My husband and I have been thinking about moving. It’s been a really hard decision. We love our house, our yard, our neighborhood, and especially our neighbors. We built our house to meet our needs, and it still meets our needs ten years later.

So why move? Well, basically, I’m sick of driving. We live outside my kids’ school district, so between school, practice, piano lessons, work, and everything else, all I do is drive. And it’s only going to get worse over the next seven years.

The whole thought of moving makes me nauseous. I’m a Realtor so I know the journey I’m thinking about embarking on; the showings, the packing, the moving, the financing process. Ugh.

Why even bother? I’m fine where I live. But… then again, once I get through the whole process and am in a new home, won’t I be glad I did it? Won’t I wish I had done it sooner?

Here are a few things making me lean towards moving:

It’s a seller’s market right now. What does that mean exactly? Well, it means that if you list your house at market value, it will probably sell right away. There are way more buyers looking for a house right now than there are sellers. Inventory is incredibly low, so when a new house hits the market, it’s like ants on honey. If you want the perfect time to sell, now is it. Not summer, now.

Interest rates are low. You will get more home for your money when you purchase right now. Rates are expected to stay low for a little while longer, but eventually they will start to creep up. Don’t wait to take advantage of the low rates!

If you are considering selling, there are a few things that you can do to feel more confident with your decision.

Home Value. Your first step should be finding out what your house is worth. This is best determined by meeting with a Realtor. I know, I know. You don’t want to waste our time. We appreciate that! But honestly? That’s our job. We want to meet with you about what your house is worth. It isn’t wasting our time. In fact, we would much rather be your first call over you getting your “Zestimate” (which is almost always wrong), or looking at your SEV (which is two years behind), or even from talking with an appraiser. Realtors have a pulse on the market better than anyone else. We’ll be happy to help you determine the value- free of charge.

Preparing the Property. Realtors are also great at suggesting things to be done to increase the value or cut down your days on market. Whether it be removing some wallpaper or painting the front door to add buyer appeal, or adding GFI’s in the kitchen or fixing a broken window to prevent bumps in the financing process, we can help you pinpoint a few items that could save you time and money later on.

Financing. Once you know what your home is worth, you are in a good position to meet with a lender about financing a new home. Meeting with a local lender will help you determine the type of loan you qualify for, if you need to sell your current home before buying your next, and how much money is needed for a down payment. This is an important piece to making an informed decision about listing your home.

Usually the decision making process is made easier when all the information needed to make that decision is gathered. Right now, you might be feeling a lot of “what-if’s”. If you do two simple things- call a Realtor and call a lender, all your questions will be answered and you can decide to move forward… or stay put. The Production Realty team would like to help be a part of that decision making process.

Thinking about moving? We Can Help!

You can start with our FREE Home Evaluation Tool.