Whether you’re a first-time seller or experienced in the mechanics of moving, if you’re looking to sell your home in Boulder, you shouldn’t do it alone.
While it may seem easy to list homes for sale in Boulder and take advantage of the area’s tremendous popularity, the process can be long, sometimes complex, and best navigated with a professional Boulder realtor by your side. Michelle Trudgeon — a Boulder resident of over 20 years and real estate professional for more than a decade — has helped countless sellers go through the process and has some tips for your next Boulder home sale.
Jump to:
- Before You Start
- Hiring a Realtor
- The Best Time to Sell
- Staging and Showing
- Evaluating Offers
- Closing the Sale
Where Should Owners Start When Selling Homes in Boulder?
There’s a single step that local sellers can take to start the process on the right foot: picking a reliable and trustworthy local realtor. As much research as you may have done on selling your home, you won’t have the experience, resources, and in-depth knowledge that a realtor brings to the process of prepping and selling your home.
“I cannot emphasize this enough: As soon as you’re thinking of selling, I’d partner up with someone who does this every day,” Trudgeon said. “Whether it be understanding your tax liability from possible capital gains or figuring out the timing of a replacement home, a professional realtor will have the resources to help guide you through the entire process.”
What Should Sellers Look for in Boulder County Realtors?
The right realtors don’t just pull up local comps and show you data about nearby Boulder County, Colorado homes for sale — they know what’s unique about your house and how it will compare in the larger picture of the current market.
“Are homes sitting for 30 days, 60 days, or 90 days? Why are some going under contract more quickly? How many price reductions happened before a home finally went under contract? What did a home sell for versus what it was listed for? These are all factors that a knowledgeable realtor can work through in coming up with a proposed list price,” Trudgeon said.
Before you hire a realtor, Trudgeon recommends that you ask your candidates not only what they know about the local market, but how they’ll handle marketing your home, which tools they use beyond the MLS, whether they follow up with showing agents to get feedback on your home, and what their involvement with your home sale looks like after you’re under contract.
When’s the Best Time to List Homes for Sale in Boulder?
There’s no right time to list your home, especially if the right buyer happens to be waiting. Still, there’s a season typically associated with a higher volume of listings.
Home inventory usually starts growing around early February, eventually peaking in June before beginning to fall off.
“The summer months tend to be a little quieter — buyers are busy traveling and enjoying summer,” Trudgeon said. “So, ideal timing tends to be February through May and then again in September/October before the holiday season.”
Houses listed in early spring can sometimes take advantage of peak pricing because they’re hitting the market after a winter housing inventory drought.
While this timeline usually holds true, the housing market can always change. The economy, interest rates, and even unexpected factors like the 2020 pandemic can affect the way houses sell at a certain time of year.
What Should Boulder County Homeowners Do to Prepare Their Homes for Sale?
Trudgeon and other realtors recommend a specific strategy when approaching pre-sale upgrades. Big-ticket items, such as replacing an old furnace, roof, or HVAC system, or small cosmetic upgrades in kitchens and bathrooms, are often valuable to buyers.
“If it’s not in the budget to make updates to kitchens and bathrooms, I’d consider taking care of the easy, less expensive updates that can make a big impact — lighting fixtures, ceiling fans, paint, and carpet,” Trudgeon said.
Your approach to staging your home for sale will depend entirely on your financial capacity and schedule. If you don’t have a large budget or timeline to work with, you can declutter your belongings and furniture to make your space look larger and more inviting; if you have the time and money, you could hire a professional stager to decorate your home for showing.
How Should Boulder County Sellers Evaluate Multiple Offers?
If your home does receive significant interest and offers, you may feel overwhelmed, but remember: There’s no single way to handle the situation. Your reaction should depend on what’s important to you and your family.
Maybe you need to stay in your house for several weeks after closing waiting to move into your replacement home and there’s one prospective buyer with a flexible timeline. Perhaps you don’t want to deal with an inspection and possible pre-sale fixes, and a buyer is ready to waive the inspection. Maybe you want to sell quickly and receive an all-cash offer. Whatever your priorities, your realtor will be an invaluable guide in the process.
“Lots of variables come into play with each offer and each situation, and it’s important that your realtor understands all of the different terms and can help a seller discuss and decide what’s most important for them,” Trudgeon said.
What Does Closing Look Like for Homes for Sale in Boulder County, Colorado?
Closings can be a long, paperwork-filled process best navigated with a trusted realtor by your side. In Colorado, title companies typically handle closings, meaning the process involves the title company, the buyer, the seller, and each of their respective agents.
After a Boulder home goes under contract, the buyer will put down an earnest money deposit and schedule their inspection, the seller will work to collect due diligence documents, and the title company will complete the title commitment. The lender will also be working on the buyer’s loan, if applicable, during this same time.
Once the inspection process/negotiation is complete, the buyer will secure homeowners insurance and hopefully receive loan approval. Then, all parties will sign closing documents with the title company, and the home possession will be transferred. If it sounds like a lot is going on at once, it’s because there is — and all of it involves lots of legalese.
“There is a lot to understand and manage, and it’s important to stay contractually compliant, which is why a realtor on your side is important to make sure you’re not at risk of losing any possible earnest money deposit,” Trudgeon said.
If you’re ready to embark on your next home sale in Boulder or Boulder County, reach out to Michelle Trudgeon today.