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What to Look Out for When Selling a Home

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What to Look Out for When Selling a Home

 

Did you know that more than five million homes were sold in the year 2020 alone? With a number like that, it is unsurprising that the housing market is booming. If you have a home on your hands and are feeling that you should move elsewhere, there is no better time to sell than now.

However, selling a home is not always as easy as it sounds, especially if you have never tried selling a house before. In fact, if you do not know what you are doing, you can fall into plenty of home-selling traps and mistakes. Fortunately, if you are looking for home selling tips, you are in the right place. 

As you read on, you will learn all about the common mistakes people make when trying to sell a home. You will also learn the steps you should take to sell your home successfully. Let us start with the most common question home sellers have: to hire or not to hire a real estate agent.

Selling a Home With or Without a Real Estate Agent

It may seem like the easiest and cheapest choice to sell your house without the help of a real estate agent. However, is it the best choice when it comes to successfully selling property? Perhaps not.

Since real estate agents often make a five percent commission on the price of your home, you may be deterred from hiring one, but if you have never sold a house before, you should not try selling on your own. This is because of one major factor: real estate agents know how to market property the right way. 

Real estate agents know all about the current housing market and what kind of properties have the potential to sell fast. Beyond that, agents can help you find the right price to sell your home so you can get top dollar. When it comes to potential buyers negotiating on pricing, an agent will be able to sort out any problems here as well.

Finally, a real estate agent will be responsible for sorting out most of the paperwork involved in selling a house. This can not only save you a lot of time but a lot of anxiety as well. More often than not, hiring a good real estate agent is worth the cost. 

But what if you do not want to hire a real estate agent? What will you have to deal with?

Going Without a Real Estate Agent

Of course, selling your house without a real estate agent is not impossible; however, a lot of research will be required if you want the selling of your home to go smoothly. This research will include looking up the prices of previously sold homes similar to yours in your area as well as houses that are currently for sale. 

Remember, your home will be competing with every other home for sale in your surrounding area. You need to make sure you set your home at an appealing price that is not too expensive and not too cheap. You will also need to market your home on your own.

Marketing your home will require listing it on various real estate websites. This will help make sure your home is seen by as many potential buyers as possible. A big downside to selling a home yourself is that, if buyers want to see your home in person, you will be the one showing them around.

This can be a big problem if you have a busy schedule. You may have to take time off work or cancel plans if a buyer wants to take a look at your house at a certain time.

You will also likely have to do some negotiating with the price as well. And after all that, your potential buyers may not be interested in buying your property after all. This can be a very stressful and exhausting process. 

At this point, if you still do not want to hire a real estate agent, you can hire a real estate attorney. Why would you do this? Because an attorney can give you some helpful tips when it comes to real estate paperwork and transactions. 

Get a Home Inspection Before Selling

While getting a home inspection before selling your property is not necessary, it can help sell your home in the long run. An inspection will help you to make sure that your home is in top physical condition before being sold. A home inspector will check for any major problems in your home's structural integrity, foundation, roofing, and more. 

Getting a home inspection can also save you from headaches during the selling process. This is because you will not be dealing with buyers complaining about the roofing or the foundation. If you find any issues with your home during an inspection, you can quickly repair them and get on with selling your home knowing that it is in great condition. 

Fixing up your home here and there does not mean you should start adding upgrades.

Don’t Upgrade Your Home Before Selling

It may be tempting to add a bunch of upgrades to your home before selling so you can get the most money out of it, but most upgrades do not add much value to your home and can end up costing you more money than they are worth. 

Many home sellers opt for upgrades like granite countertops, lighting upgrades, new refrigerators, and other similarly expensive options. Usually, these upgrades are not worth the cost; however, this does not mean you should forgo all upgrades.

The important thing to remember when upgrading anything is to check what your local homebuyers are looking for. For example, you do not want to install a new pool in your yard if no one in your area is looking for a home with a pool. 

Some of the best upgrades you can choose are often the ones that do not cost a lot. One option that you can never go wrong with is improved landscaping.

With a few tweaks to your yard, your curb appeal can drastically increase. Of course, when your curb appeal increases, more people will be interested in seeing your home. 

A new coat of paint on the exterior or interior of your home also would not hurt. A fresh paint job often gives homes a fresh new look and feel. Upgraded bathroom and kitchen cabinets often go down very well with potential buyers. 

Hire a Professional Photographer

A major mistake that many people make is missing out on a professional home photographer. You could easily take your phone and snap a few pictures throughout your house and create a listing online, but this is one of the worst things you can do when trying to sell your home. Even nonprofessionals can tell when pictures are amateur and low-quality.

Low-quality photos can make your home look unattractive even if it is a great piece of property. Taking your own pictures is not worth it even if you do save money. 

By hiring a professional photographer, however, you will find that it will be much easier to sell your property and with quicker results. This is because professional photographers know all about lighting, perspective, and all the tips and tricks when it comes to taking high-quality photos. 

Companies like Hommati have professionals who have the skills and equipment and who specialize in photography and technology to make your home look its best for all potential buyers.  

Stage Your Home

Many sellers make the mistake of not staging their homes. Common home selling advice says that this is one of the worst things that you can do.

Staging a home is simple and involves removing unattractive and unnecessary furniture and other items from your home. This frees up space and makes your home feel less cluttered. 

Staging is one thing that you can easily do on your own; however, if you have a large or more expensive home, you may benefit from hiring a professional home stager. 

Professional stagers can help design and rearrange your home in ways you might have not thought of. Stagers can also make your home appear more modern and more spacious with a few tips and tricks. 

If physically staging your home does not fit within your budget, you can always look into virtually staging your home. Hommati has a team that takes photos of empty rooms and turns them into fully furnished bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and so much more. 

This will help potential buyers envision what each room could be used for when they look through the photos on your listing. 

Sell Your Home During Winter

Winter is one of the slowest seasons to sell property, so why should you sell your home during winter? Because competition is at an all-time low. 

One downside of selling your home during winter is that your property may take longer to sell because not as many people will be looking to buy a house. On the up side, since fewer people will be listing their homes during the winter, your home has a chance to stand out. 

Tips for Selling a Home

Now you know the things you should do and what you should avoid when selling a home. Real estate agents, home photographers, and inspections are all important for the selling process while upgrades often are not worth the cost.

If you want to know more about real estate tips and information, contact us here