Issue link: https://www.cominghomemag.com/i/1427282
I'm looking to buy or sell a home. What should I do first? The first thing you should do is answer some basic questions: what do you want? How much money do you have? What's your timeline? How many people will be involved? What are the steps you need to take? The order of the steps will vary, but the necessary questions will always be the same: who, what, where, and when—all based on the WHY that sets the action in motion. Do I need a real estate agent? If so, what should I look for in one? I believe that everyone needs a real estate agent when buying or selling a home—no matter the situation or experience level. Every first-time buyer needs an agent, specifically one that comes highly recommended by a family member or friend. For a first-time seller, the same is true. People relocating also need an agent because it's impossible to know the eccentricities of a market. While experience plays a very important role, quality communication (both speaking and listening) and trust are vital to a successful agent-client relationship. Having chemistry with your agent is key, and quite honestly, the search is a little like dating or finding a new friend. You should look for someone relatable and passionate, with similar beliefs and core values. Your agent needs to "get" you, and you should feel comfortable trusting them with your desires and fears, as they put their entire heart into achieving your goals. What can I expect from my real estate agent? You get what you give, and then some. The more information you share, the more you'll receive—and the less time you'll waste. Your agent will understand your needs and steer you away from that property with only one of the ten items you require in a home and towards the one that has nine. Transparency is everything. Are you grumpy in the morning? Say so, and schedule showings for afternoons. Do you hate talking about money? Then write about it in emails. A great agent will work with you and acclimate to the way you communicate. They have a fiduciary duty to take care of their clients. When is the best time to buy or sell a home? The best time to buy or sell is whenever you want to buy or sell. Right now, no one really knows. It's day-to-day and moment-to-moment. Keep what you want in mind and follow what drives your decision to make a move. What's the biggest mistake you see homebuyers make? For homebuyers, the biggest mistake is waiting. Waiting to shop. Waiting to get pre-verified for a loan. Waiting to submit paperwork. Waiting to pack. Waiting to tell people they want to move. Waiting for the market to slow down. Waiting for more homes to come on the market. Waiting for more homes to be built. Waiting for the right time. What's the biggest mistake you see home sellers make? For home sellers, it's not taking care of their current home. Maintaining a home while living in it is the greatest payoff. The costs are lower and have the least impact. If you wait to fix things until it's time to sell, then moving costs are exponentially higher. Don't put off your to-do list—touch up paint, clean baseboards, caulk windows, trim trees, service HVAC units twice a year, and so on. Maintenance pays off at the closing table with a tidy inspection. The past year and a half has been a seller's market. When do you project the market to even out for buyers? Oh, to be able to answer this question! In the Dallas-Fort Worth market, we're still in the thick of multiple offers and over-asking prices. I'd forecast that the market MIGHT even out by next April and stay that way through the summer—if we're fortunate. I don't foresee a buyers' market in 2022; I'd love to see an even market sometime in 2022. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ABOUT NINA HENDERSON Nina Henderson is a tenacious real estate professional with 30+ years of experience in event management, sponsorship sales and management, marketing, communications, and public relations, with notable successes in for-profit and non-profit settings. She has experience building and leading high-performance teams, and draws on business instinct and timing to visualize and implement strategic initiatives that revitalize marketing efforts and improve brand awareness. N O T LO N G AG O, home and organizing shows catapulted worldwide interest in everything house-related: decorating, building, renovating, and buying and selling. So, it's no surprise that everyone's keeping a pulse on the current housing market—it's red hot. Mortgage rates and inventory are at record lows, and prices and demand are at record highs. To get the dirt on this market fluctuation and find some guidance for buying and selling, we interviewed real estate agent Nina Henderson. We offered questions—she closed the deal.