Ray Covington

Columbia, Lexington, Irmo, Chapin Real Estate

Selling Your Home

 
 

Selling You Home:  We Know How

Welcome to a short, ”introductory course” in the basics of selling a home. As you click through, you will learn the answers to key questions and gain an understanding of the value of working with Ray Covington and the Ray Covington Real Estate Team.

Five Reasons a Property Sells
The top five reasons a property sells are:

1.  LOCATION
2.  PRICE
3.  TERMS
4.  CONDITION OF THE PROPERTY
5.  THE RIGHT REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL

If your property positively meets the first four criteria, the current interest rates are reasonable and supply and demand for housing is satisfactory, then your home is a prime candidate for resale. However, if one or more of the criteria under your control are not favorable, the sale of your home could be impacted.  We will help you determine the optimal offering price for your home.

What should you do first – Buy or sell?

What should you do first—sell your house or buy your next one?
If you already own a home, you’re probably struggling with this basic question:  What do I do first, buy the home that I want or sell my existing home? And the answer is as individual as you are.  Generally, most real estate professionals would advise you to list your present home and shop for your new home simultaneously.  However, depending on the market and/or your individual needs, you may want to consider an alternative.  In a very robust real estate market, a home could sell within a few days of listing.  So if you have very specific criteria for your new home with regard to location, size, views, age, etc., in a competitive market you may want to begin searching for and buying that home first before you sell your existing home.  Talk with Ray Covington and the Ray Covington Real Estate Team regarding your own personal situation.  Ray can help guide and advise you on the best possible strategy for buying a new home and selling your current home.

Preparing to Sell

What do you need to consider when preparing to sell your home?
There are many things to consider when preparing to sell your home, and the more prepared you are for the journey, the easier it will be. Here are some basics to consider:
Presentation is everything:  You’d be amazed at the difference “cosmetic” improvements can make in how buyers react to your home.  So you may want to spend some time sprucing up your home with paint and landscaping as well as taking care of necessary repairs you may have been avoiding. This not only will help you get the very best price, but may help you get an offer sooner.
Make arrangements for pet care:  If your house is also home to a cat or dog, that can be noted in your listing so that real estate agents act with due caution.  You may want to close your pets off in a separate room or fenced area outside, or request advance notice when your house is to be shown.
The value of placing a lock box on your home:  A lock box is a key storage system placed on an entrance to your home that is accessible only by active, licensed real estate agents.  With today’s technology, most lock boxes allow us to know which sales agent showed your house and when.  A lock box allows sales agents to show your home when you’re not there, without having to go to the listing sales agent’s office to obtain (and later return) the key.  By making it more convenient for real estate agents to show your home, it will be viewed by a greater number of buyers.

Frequently Asked Questions
1.Why shouldn’t I price my house a little high, since I can always drop the price later?
2. Why should I choose Ray Covington to sell my home?
3. How often will you contact me over the course of my listing?
4. How do you advertise my house?
5. Will you advertise my house on the Internet?
6. What do I need to do before my house is listed to make sure I get the maximum price?
7. What happens when a potential buyer wants to look at my house?
8.What happens when we have a contract to buy our house?
9. How long will it take to sell my house?
1. Why shouldn’t I price my house a little high, since I can always drop the price later?  That’s a strategy that sounds good – but, in fact, is more likely to result in a lower price.  Here’s why.  The first few weeks a house is on the market is when it will have the most activity.  If a house is overpriced, it has to compete with houses at that higher price level, which are almost certainly larger or have newer/more luxurious features.  So the overpriced home is unlikely to attract an offer.  Worse yet, those first weeks are when real estate agents preview the house.  If it’s overpriced, they may not even bother to show it to their buyers.  Eventually, the seller will have to drop the price – and may end up with an even lower price because buyers will wonder why the house has been on the market so long and may factor that into their offer.The Ray Covington Team will help you determine the optimal price to offer your home for sale using both individual and market factors.

 

2. Why should I choose Ray Covington and the Ray Covington Real Estate Team to sell my home?

Ray Covington and the Ray Covington Real Estate Team know the Columbia market.  We understand the importance of responding to client’s needs quickly and efficiently, using the most accurate, up-to-date information available.  Every member of the Ray Covington Real Estate Team is dependable attentive to the smallest detail and experienced in creative problem solving.  We excel at bringing buyers and sellers together successfully.

