In such a short amount of time in my life, I experienced so many changes. One such change? The sale of my home. I hadn't even been there for a whole year, and it was already time to sell.
In some ways, I feel lucky that I was successful in selling my home during the pandemic. I had been told that the market was hot and quickly understood that this was very much the case. Want to learn more about my journey? I'll let you know all about my experience selling my home in today's market.
Why I worked with a RE/MAX broker
When I knew that it was time to sell my home finally, I thought about doing it by myself at first without enlisting the help of a broker. I even purchased that black and orange sign to display in the window. I was determined to make it happen—until I had a conversation with a RE/MAX broker, that is.
The real estate broker strongly advised me against selling my home by myself. The current market is hot, and bidding wars are difficult to manage. It would be best if you had at least a bit of knowledge to work these bidding wars without making any mistakes. It takes time.
A broker takes care of every step of your home sale from start to end. That's why it's essential that you feel a deep connection with this person—you are, after all, putting the fate of your home in their hands. I remember having not one but several discussions with my real estate broker, getting a sense of her insights on the current state of the housing market and finding out what her plan of action was going to be.
Selling my home: How it all went down
This entire process was an adventure, and time and time again, I realized that I made the right choice in hiring a real estate broker.
Firstly, I didn't have to worry about taking care of little things, like snapping photos of the property. The broker took care of all of that. Once the property was put up on the market, potential buyers scheduled the first visit almost immediately. It only took a few days for us to get 20 visits scheduled. It was around this time that I realized I probably wouldn't have too much trouble selling my house. Although I knew the market was wild, I had no idea what to expect from the start.
Seeing as we're in the middle of a pandemic, it's important to remember that visiting a house requires a few extra measures as there can only be one family in the house at a time. Not only does this require a little more planning, but it can take up a lot of time. On the other hand, I didn't have to worry about this part so much: my real estate broker was there to oversee it all, which meant I could focus on things like my work without worrying about falling behind.
After just a few days of visits, the offers started to come pouring in. First, of course, people bid over the asking price, making it much easier to settle on an offer. This all happened in six days, and I was ultimately in shock at just how quickly it happened.
A weight lifted
People decide to sell their homes for different reasons—mine is that I had to sell due to a separation. I appreciated having my broker around as she wound up being a mediator between the two of us. All in all, the process went smoothly. If I can offer one bit of advice, it's that you should take the time to carefully understand your situation and make sure you're making the best choice so that everything goes as smoothly as possible.
The process of selling your house can be stressful. With a pandemic, there's additional anxiety, pressure, and uncertainty to deal with too. I can't deny that I experienced more than my share of stress during the process, but I chose to work with a real estate broker, which became one less weight on my shoulders.
When I think back to how stubborn I was at first—wanting to sell my house all on my own from the start—I realize I vastly underestimated the amount of work involved. Selling your home requires so many little details that I would have never considered. But thanks to my broker's expertise, I got a better price when I was outbid. And that’s great news all around!
