Sep 12, 2022 - 14m read
A Comprehensive Guide to Selling Your Home in Georgia
Now is a great time to sell a home. While interest rates have increased over the past six months, buyer demand still remains exceedingly high, which means that you have a better chance to sell your home at or above the listing price. Even though the Atlanta real estate market is thriving at the moment, the home-selling process is still a lengthy one with many moving parts.
Anthony Reinoehl
Co-Founder
Now is a great time to sell a home. While interest rates have increased over the past six months, buyer demand still remains exceedingly high, which means that you have a better chance to sell your home at or above the listing price. Even though the Atlanta real estate market is thriving at the moment, the home-selling process is still a lengthy one with many moving parts.
Before you attempt to sell your home, you should know exactly what this process entails. If there are other homes on the market in your area, you’ll be competing with other motivated sellers, which is why making a good first impression is essential.
The following is the only guide you’ll ever need to sell your home in Atlanta. It covers every facet of the home-selling process while also providing you with tips and suggestions that will help you avoid costly mistakes.
1. Find Best Time To Sell Your House in Georgia
Now that you’ve made the decision to sell your home, you’ll want to select the best time of year to sell your house. The reason why it’s essential to sell your home at the right time of the year is because buyer competition can differ depending on the month or season.
Best Time to Sell a House in Georgia Quickly
In Georgia, homes that are listed on the market are typically sold in 40 days. However, the average days on market for a home in June is just 28 days, which makes this the best month of the year to sell an Atlanta home.
Best Time to Sell a House in Georgia for a High Value
If you want to make sure that you sell your home at a high price, summer will be the best time for you to sell. In most cases, the Atlanta real estate market is at its slowest in the first couple months of the year. However, the average sale price in June is $254,000, which is the highest for the year.
2. Price Your Home Competitively
It’s highly recommended that you price your home competitively if you want to make sure it sells in a reasonable time-frame. If you’re working with a real estate agent, he or she should be able to provide you with a comparative market analysis that compares sold listings with your home to determine what it should be priced at.
If your home is listed at a price that’s too low, you’ll sell your home quickly but won’t receive what the home is worth. In the event that the listing price is too high, potential buyers could be scared off, which means that the home may only be sold if you reduce your price later on. Competitive pricing for small, mid-sized, and larger homes in Georgia is $125,000-$200,000 for a small home, $200,000-$300,000 for a mid-sized home, and $300,000-$700,000 for a larger home.
3. Options for Selling Your House in Georgia
If you want to sell your Georgia home, there are three options you can select from, which include selling your home by owner, listing your home with a full-service agent, or selling your home directly to CC Capital. Choosing the right option can help you save thousands of dollars.
Option 1: Sell Your Home by Owner
For Sale By Owner (FSBO) is a process that allows you to sell your home without the help of a listing agent. As the seller, you’ll have complete control over the home-selling process but will be tasked with handling all paperwork and documentation pertaining to the sale.
There are several issues with this approach, the primary of which is that you’ll need to handle everything, which includes marketing, closings, listings, and negotiations. You also won’t be able to take advantage of MLS exposure for your property, which could cause your home to remain on the market for longer than intended.
Option 2: List with a Traditional Full-service Agent
You could also choose to sell your home with the help of a traditional full-service agent, which is a standard real estate agent who will guide you through the home-selling process. The agent you hire for the job will assist you in listing your home at the right price and will handle negotiations with potential buyers. The main downside to this option is that the agent must be paid with a commission that typically amounts to 2.5%-3% of the sale price.
Best Option: Sell Your Home to CC Capital
Your third option is your best option. If you want your home to be sold quickly while also being able to avoid paying a commission to a real estate agent, consider selling your home with CC Capital. At CC Capital, you’ll benefit from a streamlined home-selling process that can be completed in three steps.
First, you’ll want to get in touch so that your home can be evaluated. Once your home has been evaluated virtually or in person, an individual offer is made. This offer will allow you to complete the home-selling process on your preferred timeline and at the best selling price available. The third and final step is for you to get paid, which will occur soon after you accept the offer.
4. Preparing, Marketing, and Showing Your Home
The fourth stage of this process involves preparing, marketing, and showing your home. Marketing and showing your home is essential if you want to increase the likelihood that multiple offers are made and that your home is sold relatively quickly. Properly preparing your home for sale can also help you obtain the right price. Keep in mind that showings for your home may need to be done with modern technology, which can involve a virtual tour.
