Your life changes frequently. As your life changes, so will many of the circumstances in it. Your home is one of these. You may decide you need a larger home. After all, your family is growing or a smaller one because you are getting divorced. You may be moving across the country for a new job. Whatever the reason, selling your home can be complex. There are so many steps you have to take and so many ways it could be done.
You don’t have to be overwhelmed, though. Here are 4 tips to help you prepare your house for sale.
1. Decide What Needs To Be Done
Are you going to sell your house as the owner, called an FSBO in the industry? Will you be getting an agency like The Elite Group to help you? Will you be avoiding all the hassle entirely and selling to a home buyer? This is only the first step in your plan.
If you decide on a real estate agent sale or an FSBO, you need to look around your home and see what renovations need to be made. Estimate how much this will cost you and whether the value-added will outweigh the expense. Establish a timeline by which these renovations will be done and by what date your home needs to go on the market and be sold. This way, you’ll have a sense of urgency about your sale, and it won’t be left languishing for months on end.
2. Get Your Home Appraised
As a homeowner, you’ve grown attached to your home over the years. You see all the positives, and you think everyone can see it too. Perhaps you may have even attempted to put some feelers out and see how prospective buyers might react to it. Only then do you realize that a stranger may not be as enamored of your home as you are. They refuse to pay what you think your home is worth.
Real estate agents cite this as a common problem when attempting to sell homes. The owner wants far more than what the home is worth and resists lowering the price. All this does is ensure your home remains on the market longer than it should. This is a vicious cycle because the longer it remains, the more potential buyers avoid it because they assume something is wrong with it.
You can avoid this situation by consulting with an appraiser. For a fee, an appraiser will come to your home and value it. The advantage of this is that you have a realistic idea of what your home is worth and at which price point you should offer it for sale.
The appraiser can also make some suggestions on what you can do to increase the value of your home. Usually, these are small renovations you can make.
3. Take Action
When you have your plan together, begin to check off the items on it. The clock has already begun on your selling process. Hire your contractors and get the renovations done. Homes that improve their curb appeal are able to attract higher prices. This may involve improving the landscaping of your front yard and/or giving your home a coat of paint.
You also need to depersonalize your home in preparation for showings of your home. By this, we mean removing any obvious personal touches. These tend to distract potential buyers from seeing themselves in the space. You also need to give your home a thorough cleaning. Clutter and dirt will not appeal to anyone coming looking at your home.
4. List Your Home
When you are sure your home looks the best it will ever look, it’s time to list formally. Listing your home is not enough. You or your real estate agent will also have to find ways to market your listing to bring prospects through the door to look at your home.
You’ll also need to decide if you are going to stay in your home throughout the showings or live somewhere else. It may be easier to keep your home ready for showings if you and your family are not living in it at the same time.
If your home is competitively priced and attractively renovated and presented, it is likely to sell soon. Be prepared to move out quickly in preparation.
Selling your house can be time-consuming and confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. You can follow these tips to help you seamlessly prepare your home for sale.