Ray Covington and the Ray Covington Real Estate Team goes beyond these essential elements.  With our team, there is a strong belief that relationships with clients must be based on trust.  We believe that respect and communication must be a part of every transaction.  These are the intangibles that have earned the company its very special reputation.

Every member of the Ray Covington Real Estate Team is well-informed and experts in their area.  We are highly-trained and backed by an experienced management team that shares our commitment to services.

Our team members all have extensive information about neighborhoods, schools, recreation, churches and shopping.  From listing to showing to closing a home, we are active participants who know how to make the right things happen.  Membership in a computerized Multiple Listing Service ensures that necessary information about the marketplace is available at a moment’s notice.

Whether working with Columbians moving from one neighborhood to another or with families moving into or out of the Midlands, Ray Covington and the Ray Covington Real Estate Team professionals serve our clients well — every time, in every way.

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3. How often will Ray Covington and the Ray Covington Real Estate Team contact me over the course of my listing?

Communication is a number-one priority for the Ray Covington Real Estate Team.  Your sales associate will call or email you – your choice – at least once a week with a progress report.

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4. How does Ray Covington and the Ray Covington Real Estate Team advertise my home?

Your home will also be marketed using a proven, strategically strong combination of media including the internet, flyers, and brochures, in order to fully expose the property to a wide audience of home buyers who are actively looking.

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5. Will Ray Covington and the Ray Covington Real Estate Team advertise my house on the Internet?

Yes!  Statistics show that 89% of prospective home buyers begin their search on the Internet.  Ray Covington and the Ray Covington Real Estate Team uses the best internet marketing programs and most aggressive internet marketing firm, Real Internet Sales to ensure your home has the maximum marketing available.  Your home will be on the internet and on searches in your area! In addition, we will advertise your home on:

 

We expose your home to hundreds of websites across the US via broker reciprocity agreements

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6. What do I need to do before my house is listed to make sure I get my top price?

With buyers, the first impression counts tremendously!  A small investment of time and money will generate financial rewards and give your home a positive edge over other listings when it comes time to show it.

Review the following ideas and see what you can do with just a little effort that might help attract a buyer sooner at your asking price.

Curb Appeal

  • Cut lawn
  • Trim shrubs and lawns
  • Keep well watered
  • Weed and edge gardens
  • Pick up any litter
  • Clear walk and driveway of leaves, toys, etc….
  • Repair gutters and eaves

 

General Maintenance

  • Paint and repair as needed – inside and out
  • Oil squeaky doors
  • Tighten doorknobs
  • Replace burned-out lights
  • Clean and repair windows
  • Touch up chipped paint
  • Repair leaking taps and toilets

 

Clean and Tidy

  • Keep interior neat and presentable at all times — shampoo carpets, clean tile
  • Clean washer, dryer and tubs
  • Clean refrigerator and stove
  • Clean and freshen bathrooms
  • Organize kitchen cabinets and closets so they look clean and spacious

 

First Impressions

  • Clean and tidy entrance
  • Functional doorbell
  • Polish door hardware and outdoor lights
  • Paint/clean front door
  • Add flowers to the porch.

 

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7. What happens when a potential buyer wants to look at my house?

The following is a checklist of proven tips to help make your home very appealing to the buyer and create what is called “the buying atmosphere”:

  • Be absent, if possible, when your property is being shown
  • Open shades, draperies, and all interior doors except closets
  • Turn on all interior lights, whether it is day or night
  • If possible, play soft background music
  • Have ceiling fans on at low speed
  • Keep pets outdoors/in garage
  • Put money and other valuables in a safe place
  • Enhance the beauty of your house with fresh flowers
  • Hang your best towels
  • Do other similar things that maximize appeal

 

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8. What happens when we have a contract to buy our house?

Once your house is under contract, your associate will give you a list of things that you will need to do to be prepared for closing day (turn off utilities, etc…).  If you have additional questions, we are always a phone call away to help!

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9. How long will it take to sell my house?

Ray Covington and the Ray Covington Real Estate Team has a reputation for making things happen.  Many times, sellers come to us very frustrated because they’ve had their homes listed with another realtor for months with no success.  It is not unusual for us to help owners sell their homes in as little as one week (see or Client Testimonials for more information).

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