not alone. No matter how thorough you are, 20-30% of contracts fail for various reasons. If there was something you can change with your home (price, major inspection items) address these factors. Then get it back on the market.