Are You Ready For The Sale
Although in today’s market it seems to happen, selling your home doesn’t necessarily happen overnight. In fact, there are three phases to the process that are essential for a successful sale. Join me as I provide you with a collection of tips in each phase to move your home from “For Sale” to “Sold!”
Most home sellers dream of a stress-free sale in which they simply list their house, quickly find a qualified buyer, collect the cash and hand over the keys. If only the sale of your home were that simple! In reality, selling a home involves many moving parts — some that you can control, and some that are out of your hands.
Step 1 – Home Sale Preparation
Know your market value
Visit open houses, and compare sale prices. Better yet, ask a real estate professional, like us, for a comparative market analysis for the sale of your home. Here’s what you can gain:
- A list of upgrades to help your home keep up with others that are for sale on the market
- A strategy for featuring details that already make your home stand out
AND
- A better perspective on your home’s current market value and how that fits in with your finances and what you want to achieve after the sale
Invest in an inspection
With many buyers paying inflated sale prices, they are becoming more aware of the conditions of the homes they are considering. Catching problem areas that a shiny exterior is hiding before potential buyers do is starting to become a smart idea. An early inspection equals more time to fix repairs, and ultimately provides insight into your home’s top needs. A house for sale with less issues will sell a lot faster. This doesn’t mean it needs to be perfect, but make sure everything is up to code before the sale. Hiring an inspector will assist in getting an accurate value of the home and leaves less room for potential buyers to try to negotiate for repairs or get you to lower your asking price, since your home will be in tip-top shape and fairly priced for the sale.
Work with your real estate agent on the inspection process, we have thorough knowledge on how to get items taken care of efficiently when getting ready for your home sale. Once this is completed, you can at least feel confident knowing your real estate agent can get a better handle on how to sell your house in its inspected condition!
Prioritize improvements
As you review the inspection report, prioritize with the must-haves that solve problems.
Typically, there will be issues or improvements that need to be made immediately. Cosmetic improvements are good for staging your home sale, but buyers need peace of mind that the improvements will affect them in the long run. Significant structural improvements or remodeling projects should be disclosed and permitted! Don’t forget your permits! Your real estate agent can create a hand-out or flyer that will make the list more eye-catching. Your real estate agent will know how to do this well!
Do your homework before hiring
Don’t rush right out and hire a contractor and start purchasing materials. Obtain at least three quotes, and always ask for references. Depending on the improvements to be made, it is not wise to offer buyer credits against the purchase price for your sale, you are often times better off investing the funds needed to get the work done before going to market.
Step 2 – The Listing Phase
Plan your pricing strategy
Starting the pricing conversation for your home sale early is essential and reviewing the details just prior to listing is a good idea as well, just to make sure nothing has changed since the last conversation about it.
Real estate agents are prepared to make good judgements about market value, so trust that they have your best interest in mind when discussing pricing options with you. We utilize a few tools to get accurate values when you’re ready to put your home up for sale. If you think their results are too high or too low, let your agent know and I know they’d be happy to review further. Ready to start the conversation about the sale of your property? Schedule a chat with The Old Mill Group.
Set the stage
Staging your home for sale is very different from decorating. Decorating is derived from your personal tastes and is what makes your home your own. Staging gives it a wide-ranging appeal so that potential buyers can see it as their own.
Important staging priorities include:
- Doing a thorough, deep cleaning
- Removing personal and trendy or eccentric decor
- And of course – Decluttering
Take high-quality photos
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, when talking about the sale of your home a picture is worth a showing scheduled. High-quality, professional photography is a must in this era of the online search. Today’s buyers are very connected and informed. Nine in 10 home buyers today rely on the internet when looking for those homes for sale, so there’s a high volume of first impressions that are from a digital screen of some sort. You’ve put in a lot of work and, possibly invested money during the preparation phase. So, it is only fitting to have your home sale showcased with high-resolution, professional photos that are optimized for web and mobile devices. A professional will also consider the lighting, angles, and best spots in each room. Be sure to ask your full-service real estate agent if they’ll be providing professional photography, do not let them shortchange you with selfie-like, dim, crooked pictures from their cell phone. While you’re at it, ask your agent if they ensure that all of the listing details are provided in their data listing. Buyers should have each room’s measurements, and other details at their fingertips when looking for homes for sale. Be sure your agent will provide a complete and detailed listing rather than a bare basic description.
Step 3 – The Showing Phase
Be flexible with showing scheduling
If you’re living in your home while it is on the market for sale, it will pay to be flexible and make your home available to appeal to as many buyers as possible. Setting specific showing days and hours is possible when you put your home up for sale, however, it is in your best interest to maximize the time available to allow potential buyers to conduct their property exam. Talk to your Realtor about any concerns you have if you’re still living in your house while you’re selling. He or she is there to assist you in the sale of your home and can provide advice that considers the overall results you are looking for.
Keep up with the curb appeal
Be prepared for eager buyers driving by your home as soon as the sign is in your yard and marketing has begun. Maintaining the curb appeal throughout the marketing period is crucial for a good sale. You don’t want them driving by and getting turned off and not even setting up an appointment to come see it.
Pay attention to smells
The sense of smell can influence a homebuyer when it comes to spending time in your home’s space. It is time for sellers to be honest with themselves when getting ready for the sale about any odor that may be lingering. Bring in a trusted friend, or ask your agent if they can identify any not so pleasant odors as sometimes homeowners become oblivious to the scents they smell every day.
When it comes to offending smells, pet odors are often times the number one challenge with homes for sale, but beware of food smells and scents that are musty or allergenic, too. Refrain from using scented candles, melting waxes, wall plug-ins and diffusers that send overpowering fragrances into the home. This only work to mask the odor and the buyers tend to question if the seller has something to hide that might be moldy, like ductwork and filters for instance. Find the source of the odor and eliminate it with a deep clean and fresh air.
Be mindful of flow
Your agent will do a walk-through of your home prior to the sale. They will be able to identify unusual flow patterns from one room to the next, and may assist you to group your furniture into arrangements that inspire conversation.
When you’re ready to dive into the first step of getting your home from “For Sale” to “Sold”, be sure to download our essential home sellers checklist to help identify the areas of your home that may need to be prepared for the sale.
Preparing Your House For Sale
Want to see more videos?!?
Check out our YouTube channel!
New Home Builder Search
