Your first time selling a home might make you feel anxious. If you get worried enough, you might consider forgetting the entire thing. But selling your home can be a pleasant experience. When you know what to expect, you can face the experience with confidence.
- Make your home presentable and attractive
If your home is vacant, then skip this step. But if you’re living in the home, it’s important to make it presentable. That means the inside and the outside should attract potential buyers. Your real estate agent can provide tips on making your home more attractive. You will need to stage the home. If you have never done it before, consider enlisting the help of an interior decorator or professional real estate stager.
Getting rid of clutter is recommended as well. Potential buyers want to imagine the home belongs to them. They want to picture their belongings in the home. That’s impossible to do when your belongings are cluttering up the place. You don’t have to remove all of your belongings. Just remove enough clutter so potential buyers can get a close look at the space.
Making repairs and painting can also make the home more attractive. Torn wallpaper, cracked paint, and chipped wood take away from a home’s beauty. Dirty carpets and floors are negatives as well. These changes might cost a bit of money, but it helps to have the house as perfect as possible.
- Expect to quickly sell the home
Most real estate listings have a time frame for a home to sell. After that time has passed, the home becomes an expired listing. You can re-list the home, but it’s best to avoid the hassle and sell the first time around. A quick sell is almost always the best option. The longer a house sits on the market, the more difficult it becomes to sell. Potential buyers might wonder why no one wants it. And then you might start to gradually lower the price just to get rid of the property.
What makes a sale quick depends on your perspective. You might have no problem waiting three months for your home to sell. Or perhaps you want it to sell within three weeks. Look at other homes in your area that are similar to yours. How long did it take those homes to find new owners? That will give you an idea of what to expect. In any case, work to sell the home before the listing expires.
Instead of leaving it up to chance, do what you can to help the process. Make sure the inside and the outside of your property is near perfect. And ask your real estate agent to market the home to as many people as possible. This might mean listing the home online, using social media, putting ads in the local paper, or placing notices around town.
- Expect to negotiate on the price
You undoubtedly want your asking price for the home. Very few sellers actually get their original asking price. A number of factors affect how much a potential buyer is willing to pay. Is the home in a questionable neighborhood? Is the home’s appraisal value less than you expected? Did a home inspection discover the need for repairs? All of this and more can lower the value of your home.
Your goal is to get the best possible price. But the best price is likely lower than what you originally wanted. Work with your real estate agent to find a fair price for your home. Start with that number, but remember you’ll likely have to negotiate.
Selling with Confidence
Selling a home is nothing to fear. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth your time to get the highest price. Speak with a reputable real estate agent to learn more about selling your home.
