Thinking of selling your Seattle home?
It’s not all doom and gloom as the media likes to portray, when do we ever hear any good news? Seattle is in way better shape than most other parts of the country. (See my online winter newsletter for the full scoop) Smart Money ranked Seattle as #1 for a rebound in 2009. It is projected that 250,000 people will be moving to the Puget Sound area in the next 4 years. We live in a vibrant area with four major industrial hubs, and lots of people want to live here because it’s so fabulous. So don’t despair!
It is a buyers market right now for sure, however if you have owned your house for a while you will still benefit from the huge appreciations of the past 10 years. Plus if you are looking to buy another home, you will reap the benefit of lower prices and the lowest interest rates in 40 years.
We owned 2 houses in South Seattle and decided to sell both of them and buy a bigger house once our son Seamus came along. We worked with Serena over a 2 year period. Deanna met Serena at a cocktail party and felt comfortable with her right away, we liked that she lived in the neighborhood and was passionate about living in this area. We sold our rental home first, and lived in the other while we looked for the perfect fit. Serena never pressured us,she wasn’t pushy as she wanted us to to wait for the right house at the right price at the right time. We never felt ignored, Serena was always there for us even after hours. She took the time to get to know us. She always remembered what it was that we said was important to us through this whole process. She is also cool, fun to talk to and interesting. Serena brings so much to the home selling and buying experience. She made it a lot more than just tactical.
You can try the For Sale by Owner route, but in this market it is tough as there is so much negotiating to do. If you are up for the stress of dealing with unqualified buyers, buyers trying to outrageously low ball you, or flaking out before closing, go for it. But here’s what you would gain by having me as your special agent:
- An experienced agent who can candidly advise you on how to accurately price your house, using statistical analysis, which can be used to educate the clueless buyers too.
- An emotion diffuser let me get an ulcer not you!
- The marketing prowess of Windermere, known as the Rolls Royce of Realtors. Windermere will give you the most extensive advertising and the most widely used Web site of any brokerage in the area.
- Because of this advertising and online reach, exposure to the highest possible number of buyers. More buyers = more competition = the highest possible selling price.
- An advocate for your interests. Having negotiated hundreds of home sales, I know the pitfalls to look out for and will share my experience and resources with you every step of the way.
- Legal protection. According to Demco Law Firm, 80% of real estate lawsuits involve sales by owners. And it’s no wonder, when you discover how many arcane technicalities are involved in a real estate transaction. I have been thoroughly trained in the legalities and know how to protect you. And, when you sell your house through an agent (preferably me!) the liability will be spread out between yourself, your agent, and the brokerage.
Security. When your house is on the market, we protect it with a secure lock and coding system that only licensed real estate agents can access. The system makes a record of every visit to your home, so in the unlikely event anything goes awry, your special agent can quickly finger the suspects. I will also be willing to post my dog Salty at your door for the duration of the sales process.- An amiable British buffer between you and the hungry public. I’m the only person you’ll have to deal with the entire time, and I will tend to your peace of mind. I also have a mini-bar in my briefcase.
If you’d like to find out more or get a preliminary market analysis, call me!
In the meantime, you can read my responses to some frequently asked questions, or meet some people who have sold their houses with me and lived to tell about it!
