A Financial Look at How Much Listing Will Cost You in Omaha
Do you want to sell your Omaha, NE house Fast? Before you hire an agent or sign a listing agreement, make sure you know the total cost of listing your house and the length of the agreement. In this post, we will take a financial look at how much the listing will cost you in Omaha. Outlining some of the costs you will incur when listing your house in Omaha, NE, Lincoln, NE, Council Bluffs, IA and the surrounding area.
Many times, when sellers are ready to make the move to sell their house they have not taken into consideration the cost of selling their house through a realtor. Plus, the seller is even less aware and not in any way prepared for how much the listing and sale will cost when hiring a real estate agent/broker in Omaha. An agent might make big promises on how much you can list your house for, but that doesn’t mean they will be able to follow through. It is up to you to do your due diligence and make sure you are aware of all the costs that you may or may not occur when putting your house on the market and how to calculate those costs. Below are some of the costs you can expect to face when listing your Omaha and surrounding area home. For a fast and fair alternative, call Harter Investments, a home buying company in Omaha, NE now for a direct offer! You will be able to sell right away and avoid all of the costs listed below! When purchasing a home through Harter Investments there are no outrageous commissions that are paid to the real estate agent, no closing costs, no costs to prepare your house for the actual sale. No multiple pages of paperwork and long contracts that no one understands that a realtor needs you to sign in order to let him make thousands of dollars selling your house. You can walk away from your house as is, close on your time frame and have cash in your pocket.
Commissions
Commissions that go directly to the real estate agent will typically run around 6-7% of the final sale price of your house. For example, if you sell your house for $200,000. That is $14,000 that will go directly to your agent. That doesn’t include any fees charged by your agent. Every realtor works differently, every realtor will have a different lengthy contract they will want you to sign, you must know what’s in each contract, not all realtors are full-service. You could find yourself paying marketing costs for all of the advertising of your house that could add up to thousands of dollars, multiple listing service fees, cost of pictures of your house done by a professional photographer and administrative costs to your agent which can add up to thousands of dollars. And remember, this is in addition to their hefty commission.
Repairs
Your repair costs will vary greatly depending on the condition or your house. You will likely need to do at least some small repairs such as paint, repair holes in the drywall and any other small repairs around your house. However, some properties require much more work before they are ready to be listed by your real estate agent on the multiple listing service. If you find yourself spending thousands of dollars to get your house ready for sale so your realtor will list it on the multiple listing service, you have to ask yourself… are the repair costs really worth it? One advantage to selling your house to a home buyer like Harter Investments is that we can pay you cash for your house and you can walk away. No cleanup, no repairs, etc. Just walk away with CASH in your pocket.
Upgrades
To keep your Omaha house competitive with other houses in your neighborhood that are currently listed on the market, you will likely need to consider making some upgrades to the home if you want to get top dollar and have the house sell fast. It doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune to make a big impact. New fixtures, carpeting, countertops or flooring can all completely change the feel of the room and increase the value as well as make the house sell faster. To help your property sell quickly, you will want to make sure you have something to make it stand out from the competition. Top of the line appliances, an updated master bath with high-end faucets, multi-shower head system, soaker bathtub, etc. This will add cost but in most cases, it is worth the investment.
Cleaning
Not only do you need to thoroughly clean your house, but you will likely need to pay someone to have it professionally cleaned. Listing your home is no joke, overlooking this step could cost your house to sit even a longer time on the market and not get top dollar for your house. There shouldn’t be any clutter laying about, toys should be put away and the porch should be warm and inviting. Dirt and clutter can be a deal breaker for people viewing your home. Your home might be in wonderful condition, but if your kitchen walls are dirty and greasy, the floors need to be mopped or if it smells like pets, a potential buyer could easily walk away. Even if you do most of the cleaning yourself, it still pays to hire professionals to do the windows and carpets.
Landscaping
Curb appeal is a huge factor when listing your Omaha house. The appearance of your house to a potential buyer as they drive up for a showing could be the difference between a sale or no sale. It could mean the difference between getting a full price offer or a low ball offer. If the front yard isn’t professionally landscaped, consider doing so. Plant some brightly colored flowers, add new fixtures such as a mailbox, house numbers and whenever possible, park all cars away from the house. When people come to view your house, seeing cars in the driveway will be a subconscious reminder they aren’t at home. You want them to feel the opposite. You want people to feel at home from the moment they pull into the driveway.
Staging
Staging can get pretty pricey, but many real estate agents and homeowners swear by it. Even if you don’t do the whole house, consider doing some of the main rooms. Work with a professional stager or interior designer in your area to achieve the best results. If you have made the decision to pay the high commission fee to the real estate agent and have considered the additional closing costs adding staging to get top dollar and have the house possibly not sit on the market as long is probably a cost you need to consider.
Utilities and Miscellaneous
Even if you are not living in the home you will still need to keep the power and water on. You will still have the utility costs, insurance cost, a possible payment, taxes and unexpected costs that come up with owning a house. People will need to check the lights and have the use of running water when viewing your home.
A Nontraditional Way to Sell Your House
There is a way around the pricey real estate agents commission, additional closing costs, repair costs to get your house ready to sell, ongoing utilities, taxes, insurance, payments, and unexpected costs while your house is on the market. Using a home buyer like Harter Investments can save you all of the headaches listed above. We simply make you an all cash offer, no long lengthy contracts that no one understands, no hefty commissions being paid to the real estate agent, no closing costs, repairs costs or the costs associated with holding a property while it is for sale. We can close on your time frame and terms. Simply take what you want from the house when you leave and we will take the house from there.