Get Your House Ready
The first thing you need to do is get your home ready for sale. For one, it’s highly recommended that you declutter and depersonalize your home to make sure that the buyer can envision themselves living there. If you find that parts of your home are in disrepair, consider making some of the more essential repairs before you list your home. For instance, a malfunctioning HVAC system should be repaired if you want to sell your home at the right price. A few additional preparation techniques to consider include:
- Repaint your home with any combination of neutral colors
- Bolster your home’s curb appeal with flowers and a clean landscape
- Properly clean and stage your home
Ways To Market Your Home in Georgia
When you want to market your Georgia home, there are several techniques you can use. Keep in mind that nearly 95% of all buyers will search for homes online, which means that your home must be listed on online websites. If you’re working with an agent, you can list your home on the MLS, which ensures that your home benefits from high amounts of exposure.
If you’re using the FSBO approach, make sure that you obtain a high-quality yard sign that anyone who drives by will find appealing. Consider listing your home on social media websites. If your listing is shared with sites like Redfin and Zillow, it’s likely that you will receive offers from multiple potential buyers. Keep in mind that listing photos are also necessary and should be done by a professional photographer.
5. Manage Showings and Negotiations
The next step involves showing your home to prospective buyers. Once you’ve prepared your home for sale, it should be ready for showings, which can occur by appointment or via an open house. You can use various online showing tools to help you manage different showings. Make sure that your home is clean before any showing occurs.
Once an offer is made, there are many factors that should be taken into account, which include the closing time frame, sale price, and type of funding. If you’ve received multiple offers, you’ll have more negotiating power.
6. Documents Needed to Sell a House in Georgia
There are many documents that must be gathered when you decide to sell your home. If you have a realtor, he or she should take care of all paperwork for you.
Disclosures for Selling Your Home in Georgia
Georgia is considered to be a “No Disclosure” state, which means that you only need to provide information that the buyer asks for. If you want to be certain that you have all of the necessary documents in hand upon request, the primary disclosure documents needed to sell a Georgia home include:
- Seller’s disclosure notice, which is a lengthy history of the property
- Lead paint disclosure for homes that were constructed before 1978
- Defects and damage documents that identify all issues with your home
- Flood zone statement
Mandatory Documents for Georgia Real Estate Transactions
There are some mandatory documents that must be provided when selling a Georgia home, the primary of which include:
- Statement of all closing costs
- Real estate purchase agreement
- The deed
- Certificate of title
- Bill of sale
Possible Additional Documents
Some of the additional documents you might require when selling your home include:
- Previous loan payoff forms
- HOA forms
- Survey papers
- Home inspection report
- Repairing proof
- Closing disclosure
- Home warranty
- Power of attorney
- Affidavits
- Correction agreement
7. Closing on Your Georgia Home
Now that all of the previous steps have been completed, it’s time to close on the sale of your Georgia home. The closing process is typically taken care of by an attorney with your settlement agent or realtor handling the legalities. You may need to sign some documents during the closing.
Title, Appraisal, and Inspection
The title of a home in Georgia involves the owner’s title insurance policy and the lender’s title insurance policy, the former of which protects the buyer against any liens and claims. In many cases, the seller is tasked with paying for the buyer’s title insurance policy.
As for the appraisal, this process is usually required by the lender to determine what the true value of the home is. The lender bases the amount of their loan on what the home is worth. When taking the inspection into account, this process will search for any defects or issues in your home. If the defects are substantial, the buyer may renegotiate terms with you, which could involve lowering the price or paying for closing costs.
Overall Cost of Selling a House in Georgia
There are many expenses that come with selling a Georgia home. You should expect to pay most of these costs during closing:
- Transfer tax
- Capital gains tax
- Title insurance
- Home warranty fee
- Appraisal fees
- Inspection fees
- Survey fees
- Attorney fees
- Title fees
- Other potential fees, which can include recording fees and stamp taxes
Selling Your Georgia Home is Easy with CC Capital
Your best option is to sell your Georgia home with CC Capital. When we make an offer, you can be confident that you’re getting the most for your home. Because of how simple and straightforward the home-selling process is with CC Capital, you’ll be able to sell your home at a highest possible price with the least amount of work. Call us today to get started!
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