Selling a house is definitely a difficult and, at times, an emotional process. There’s a lot of pressure to make the most of your largest financial investment. However, if you make sure you’re well-informed, prepared, and realistic about your sale, you can eliminate a lot of the uncertainty and stress.
Knowing what to do when selling a house to prepare your home and your family will help you sell your house faster and increase its resale value.
Below we detail nine key aspects of selling a home that you should be aware of.
#1 How to Choose a Real Estate Agent
You may be tempted to sell your home without the help of an agent (aka FSBO). Why pay a commission to an agent when you can do it yourself? While for sale by owner may seem to be a wise financial decision, sellers who sell without an agent often lose money.
Not only do you have to spend time and money to prepare, advertise, and sell your home without the assistance of an agent, but the ultimate selling price is often lower than what you might have gotten with the help of an agent.
#2 Have a Pre-Inspection Performed
Before putting your house on the market, you should certainly have it pre-inspected. It will not only provide extra piece of mind to any potential purchasers that your listing is open and honest about any concerns, but it will also alert you to any issues that you can fix before listing.
When you locate a buyer, they will have their own inspection performed, so, inevitably, any concealed problems will surface. As a result, inspecting the property ahead of time and making renovations that may significantly improve the value of your house before listing it is a smart idea. You don’t want to have to deal with any unforeseen issues just before closing.
#3 Renovate if Needed
Things that are simple to repair should be addressed before selling a property, especially considering that they will enhance the overall value. But what about large-scale renovations? What should you keep and what should you sell as is? Buyers desire a house that is move-in ready and up to date in general. When they get the keys, they don’t want to have to deal with any maintenance problems. A few improvements to think about that are typically well worth your time and money include kitchen appliances and fixtures, bathrooms, flooring, ceilings, walls, and the roof.
#4 Clean, Clean, Clean
Before you list your house for sale, it goes without saying that it must be clean. Pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms, as well as the windows, floors, and dusty areas. Also, clean places that are often overlooked, such as baseboards and blinds. Consider hiring a professional cleaning crew as it’ll be well worth the money.
#5 Properly Stage Your Home
Although it may seem that staging a house is an unnecessary expenditure, statistics indicate that staged homes sell quicker and for 10% more than non-staged properties. A well-staged house may make a significant difference in the selling of your property.
#6 Get Your Property Appraised
Your real estate agent will have an idea of how to price your house when you sell it, but they won’t know for sure until you get it appraised. Real estate agents are typically familiar with a number of appraisers with whom they often collaborate.
Have the plot plan or survey of your house, the most current tax bill, your home inspection report, and the title policy available for your home assessment. You should also provide them with a list of the most recent improvements, such as a new roof or a renovated kitchen, which will raise the home’s value.
#7 Make Sure Your House is Marketed Properly
The more people who see your home listing, the more you can potentially sell it for and the quicker you can get it sold. Your agent will enter it into the MLS, the world’s largest computerized database of available real estate. This will make it visible to buyer’s agents and help attract the attention of all major real estate websites, including Zillow, Realtor.com, and Trulia, to name a few.
Take professional photographs of the inside and outside of your house and be sure to include a floor plan if you have it, as this will improve the marketability of your property. Professional photographs, like staging, have been proven to help houses sell quicker and for more money.
Your agent will promote your property to their network of agents once it is listed, but you can assist by sharing it with friends and family, posting it on social media, and making time to make the home available for open houses and showings.
#8 Don’t Be Home During Showings
You may be tempted to stay at your home during showings to hear what prospective buyers have to say, but leaving showings to your agent is the best option. A seller lingering in the background will make it harder for prospective buyers to see themselves in the house, just as depersonalizing your home is essential for establishing a clean slate for buyers. Furthermore, it makes individuals feel uneasy.
#9 Learn the Art of Negotiation
All of your hard work in researching, planning, remodeling, and promoting your property should result in some good offers. Ideally, you’ll have many bidders competing for the home and driving up the price. However, because this is very reliant on the market, don’t get your expectations up.
Work with your agent to choose a rock-bottom price. In other words, the lowest amount you would accept and then evaluate all credible offers. Be reasonable, pay attention to what your agent says, and make counter offers to buyers who seem to be serious. When it comes to selling your house, the ultimate choice is yours to make.