Sellers

What is my house worth?  This commonly asked question cannot be answered by HCAD or really any of the other major online resources that are available to you.  The market value of your home is determined by just that, the market.  So your house is worth what a willing and able buyer is going to pay for it.  The best way to figure this “value” out is to contact a Realtor who can run comps on the area, look at your home and make an educated decision, based on their experience, what your house would be worth in today’s market.  Please don’t hesitate to contact me today.  I’m happy to help! (713) 277-4773

Should I have my home inspected before I put it on the market?  This is completely up to you.  By law, you are required to disclose any known defects in the home.  So, if you know of defects and want to know what the extent of the damage may or may not be, then it might be beneficial for you to do so.  Keep in mind, a buyer is always allowed to get their own inspection, regardless of whether or not you just payed for one and did repairs to the house based on said report.  In addition, each inspector is different and each inspector will view each house differently.  So, you could end up fixing everything on the inspection report that you paid for and yet still be surprised when the buyer’s inspector finds more deficiencies in the home.  Do I normally recommend this scenario?  Not really.  I don’t not recommend it, either.  It is completely up to you, the seller.

Should I have my home appraised before I sell it?  This can be a good idea for a variety of reasons.  However, keep in mind that the only appraisal that matters is what the lender’s appraiser comes back with during the loan process.  So, you could have an appraiser come out and appraise your home for $50K more than what the buyer’s lender appraises it at.  It would be useful to have the original appraisal should you need to dispute or appeal the lender’s appraisal, but it still comes down to what the lender’s appraiser values the home for.  If you want to have it appraised for your personal purposes to use as a guideline for pricing your home, please keep in mind that the Realtor is usually on par with appraisals and will likely know a bit more about that particular market area.  Using your Realtor to determine the “value” of your home could save you upwards of $500 in appraisal fees.