8 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Sell Your Home

Selling a home is one of the biggest decisions you make. Do your homework.

Here's a scary situation, tomorrow morning you hand over the keys to your real estate agent - and they let a whole group of complete strangers wander around your house. A whole group of strangers in your house, no security checks and no accountability for their actions. They spend anywhere from five to fifteen minutes in your home, before letting the agent know if they are even considering buying your home. This is definitely a scary concept, so let's look at it from a couple of different perspectives - buyer and seller. 

1. The Open House 

At Next Address, we believe that your security and the security of your home is a major key. We strive to find matches based on our strict criteria, we don't want to waste your time or ours. We make sure that all potential buyers are screened via our online security system, and we make sure that they are looking at a house that is really in their budget. 

You wouldn't give a complete stranger the keys to your house, so why would you let a real estate agent allow just about anyone into your home?

Many real estate agents don't bother to check out potential buyers before inspection, and nor do they get them to pre-register to look at your home. As a buyer, you are given free-reign to look around a house and if there are a whole group of buyers, you probably won't get a chance to have an in-depth conversation about your potential new home. 

When there are so many people, the buyer does not receive enough attention from the agent, instead of looking at the water pressure and the foundation of the house - you are left to your own devices and don't get a chance to look for exactly what you want in a new home. 

While an open house means that the agent only needs to come once a week (so you only need to clean once a week), it also means that you could be attracting all of these people who could easily be wasting your time for a variety of reasons; i.e. they know the house is out of their price range, or they know that they're not looking for a home without a balcony. 

Next Address wants to match you up with the perfect agent who has your best wishes in mind, rather than one who is just out there to make a commission and then leave you in the dark. At Next Address, we believe that your security and the security of your home is a major key. We strive to find matches based on our strict criteria, we don't want to waste your time or ours. We make sure that all potential buyers are screened via our online security system, and we make sure that they are looking at a house that is realistically in their budget. 

2. Old Methods 

"Our homes are our castles" is definitely an over-used phrase but applies very well to the motto of Next Address. We know that people don't always look for the perfect agent, but rather for someone who will get the highest price, regardless of the steps they take to get there. We know that there are so many more choices out there for our sellers and buyers, including DIY peer to peer platforms, which are amazing online systems that you can utilise. It's as simple as booking a flight, a hotel, or even a taxi - now you can use these to buy and sell a house. 'Significant financial decisions' buying and selling a home is one of the biggest and most significant financial decisions a seller and buyer will ever make. 

Not only does choosing the wrong agent mean that you won't get the best results for you but most buyers report that poor service on behalf of the agent and lack of follow up are the worst issues facing homebuyers in this day and age. Read More…