Selling a Home in Miramar Beach, FL

Miramar Beach is a quaint beachside oasis defined by natural beauty and downtown vibrance. Located along a gorgeous stretch of the Gulf of Mexico, Miramar Beach is known for its one-of-a-kind beach homes. Numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation, local entertainment venues, and resort-style amenities have transformed this once-remote community into a luxury paradise. Upscale shops, fine dining restaurants, and proximity to Destin have turned Miramar Beach into one of Walton County’s most desirable neighborhoods.

This highly sought-after upscale community has been attracting more buyers in recent years, allowing current Miramar Beach residents to cash in big when looking to sell their homes. If you are selling a home in Miramar Beach, Florida, keep reading to learn how to make your sale successful from one of Miramar Beach’s top real estate agents.

A lot goes into selling a home, especially if you want to sell quickly and for top dollar. Before listing your property, it is important to assemble your team of real estate experts and prepare the home for buyers to see.

The first step to selling your home is finding the right realtor to put behind your listing. The real estate agent you choose will be the driving force behind the success of your sale and will help ensure everything from start to finish goes smoothly. Your realtor will do everything from listing your home, preparing marketing material, showing it to potential buyers, and working through the closing process.

Start by contacting realtors in your area and set up a time to talk. During this initial meeting, evaluate their communication skills, ask about past transactions, and make sure you can share a vision for the sale. It is essential to find a realtor who is experienced in the Miramar Beach area, as they can help you navigate the current local market.

Most buyers are looking for a home that is up-to-date and move-in ready. The less they have to do to make the property perfect, the more they will pay. The best time to make a few high-ROI home improvements to boost your house’s value is before you list the home. The best place to start is by refreshing any old or worn-out parts of your home. Adding a fresh coat of paint, replacing hardware, and installing new flooring can revitalize your home without breaking the bank. Updating kitchen appliances can help attract buyers. Even sprucing up your landscaping can bring a high return on investment and attract buyers.

Even if you think your home looks good the way it is, staging it will ensure that buyers see all of the home’s best features. A professional stager will depersonalize your decor and set up the home to minimize any not-so-great features. Proper staging can make a home look brighter, bigger, and more inviting to buyers touring the property.

While it may feel like an unnecessary expense, staged homes tend to sell 30 times faster and for 20% more than their unstaged counterparts. Afterward, you can have a professional real estate photographer come in and take stunning images of your home for its internet listing. With 97% of homebuyers searching the internet, you need eye-catching photos to set your listing apart.

Once your home is staged and listed, the real home selling process begins. Depending on the local real estate market, this time can be a waiting game or a whirlwind. Understanding what comes next can help you be ready for whatever your home’s sale throws at you.

When selling a home in the digital age, listing on a Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is more important than ever. The MLS is a database of homes for sale used by cooperating brokers. This allows local buyers’ and sellers’ agents to share properties among themselves for the mutual benefit of their clients. When your property is listed on the MLS, it will be shared across the Miramar Beach area so more local agents can see and share it with their clients. This will give you a bigger pool of potential buyers, drumming up interest in your listing and leading to a successful sale.

The more potential buyers you can have looking at your home, the better. While sellers had to rely on traditional open houses in the past, today’s technology has allowed the advent of virtual tours. A virtual tour is comprised of either video or images that allow buyers to see the home as if they were in it. This is a great tool that modern home sellers can use to increase interest in their listings. Your realtor will be able to facilitate creating a virtual tour of your home.

Even today, traditional open houses are not without merit. Buying a home is a substantial investment, so homebuyers want to be sure the property is right for them before committing. Seeing the home in person and getting a sense of the space is essential for most buyers before putting in an offer. Open houses are a great way to get your listing more exposure and can encourage interested parties to act faster. Work with your realtor to set aside a few days so they can host an open house.

When fielding property offers, you will likely come across both cash and traditional offers. When given a cash offer, the buyer is looking to pay for the property in cash and will not take out a loan. For many sellers, this is a more attractive offer because it often leads to a quicker and easier closing. However, when paying in cash, some buyers will try to get the seller to lower the price. Therefore, accepting a traditional offer may get you more money. Always be ready to negotiate offers and consult with your realtor for guidance.

Even though you are selling your home, you will still be responsible for some of the closing costs. For most homeowners, these expenses will come out of the proceeds of the home’s sale, so be sure to deduct them when calculating your profits. In Florida, sellers can expect to pay between 6% to 9% of the home’s final selling price. These costs will cover title insurance, taxes, and the realtor’s commission.

When selling your home in Miramar Beach, be sure to have a top real estate agent on your side. Kendall Hood has been buying and selling Miramar Beach real estate for 16 years, giving her the knowledge and experience to make your sale successful. Contact her today and get started selling your home.