Are you considering selling your home?
While selling your home can be exciting, it can also result in a fair amount of stress. Research has found that people rate moving as more stressful than divorce. In considering this fact, it's no wonder that homeowners tend to experience strain on their nerves with selling.
If you're looking to minimize the stress of your real estate transaction, keep reading because this blog's for you. To help, we're outlining ten important things to do before selling your house.
In following these steps, you can rest assured that your move won't result in a stress headache.
1. Contact a Real Estate Professional
First things first, it's time to contact your go-to real estate professional.
Today, 89% of people choose to work with a real estate professional to purchase or sell a home. Not only will an agent connect you with the most possible buyers, but they'll also ensure that your home sells quickly and for top dollar.
If you've never worked with a real estate professional before, be sure to do your research. After all, this person is going to act as your coach from the beginning of the transaction to the very end. Working with an experienced agent could be the difference between selling your house for a little and selling your house for a lot.
With this, you may want to explore the idea of working with an expert in your neighborhood. These agents are familiar with the area, have powerful connections, and understand the workings of the local market. They're also well-acquainted with buyers who have shown an interest in moving to your neighborhood.
You can also reach out to your network and ask for referrals. In doing so, you can rest assured that the real estate professional you work with is trustworthy and capable.
2. Create a Selling Timeline
Once you've connected with a real estate professional, you'll want to establish a timeline for the sale.
Are you looking to sell as soon as possible? Or, are you looking to wait until the spring market? The time in which you list your home will dictate how swiftly you'll need to work through the selling checklist.
If you're unsure when to sell, be sure to discuss the state of the market with your real estate professional. Together, you can discuss the strategies associated with selling your home in the current market.
3. Conduct Your Research
Of course, your real estate professional will be researching to estimate the market value of your home.
In addition to this research, it's up to the homeowner to conduct some research of their own. With this, your goal is to provide as much information about the house to your real estate representative as possible.
This could be anything from the overall age of the house to the latest renovations. It would also entail a timeline as to when major changes occurred such as new windows or a new roof.
These are significant factors that will majorly impact the asking price of the home as well as the general interest of buyers.
4. Declutter the Home
As the old saying goes, "less is more" when it comes to selling your home.
Take selling your home as an opportunity to rid yourself of the excess junk in your home. With this, you can create a keep, discard, and donate a pile of the possessions and furnishings in your home. Finishing this task now will also help to make your eventual move all the more stress-free.
The goal is to create a setting within the home that is clean and minimal. In minimizing your possessions, prospective buyers can envision their furnishings within the home. It's also simply going to allow buyers the opportunity to move around the home with ease and enjoy the process of touring the home.
5. Depersonalize the Home
Now that you've decluttered the home, you can begin the depersonalizing process.
This means moving anything that feels personal out-of-sight. This will include anything from personal items and photos to in-your-face artwork and furnishings. The goal is to make your home as neutral and inviting to buyers as possible.
As much as it might pain you to remove these items, they can be distracting to buyers. When a buyer is distracted, they're far less likely to envision their own life in the home.
6. Consider Staging
For some sellers, staging the home is the best way to earn top-dollar.
This could be for the seller who isn't equipped with the right furniture for the sale. It may also be for the seller that has already moved out and the house is now empty. Either way, professional staging is a worthwhile consideration for some sellers.
From the perspective of the buyer, a staged home simply looks more appealing than a home without staging. This allows buyers the opportunity to envision the potential of the home and feel more inclined to purchase.
While staging is an investment, your initial investment is likely to pay off with a higher sale price.
7. Repaint The Walls
Are your walls bright green or deep purple?
While you may love bright colors, the majority of buyers are searching for a home with a neutral color palette. A neutral color scheme makes the house feel more turn-key and invites buyers to personalize it to their liking.
This is why taking the time or paying the money to provide a fresh coat of paint is so essential. if you're strict on adding pops of color, be sure to do so with individual decorations or accessories rather than wall paint.
Even if your walls are painted a neutral tone, it's always worthwhile to add a fresh coat of paint. This is also a good opportunity to tend to any scuff marks or major holes in both your walls and your doors.
8. Tend to Minor Repairs
Could your home benefit from some minor repairs?
Of course, homeowners want to avoid spending excess money on the home before selling. However, it's also important to ensure that the home is looking good and that things are all functioning correctly. This will also show the potential buyer that the home has been well cared for. If not, a home inspector will locate these issues in the blink of an eye.
Before listing your home for sale, you want to know that everything is working. If not, it's worthwhile to provide simple repairs to certain areas of the home. This may include repairs such as:
- kitchen appliances
- toilets
- cabinets
- holes in walls, doors, and ceilings
- occurrences of mold
- water heater and electrical panel
- HVAC
- smoke and carbon monoxide detector
When it comes to repairing these items, it's crucial to remember that you're repairing and not upgrading. The goal is to ensure the item is functioning correctly without spending lots of excess money.
9. Enhance Curb Appeal
Of course, judging a book by its cover is a flaw the majority of us are guilty of.
When it comes to selling your home, the exterior of your home is essentially the cover. This is why enhancing the curb appeal of your home is a worthwhile project for every seller.
First and foremost, make certain that the exterior of your home is clean and clutter-free. When a house looks crowded from the outside, buyers are far less to feel inclined to explore the interior. This means removing any toys, bikes, or excess decor from the exterior of the home.
From here, be sure to freshen your vegetation, gardens, and even your walkways. This will help to make your home look more inviting and appealing to prospective buyers.
10. Conduct a Deep Clean
Of course, no home can be listed on the market without a deep clean.
As with spring cleaning, this is when we clean all of the nooks and crannies within the home. To start, this will entail deep-cleaning all floors, surfaces, and appliances. But, it's also going to entail cleaning the less-obvious aspects of the home such as washing the walls and cleaning the baseboards.
If you're not willing to get dirty, it's worthwhile to hire professional cleaners. In doing so, you can rest assured that your home will be sparkling clean from top-to-bottom. This is also one of the best ways to get that "just-cleaned" aroma wafting through the air.
Things to do Before Selling Your House
If you're thinking of selling your home, remember that there's a right way and a wrong way to do so.
In addition to hiring a reputable real estate professional, be sure to use the information above to guide you. Through understanding the things to do before selling your house in advance, you can help to make the process as stress-free as possible.
Let's face it, Americans tend to move house a lot. America has been considered one of the most geographically mobile countries in the world. When we consider this fact, it's simple to understand why learning how to facilitate a stress-free move is so important.
Are you looking to find an agent to represent your sale? If so, be sure to check here for our database!