There comes a time for many of us when we need to help our parents sell a home that they have owned for a long time. Maybe even one you grew up in. Perhaps it's time to downsize to a condo or a villa? Or, maybe Mom or Dad are moving into an assisted living facility.
It can be a huge undertaking to look to sell a long held family home. The first task is usually going through a house full of belongings and getting a plan for where it all is going to go. Second, the home probably has not been updated in a long time so you may be wondering if there are repairs that are recommended to help with selling the house. Third, you have to figure out timing on everything. And fourth, there are lots of emotions and memories tied to the house and it can be a delicate process.
I have been working with families for over 20 years helping them get homes ready to sell. Not only have I had to go through the process of helping my own parent get a house ready but have also worked with numerous clients who are moving through the same process.
It is good idea to get a real estate agent involved early in the process. They can help guide you thorough what they recommend you do to the house to get it ready to go on the market and get it sold for the best price. Most of my clients don't want to tackle major renovation projects but are willing to do some repairs that are worthwhile.
There is a strategy to selling a home "AS-IS". If you don't handle this type of sale properly, you can very easily get taken advantage of. I recently had a high school friend reach out to help is dad sell the home he was living in. They were under the impression that the only real buyer for the house would be a builder who would tear the house down to build a new home on the desirable lot. I worked with them to show that we need to expose the home to the whole market, not just builders. The buyer ended up being someone who already lived in the neighborhood and my seller make about $70,000 more than the builder who first contacted him was willing to pay.
I see people selling their homes to services advertised on TV offering to buy your home "AS-IS" with no real estate commissions. The thing is, these companies just turn around and resell the house at a higher price. You are better off paying a commission and selling at a higher price than going with one of these "Instant Buyers".
Here is a great resource for seniors who are looking at making a move into assisted living. Click on this link for the Senior Care and Assisted Living Guide in Missouri.
https://www.senioradvice.com/assisted-living/missouri
Feel free to reach out to me with any questions!
