Don’t wait for spring

Every September, Northeast Ohio homeowners ask the same thing. Is it too late to sell this year?

The worry never changes. Nobody wants a sign in the yard in December. Nobody wants to cut the price in January. And nobody wants a house that looks stale by the time spring buyers show up.

“That worry makes sense. But people blame the calendar,” says Kevin Wasie, founder of Exactly Real Estate in Fairlawn. “What they are really afraid of is a house that sits. The season does not make a house sit. The plan does.”

Fall Buyers Mean Business

Fewer people tour homes in October than in May. But the ones who do are usually serious. They took a new job. Their kids already started school. They have a closing date to meet.

“In the spring you get crowds,” Kevin says. “In the fall you get buyers. Those are not the same thing.”

A Short, Clear Plan

Exactly calls its approach the Market Maker plan. Before the house goes on the market, the company pays for an appraisal, a home inspection and a radon test. Buyers see all of it before they make an offer.

Showings happen in a few set time blocks, and the seller helps pick them. Then buyers turn in their best offer by a set day. That day is usually 7-10 days after the home goes live.

Sellers sign a 30-day commitment. Most agents ask for six months.

“Our plan works in 10-14 days,” Kevin says. “A homeowner who calls in September is not making a choice about the holidays. They are making a choice about October.”

What Waiting Costs

Waiting until March means six more months of house payments, taxes, insurance and upkeep. It is a house you already decided to leave. You will also be selling at the same time as everyone else who waited.

“Spring brings more buyers. It also brings more houses,” Kevin says.

For more information, please call Exactly Real Estate at 330-615-1414, visit ExactlyUSA.com or stop in at 2998 West Market Street in Fairlawn.