Tips to Sell Your Home in Atlanta
Lucas Grohn
Senior Manager of Sales at Truehold - A Thought-Leader in Real Estate
If you’ve searched “sell home Atlanta” or “sell house Atlanta” recently, we’ve got some good news for you! Although current inflation and interest rates affect the national buyer pool, demand is still high—and still growing—in the Big Peach.
Atlanta is now the sixth-largest metropolitan region in the country—after 1% growth in 2023, its population of 6.3 million residents pushed it ahead of D.C., Philadelphia, and Miami. So, if you’re an Atlanta homeowner looking to sell, that means you’ll find plenty of motivated buyers willing to make an offer if you follow these tips.
Understand Atlanta Real Estate Market Trends
Atlanta is one of Zillow’s top 10 hottest markets for 2024, based on home value appreciation, the job market, homeownership levels, and the speed of residential real estate sales. As of May 2024, homes are selling in about 34 days at a median price of $430,000 ($294 per square foot) after receiving an average of two offers.
However, understanding the market for Atlanta home sales means drilling down to the neighborhood level, not just considering national, state, and city trends and cycles. And Atlanta residential properties run the gamut from low-cost to high-luxury neighborhoods.
Seek out a licensed real estate agent, interview multiple professionals, find out how many sales they’ve closed in your neighborhood, and request their take on this hyper-local level of real estate trends.
Get Your Home Ready for Sale
The preparation stage of selling a home in Atlanta begins well before the property is listed—on average, homeowners spend six months and about $5,400 on costly repairs and remodeling.,
To appeal to prospective buyers, you’ll want to:
- Address all repair and maintenance needs, from roof repairs to dripping faucets
- Consider whether to invest in any upgrades that will truly pay off at the time of sale
- Organize, deep clean, and put extra belongings and decor in storage
- Boost your curb appeal with plantings that take advantage of Atlanta’s sunny weather
- Stage your home to maximize light, modern fixtures, and appealing features
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Make Sure Your Price Is Right
The most effective approach to home pricing involves a little more effort than you may have anticipated, but it pays off. Finding the right price tag for your home is key to maximizing profit and reducing the risk of a home sitting too long on the market, losing appeal, and displaying a price drop.
You can typically receive a comparative market analysis (CMA) at no cost from prospective listing agents. They analyze homes that have recently sold plus listings that are similar to the location, size, features, and age of your home.
The best approach to pricing your Atlanta home is to:
- Interview three to five real estate professionals and receive CMAs from each
- Ask about list-to-sale price trends in your Atlanta neighborhood
- Request a multi-tier pricing proposal covering as-is vs. various home improvements
- Seek offers from a variety of cash buyers
- Compare your options and take into account your budget and timing needs
How to Market Your Home Effectively
Before you land a fair offer, you need to capture potential buyers’ attention. Marketing is where real estate professionals provide you with some of their biggest value—so if your listing agent’s idea of marketing ends with a yard sign and a multiple listing service (MLS), keep looking. Ask potential agents to provide a marketing plan and samples. They will likely also conduct an open house so be sure that the property is properly maintained for a potential buyer to see.
In addition to signage, open houses, and MLS listings, their plan should include:
- Web listings across multiple sites and platforms
- Social media promotion
- Digital advertising
- Professional photography
Additionally, ask potential agents about:
- Bilingual marketing—there are more than a half million Spanish speakers in Atlanta
- Virtual lookbook with ability to digitally decorate key rooms in your house
- Videos and 3D tours
Know Your Options: Consider a Sell and Stay Transaction
The traditional home selling process in Atlanta takes preparation, effort, and cost. You can up your chances of selling at your list price quickly by understanding your area real estate market trends, pricing your property effectively, and working with a skillful real estate agent who can deliver results.
But before you sign with a listing agent, have you considered all of your options? Truehold's sell and stay transaction can help you cut through the time, stress, and work of a traditional sale.
The sale is accompanied by a lease agreement that allows you to seamlessly transition to renter status. Benefits of a sell and stay transaction include:
- Cashing out your home equity, debt-free
- Flexibility to pursue your next home or move on your own time
- Negotiating power as a buyer without the need for a sale contingency
- No more property tax or property insurance payments
- Freedom from essential repairs
- No cost and time sunk into home renovation, organization, and staging for a listing sale
Ready to learn more about an Atlanta sell and stay transaction? Call (314) 353-9757, and one of our representatives will reach out to review the process and answer all your questions.
Sources:
- Bankrate. Atlanta housing market: Everything you need to know. https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/housing-market/atlanta-ga/
- Metro Atlanta Chamber. Atlanta metro area now 6th largest in the U.S. https://www.metroatlantachamber.com/atlanta-metro-area-now-6th-largest-in-the-u-s/
- Zillow. Waterfront Cities Dominate Zillow’s Hottest Markets for 2024. https://www.zillow.com/learn/hottest-housing-markets-2024/
- Redfin. Atlanta, GA Housing Market. https://www.redfin.com/city/30756/GA/Atlanta/housing-market
- Zillow. What Is the Average Time to Sell a House? https://www.zillow.com/learn/average-time-to-sell-a-house/
- CBS News. Here's how much home sellers spend to spruce up their property before listing them. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/home-improvement-steps-before-selling-house/
- Stacker. Most common languages spoken at home in Greater Atlanta and surrounding regions. https://stacker.com/georgia/atlanta/most-common-languages-spoken-home-greater-atlanta-and-surrounding-regions
Lucas Grohn
Senior Manager of Sales at Truehold - A Thought-Leader in Real Estate
Lucas Grohn is a Senior Manager of Sales at Truehold, leading a team of local market experts and overseeing the brand’s sales outreach strategy. Lucas has been a thought-leader in the real estate industry for more than a decade. He got his start working alongside institutional investors and has since found himself in a myriad of different roles.From being a Managing Broker, to training new agents at some of the country's most well known real estate brands (Redfin, Zillow, RE/MAX). He spends his free time hanging with his family on the beach in Georgia and taking pictures of two daughters (1&4).
