Selling your first home takes a big commitment of time, energy, and emotion. You’ll leave behind your first-home memories while looking for a new place to start all over again. It’s not an easy job, but it’s worth it.
6 Tips for Selling Your Home
Until you sign the papers on your new and current home, you’ll pull double-duty as a home buyer and a home seller. It’s a tough job, but it’s doable when you have a plan. Here are six tips to help you get the job done.
- Don’t Wait!
You’ll have to get your current home ready for the market while searching for the next place you’ll call home. Time constraints, job duties, even treasured memories can hinder the process. It’s important to set a things-to-do schedule and get an early start. - Find a Real Estate Professional
When you’re selling your home, connecting with a real estate professional will ease the strain of simultaneously marketing and buying. Your realtor can offer advice on pre-listing home preparation. When you’re too busy to search for a home that meets your criteria, your realtor keeps your search going.You need someone with knowledge of your current community and the community where you’ve decided to relocate. Ask enough questions to feel comfortable with their marketing, negotiating, and closing experience.
- Do Your Pre-Listing Preparation
You can’t just list it and hope for the best. This is where your plan for selling your home kicks into high gear.
Declutter: Remove unnecessary furniture, toys, appliances, tools and other objects crowding your space. Store personal mementos and cultural displays so every potential buyer will feel at home.
Repair and Upgrade: Fix all the little things you always wanted to fix but didn’t have time. Repair wall dings and dents and paint your walls in neutral colors. Replace broken bathroom and kitchen tiles. Consider upgrading anything that looks worn and faded. DIY what you can to save money. Hire a pro for tasks you can’t do or prefer not to do.
Clean: Consider hiring a pro to clean everything thoroughly from top to bottom.Enhance: Add final touches to beautify your home’s interior and heighten your curb appeal. Add lighting, decor, and room-brightening window treatments. Upgrade your landscaping with plants and flowers. Keep your lawn mowed until you can turn the job over to the new owner.
Staging: Your realtor can give you pointers on arranging your rooms to look their best. You can also hire a professional stager. - Price it Right
When you overprice, selling your home takes too long. When you underprice, you lose money. Do the research. Your realtor can conduct a comparative market analysis of recently sold homes. You can check current listings for prices on homes similar to yours. Your comparables research will help you price it right. - List With Professional Photos
The NAR 2017 Profile of Homebuyers and Sellers tells us that 51% of homebuyers begin their search online. You need great listing photos to catch a buyer’s eye. To maximize your listing visibility, hire a professional photographer. - Be Flexible
Selling your home requires flexibility. You must be available for home showings and respond to offers quickly. You must be a fair and flexible negotiator and make concessions when necessary.
It’s Worth the Effort
Selling your home is a labor of love. When you hand over your keys to the new owner, you’ll feel the thrill of making someone’s homeowner dream come true. When you close on your new home, you get to repeat the process all over again.
Be a good neighbor and share this:
CBR, SRES - Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
Phone: 516.849.5895 | [email protected]
As an experienced professional Neil will do the leg work, keeping you up-to-date with new listings and the various market conditions that may impact the home purchase process. Sellers can also benefit from his skills in finance, negotiation, contractual agreements, and RE marketing. Call today and allow Neil to guide you through the complexities of buying or selling your home, eliminating hassles, and stress.
Member of:
National Association of Realtors
Long Island Board of Realtors
Multiple listing service of long Island
New York State Association of Realtors