Are you ready to make your move? Selling your home can be a real nail biter when you’re not sure what to expect. How far should you go in sprucing up your home? Are you asking for the right price? How do you get prospective buyers in the front door? Here are five steps you’ll find included in a successful sale.
1. Assessment and Research
When and why do you need to move? If you need to make a sudden move, you need to get started with an agent right away. If not, you have the breathing room to do ample digging of your own.
Make sure you have all of your important papers at the ready – title and mortgage documentation included. Now, check and see what other homes are going for in your neck of the woods, and compare these properties to yours. You should be able to establish a price range you approve of.
2. Get That Agent
Choosing an agent to list with doesn’t seem very difficult on its face; after all, you probably personally know at least one person in real estate. However, it’s generally recommended that you should interview several agents before committing to one.
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Ask about their experience, their marketing strategies, and commission rates. Ask if they’ve listed any homes in your neighborhood before. Understand that while an agent may agree that your home can sell in a range similar to what you’ve determined, they cannot offer you a guarantee of what the actual selling price will be.
3. Set the Stage
Now it’s time to get your home in the best shape it can, without blowing a huge budget or getting hung up on things you can’t really change. The most important job you have is to remove any extra stuff which might be preventing your home from looking as large as possible.
Many people rent a storage unit during this time so closets don’t look too overstuffed, and visitors can plainly see the best features of the interior. An agent will help with staging, recommending cosmetic fixes and rearranging furniture, etc.
4. Marketing and Showing
If you’ve ever visited LJ Hooker, then you know that a multi-platform marketing strategy is necessary. Ensure that your property is listed on multiple websites, replete with quality photos.
In addition, signage should be placed outside of the home, and an informational flyer should be produced for distribution. These should be passed out to anyone who attends an open house, which a good agent will have made sure to schedule and advertise.
5. Nail the Sale
Hopefully, you’ve got a number of good offers. If you receive low offers, don’t toss them; meet them with a more suitable counter offer, and you just might be surprised. Once you’re interested in someone’s offer, consider getting a lawyer to handle the closing. There will be a great deal of paperwork to complete.
Selling a home properly takes more time and effort than many anticipate. But by educating yourself, interviewing multiple agents, and making sure your property is well-marketed, you’ll be more likely to see your happy ending turn into someone else’s fresh start.
