Next to buying a home, selling a home is the largest financial transaction most people will ever make in their lives. While the process can seem intimidating, with the right preparation and a few simple steps you can sell your home for what it is really worth, or as close as possible to that amount.
Orly Chen, with her years of experience and personal knowledge of Bergen County, can help you avoid the common pitfalls of selling a home. With her savvy professional advice, you will save time, money and frustration.
Check out the following tips and contact Orly when you are ready to sell your home for the best possible price.
Hire a Real Estate Agent
Homesellers who use a real estate agent generally receive a better price for their home than sellers who try to represent themselves. An award-winning real estate agent like Orly Chen can alert you to fast-changing conditions, and get your home sold in a timeframe that works for you.
A real estate agent removes the emotion from a home sale, a highly sensitive topic for most clients. With the guidance of a professional like Orly, homesellers can steer clear of personal feelings, which while meaningful, might cloud their better financial judgment.
When you hire a real estate agent, you remove yourself from the day-to-day burdens of interacting with sellers. Matters like marketing, including open houses, and price negotiations fall on the real estate agent, who is your expert and representative.
Get Your Home in Shape
There is no doubt about it. A well kept home attracts more buyers in a shorter timeframe than a home that looks run down. Slight aesthetic changes also can increase the price a buyer is willing to pay. Here are some simple and inexpensive steps that should be completed before you begin to show your home:
– Touch up interior and exterior paint where needed.
– Install new carpeting and flooring if yours appears worn or outdated.
– Clean up the front of your home for “curb appeal”: a positive first impression.
– Keep bushes and plants trimmed, and make sure the lawn is mowed. Rake leaves and shovel snow according to the seasons.
– Maintain a clean, uncluttered interior without odors. Be careful about evidence of pets.
– Create a space free for the buyer by minimizing family photos and personal objects.
– Clean out the garage and basement to eliminate the appearance of excess items.
– Address lurking problems ahead of time by considering a pre-listing inspection.
– Consider contacting a professional stager to give your home the right feeling.
Listing Your Home
– Give space to potential buyers by going elsewhere when they come to visit your home.
– Welcome buyers with the friendly gesture of fresh flowers in the entry area.
– Be flexible if buyers do not match your listed price. Listen to your real estate agent’s advice.
– If several months pass with few or no offers, consider lowering your price.
– Be patient if it takes longer than you hoped to sell your home. You will find a buyer.
New Jersey Realty Transfer Fees
As part of closing costs in New Jersey, home sales are subject to the Realty Transfer Fees. Sellers pay the fee, which increased in 2004 for higher-priced transactions.
Realty Transfer Fees are calculated on a sliding scale. The rate per $500.00 of sales price increases as the price climbs. Here is a table of standard rates:
| Sales Price | Realty Transfer Fee |
| $500.00 to $350,000.00 | $2.00 to $2,105.00 |
| $350,000.00 to $1.0 million | $2,105.00 to $9,575.00 |
| $1.0 million to $2.0 million | $9,575.00 to $21,675.00 |
$6.05 per $500.00 in excess of $2.0 million.
Reduced Realty Transfer Fee are available for senior citizens, blind persons, and disabled persons depending on the type of residence they sell, and on sales of low and moderate income housing.