(Photos courtesy of @drunkrealestate, @salernorealestate, @nicolebowdle via TikTok)
We recently touted TikTok as a great platform to learn valuable tips on buying a home. But don’t worry, sellers—we haven’t forgotten about you.
In today’s market, it might seem like you don’t need any other tip for selling your home than to put the “For Sale” sign in the yard and watch the buyers come knocking. But the truth is, most sellers are willing to do anything to maximize their profits and gladly welcome expert advice.
So we turned our attention back to TikTok and scrolled through the multitude of videos posted by real estate professionals to find the best tips for sellers.
As anyone who’s opened the app knows, TikTok can be a black hole and you can hear a lot of repetitive advice. So we weeded out the extras to reveal the most useful real estate agent–approved suggestions for selling your home quickly and—most importantly—for top dollar.
Price based off of market trends & wait for the appraisal #realestate #sellersagent #buyersagent #firsttimehomebuyer #homebuyingtips #realestatetiktok #learnrealestate #realestatevideo #realestatevideos #realestateagent #oregonrealtor #newbergrealtor #homeownertips #homeowners #sellyourhouse
♬ Call It Like I See It – Big Time Rush
Toree McQueen (@toreemcqueen), a real estate agent with Brokered by eXp Realty in Lake Oswego, OR, says contrary to popular advice, sellers can forget about getting an appraisal on their home because someone else is going to do the legwork for you.
“You’re going to have to pay for it, and that’s just dumb when you have a buyer lined up to pay for it for you,” McQueen says. “If a lender is involved, they are going to need to order one for themselves anyway. So whether you’re refinancing or selling your home, the lender is going to have to send the appraiser a contract, and when they have a contract they have a number to go off of.”
It is not a favorite among lenders… I’m so sorry… But I’ve got to sell homes and get buyers into homes. #FHA #VA #USDA #ConventionalLoans #AssumableLoans #BuyersTips #MarylandRealestate #MDRealestate #MarylandRealtor #MDRealestate #RealtorsOnTiktok #Realestate #Realtor #firstTimeHomebuyer #firstTimeHomebuyers #Maryland #mcne #SellerTips #HomesSellingTips #Sellers
♬ original sound – Dawn Riley, Maryland Realtor
Don’t mention anything about a market shift around Dawn Riley (@drunkrealestate) because she’s tired of hearing it. Instead, focus on what she’s saying about assumable loans in this TikTok video. Assumable loans, or mortgage assumption, is when a buyer purchases a home by taking over the seller’s mortgage.
So if you’re a seller worried that rising interest rates will discourage homebuyers from making an offer, consider this: Offering buyers the opportunity to buy via mortgage assumption could be a very attractive tactic.
“My buyer has a mortgage with a 2 percentage interest rate because he’s assuming the seller’s mortgage,” says Riley, who is an associate broker with Re/Max One in Dunkirk, MD. “Did you know that all government loans are assumable? That goes for VA, FHA, and USDA.”
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Watch: Meet the Realtor Who’s Dropping Housing Knowledge on TikTok
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https://www.tiktok.com/@salernorealestate/video/6992208607160896773?_t=8T7En8GuNQ6&_r=1
Before even listing a home, sellers should paint, declutter, and upgrade the property’s curb appeal in order to add value, says Mark Salerno (@salernorealestate) of Mark Salerno Real Estate.
“The best part about decluttering is it doesn’t cost you anything,” says Salerno. “I always tell my clients less is more.”
It’s like CARFAX but better! #clue #realestate #dallastx #moving #relocating #latina #workingmom #community #buyersagent #sellersagent #experience #listings #homeownership #tips #daca #buyingahome #sellmyhome #realestatejunkie
♬ original sound – Laura Suarez
If you’re buying a car, it’s easy to get a report about the automobile’s history, including its accidents and claims. Did you know you can also obtain a similar report for the home you want to buy? Just ask your property insurance agent to pull a CLUE report.
“It stands for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, and it shows you if there has been any insurance claims filed on the property, what the claim was, and how much was paid,” says Laura Suarez (@laura_the_lister) a Realtor® in Dallas.
This is beneficial because you can see not just the current owner’s claims, but any previous claims, too.
It’s important to be upfront about the home when selling it, and having this information for a buyer could lead to a quicker sale.
https://www.tiktok.com/@nicolebowdle/video/7055060377192828206?_t=8T1ZIOxN9fa&_r=1
Sellers often wonder what stays with the new owner when you sell your home. Nicole Bowdle (@NicoleBowdle) provides some great imagery to help you figure it out.
“Everything that is attached to the walls must stay with the property unless it is in writing with the real estate contract,” says Bowdle, with Berkshire Hathaway in Park City, UT. “Think of it this way: If you were to turn your house upside down and shake it, everything that falls out you get to keep. Everything that doesn’t fall out needs to stay with the property.”
Bowdle says the most common things she sees buyers and sellers dispute include Ring doorbell systems, Tesla chargers, TV mounting brackets, water softeners, and security cameras.
Lisa Iannucci has been writing about real estate and property management for more than 20 years. She is also the author/co-author of "Making Money with Rental Properties," "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Success as a Property Manager," and "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Building and Remodeling."