
Do you think it's time to sell your home, but you aren't sure what to do? Read this article to learn tips for getting ready to sell your house.
The average home stays on the market between 65 and 93 days, including the closing process. That is a very long time when you are excited and ready to move on to the next thing.
Selling a home does take some time. But there are some things you can do to speed up the timeline by making your home more appealing to buyers.
Here are 10 things you should do when getting ready to sell your house.
- Check the Market
The very first thing that you should do when considering selling your home is to check the real estate market in your area.
The health of this market will have a major effect on how quickly it sells and how much you get for your home. Sometimes you have to sell regardless of the market. But if you have some freedom, you may be able to ride the market out until the best time.
Either way it is helpful to know what's going on to be mentally prepared with a realistic expectation.
- Identify Your Timeline
The circumstances surrounding the decision to sell your home are wide and varied. But it is important to identify when you would ideally have the house sold upfront.
When you make this distinction you can base all your other decisions off of that goal date.
Sometimes these circumstances are very pressing, in that case, you may have to take extra steps to sell quickly. It may be very helpful to learn more about those special circumstances to see if they apply to you.
- Set a Price
Obviously, one of the most important parts in preparing to sell a home is setting the price.
It is crucial to the success of the sale to price it right, not too high no one will consider it but also not too low that you lose money. There are several factors that go into this kind of decision, the area, market, upgrades, etc.
Hiring a professional to help at this stage may be a smart choice.
- Finish Renovation Projects
Any obvious renovations that need to be done on the house can have a great effect on the price it is sold for. This is why many sellers try to complete these projects before putting the house on the market.
At this phase of getting your house ready to sell it is easy to go overboard. It is not necessary to completely redo the entire house. That will cause many issues with your bottom line.
Make a solid plan for finishing projects and stick to that.
- Stage Home
After the projects are completed you can now complete what some say is the best practice for selling your home; staging.
Staging is when you make the home look as presentable as possible. This means decluttering and depersonalizing the home, taking out anything that isn't necessary or is an eye-sore.
The goal of staging is to create a semi-blank canvas where the potential buyer can insert themselves and their things in. You want to highlight the permanent features of the home and space.
- Get Professional Pictures
Basically, all potential home buyers start their searching online or through apps. This means that they are seeing pictures of the home and deciding if they then want to see it in person.
The pictures are crucial and should be the highest quality possible.
Hiring a professional to take pictures of your home for the listing is a great investment to entice people to come to a tour.
- Check Lights
When a house is being shown, the realtor will often go around and turn on all the lights and lamps to show off the home.
If your home has multiple showings, then these lights could potentially be on for long periods of time. It is a good idea to check all lightbulbs before tours begin.
Burnt out lightbulbs could give potential buyers the impression of neglect, which is not what you want.
- Focus on Curb Appeal
Sometimes a homeowner focuses all of their preparation energy on the inside of the house and completely forgets to spruce up the outside.
This can be a costly mistake because the outside of the house is the very first thing the potential buyer will see when they arrive. This first impression could change the way they view the house overall, regardless of how great the interior is.
Take a little time to check for obvious damage outside and repair that. Mow the lawn and weed the flowerbeds. Those little things will make a big difference.
- Find the Right Real Estate Agent
A real estate agent can make a big difference in how your home sells. They are trained to know the ins and outs of the industry, which includes the best practices.
There are a lot of real estate agents out there and it's important to find the right one for you. Discuss your expectations with them and then let them take over.
They know what they're doing and can sell your home as quickly as possible.
- Keep Your House Tour Ready
Maybe the hardest part of selling your home is keeping it ready for tours at all times.
Sometimes you have predetermined times for an open house, so you will be prepared for those. But, often, a potential buyer will want to come to see the home at a random time and you'll need the house ready.
If you can keep the house in its staged, cleaned up, smelling good state at all times you'll be ready when the right buyer is ready to see it!
Getting Ready to Sell Your House
There are no guarantees when selling a home but it is worth the effort to do all you can to make the sale go as quickly as possible.
Getting ready to sell your house is a process and can take some time, effort, and investment. A well-prepared home can sell up to 73% faster than one that is not. Definitely worth it!
If you would like more ideas to spruce up your home, check out our other articles.