"The Park City market is HOT! I can do this myself. All I need to do is pop a sign in my yard and list my home on some web sites and I’m good to go, right?" Well, that all depends.

Pricing is critical in our competitive market and this is your first step to a successful sale. Where will you get your data for making an informed decision? The internet? Think again. Utah is a non-disclosure state. That means that sold price data is not available to the public. A true professional Realtor® spends quite a bit of time analyzing the market for the proper price. And spends time attending broker open house tours in order to understand what is currently on the market, which is your current competition. We get a feel for a property, specifics about a location, condition of the home, views, etc.. So when we compare our listing to the competition, we have several variables, not just price per square foot.

In preparing to place your home on the FSBO (“for sale by owner”) market, where should you spend your time and money? Where do you get the most bang for your buck? Realtors® work with countless Buyers, know what they are looking for and what makes them write an offer. Is it curb appeal? The master bedroom? Paint color? All of the above and more?

Next step is staging. I’ve written about staging over and over again. Multi million dollar homes need staging. $200,000 condominiums need staging...OK, vacant land does not need staging, but when staging is needed, who will you hire? What are the best stagers for the money? When will you know when enough is enough when it comes to staging?

After your home is staged you are then ready for photography. Only professional photography will do. Your first showing is on the internet, competing against possibly 15 other listings in your price range, in your neighborhood, with the same number of beds and baths. Smart phone photos will not work. And not all professional photographers know how to shoot real estate. It’s an art all its own.

So now you get an offer. Excellent. The negotiations begin. Get ready. Are you negotiating with a Realtor® representing the Buyer? Do you have all of your disclosures ready to send to the Buyer’s agent or an un-represented Buyer? If you have to ask yourself what the disclosures are or what they consist of, then you really need representation. Negotiating the price is only the first part. After you have your home inspected, there’s that super fun time when you now have to negotiate repairs, credit at closing, or not budging at all. What do you do?

I’m not going to say that selling a home on your own is impossible. Before I ever got my real estate license I did successfully sell my home once. The next time I flopped and had to hire a Realtor®. Life was so much easier with a professional Realtor® by my side. Need one by your side to make this process more seamless? Call me at 801-550-7563 for representation with buying or selling a Park City home.