Help! I’m Relocating and Need to Sell My Florida Home

Moving is as exciting as it is hectic. You have to coordinate so many things-your job, your belongings, where you will live…hey where did the cat go? Everything is happening so fast and you don’t have the time to do it all. You know you need to sell your house, but can’t wait around for months to find a buyer… Relax, we’ve got some tips to help you relocate and move on with your life- now rather than later.

Work with a Reputable Agent

Working with a listing agent will help expose your house to the largest pool of homebuyers because they will list your property on the MLS. The listing agent will consult with you to learn about your goals with selling the property, and take care of marketing the property for you. They will also take charge of the paperwork, legalities, and work wit

h multiple parties to negotiate the best deal for you. You do have to pay for their services through, usually 3-6% of the sale price of your home. Also keep in mind that it may take them weeks or months to find a qualified buyer, so if time is more important than money, you might want to consider selling to a cash investor.

Understand the Pricing

If you do not set a reasonable price for your property, you may have sit on the market longer than you expected. This is where a comparative market analysis (CMA) comes to play. Your agent or broker can do this for you to determine a competitive price for your home that will attract serious buyers. If you aren’t working with an agent, you can seek an appraiser’s services to give you an estimate of your property’s price. They will look at the features of your home and compare it to similarly sold homes close to your neighborhood. The CMAs are very subjective and will vary from one person to another, but they should all be close in price.

Go on Property Listing Sites

You can take advantage of the internet by listing your home on the various property listing sites and forums. Here, you have a large client base in the form of online traffic that may be interested in your house. Some sites will show you the number of visitors who clicked on your ad, their interaction with the ad and other marketing statistics to glean how well your ad is doing. When putting up an ad on these sites, ensure you have clear photos of your home, covering all the key areas and showing its features. Do not forget to leave your contact information should a potential buyer want to know more about your house. Sites like realtor.com or redfin.com are very popular among consumers and will ask for a fee to list your property for you.

Time the Sale

Timing is everything! If you sell too fast, you might not have housing lined up for when you move. If you sell to slowly, you might end up having to pay for two houses at once (Oh no!) Or presumably, you might need the money from the sale of your house in order to secure funding for the new house or to help with moving costs or furnishings. In order to avoid this scenario, there’s a few things you can do. You can ask for a rent back from the new owner once you sell your house. This basically allows you to stay in the property after selling, and you would pay the new owner rent until you move out. It’s a solution that can benefit the both of you- the new owner buys a property they want and you have a place to stay until you secure a new house.

Rent Out the Property

If you can’t sell in time for your move, then do not fret! You can always rent the property out. With Air B&B becoming more popular, you can list your house as a short-term rental and not worry about incurring so many costs. In the right market, short-term rentals can generate more income than if it were occupied by the same tenant all year. It’s important that your rental “cash flows”, which basically means the income you make is more than the costs of owning the property. You can also hire a property manager if you won’t live close to your rental property- they will take care of repairs and deal with most landlording issues for a fee.

Sell to a Cash Investor

By far the quickest way to sell your home is through a cash investor. A cash investor is a real estate investor who buys houses in cash- they don’t require bank financing. What this means for you is that they’re able to buy your house quickly- I’m talking about less than 10 days because they already have the cash available. All you have to do is sign some documents and hand over the keys! While you typically won’t get the most money for your house, you will save on holding costs, fees/commissions (you won’t have to pay them), and you won’t have to make any repairs in order to sell it. Avila Home Solutions is a local real estate investor in South Florida.

Final Word

It is no secret that selling your home can be a burden, especially when you’re in the middle of relocating and need to move fast. Whether you choose to list with an agent, sell on your own, or sell to an investor will depend on your timeline and goals. Just know that you have options. If you’re relocating, we wish you a smooth transition and hope this article has provided value to you.