If you are considering putting up your house for sale, then you need to know that there is a right and wrong way to go about it. Here is what you need to know if you are going to do it the right way.
You Need a Good Real Estate Agent
Chances are that you think you can sell your house without any help and pocket the cash and you are right, but that is easier said than done. This is because, the moment you put up a sign saying that your house is for sale by the owner, you set yourself up for failure. In that regard, you want to find a seasoned real-estate agent who is comfortable to work with and who can sell your house at the top dollar.
A Home Inspection is Necessary
Before putting your house up for sale, you may want to have it inspected. You see, when you sign a contract with a buyer, the first thing they are likely to do is to have the home inspected. It would therefore be in your best interest to beat them to it. By having your home inspected, you will unearth any issues with the house and have them addressed so that you are not surprised with a list of problems to be tackled by buyers. If you need roofing contractors to replace your leaking roof, do it before a prospective buyer points it out.
You Need to Set a Timeline for Selling your House
Unless you are extremely lucky, selling your house will not happen instantly. It takes about four months or longer from the beginning of the process to the end based on market conditions. Once you are sure that you want to sell your house, the first thing you want to do is find a real estate agent at least three months before listing it. Have an inspection to identify problem areas and schedule ample time for all the repairs required. As you get closer to the date of listing your house, do deep cleaning as well as staging to make the house photo-ready.
Photos Go a Long Way
Whatever you do, keep in mind that crisp photos of both the interior and exterior of your home will make marketing easy and effective. This is particularly true if you are targeting online buyers. Do not be tempted to take pictures with your phone either. Get a professional photographer to do it for you. Of course, this comes at an extra cost, keeping in mind that the price of a shoot will largely depend on the size of your home. Anyway, a qualified and experienced photographer knows how to make rooms look more appealing, brighter, and bigger. Dull-looking pictures of your home, whether outdoors or indoors, can make a difference for potential buyers when it comes to deciding whether to buy or not. Think about that before choosing to do the photoshoot on your own without a professional camera.
Curb Appeal Matters
There is a saying that states that a book should not be judged by its cover, but when it comes to your house, potential buyers will judge it by how it looks. That means that you need to do all you can to make the first impression of your home a good one. To that effect, you may want to put more effort into tree care, set up a picket fence, or even pave your driveway with carbon. If you are unsure about improving your curb appeal, consult with your real estate agent, but the landscaping generally works well.
Potential Buyers Do not Fancy Clutter
Contrary to what most people believe, less is always more when it comes to getting your house ready for the market. In that regard, you want to clear your tables, windowsills, counters, and other visible areas. Be sure to remove stuff from cupboards, drawers, and closets as well, because some curious buyers will check such areas as well. A house that is cluttered gives the impression that a potential buyer will not have enough space for their belongings. Of course, no one wants to pay a mortgage and still rent storage space for their extra stuff simply because a house is small. Do away with everything that is cluttering your house. You can have it stored away in a separate place or donate it to charity. By decluttering your home, you not only make it appear bigger and more appealing to potential buyers, but it will also help you transition out of it seamlessly.
Depersonalizing your Space is Recommended
You certainly want potential buyers to visualize your home as theirs, but it may be hard for them to do that if you have family photos hanging on your walls or your personal effects lying around. You, therefore, want to remove such items from your house to create a blank canvas. This will help prospective buyers project visions of their new home while viewing it and that will make it easier to make a decision.
Your Walls Should Be Neutral
Sure, that accent wall or wallpaper looked great in your living room, but that doesn’t mean that your potential buyers will love it. Sometimes prints and colors can be a turn-off for potential buyers. That means that you want to play it safe with neutral shades. Think about white, off-white, and light gray. With such colors, potential buyers will be able to envision what their house will look like. Besides, it is your job as the seller to help prospective buyers picture themselves and their family in the house, otherwise, they will look for other options.
Overpricing Your House Won’t Do you Any Good
It is easy to overprice your house, especially if you want to make a good profit from it, but that is not advisable. Why? Because potential buyers can tell if the asking price is worth the house or not. Moreover, if they are interested in buying the house, they are likely to appraise it and find out that you are overcharging them. Of course, you will lose interested buyers and they are likely to spread the word about your dishonesty. Think about what that will do to you. The worst that could happen is that your house will stay on the market for a long time and you do not want that, do you?
Marketing is key
If you are in doubt about whether you should market your house, ask yourself how potential buyers are going to learn about it. Of course, you have to advertise as much as you can to reach a wider audience. So, aside from putting up a ‘for sale’ sign in your front yard, think of ways that you can use to spread the word about your house. You can use the conventional mainstream media channels, but as you do that, remember that social media is now a force to reckon with. The best part? You do not have to pay a thing to use your platforms for letting others know that you are selling your house.
Modernizing your Home is a Plus
Some buyers will be looking for a vintage home but do not count on getting one easily because people are moving with the times. If your home is a bit outdated, you may want to do something about it. For instance, you could replace brass chandeliers with glass ones or old-fashioned electric switches with new ones. Modernizing your home also makes it more efficient and functional and you can be sure that potential buyers will appreciate that. Modernizing your home also involves making it energy-efficient, so if you need to hire a heating company to replace your old HVAC system so that you can enjoy reduced power consumption, or septic services for your washrooms, do it promptly.
A Real Estate Attorney will come in Handy
Now, the state your house is located in may or may not require you to have a real estate attorney present when closing on the sale of your house, but it would be wise of you to have one anyway. This is especially true if you are selling your house without the help of a real estate agent. The attorney will help you fill out the paperwork, identify potential issues, as well as review documents.
There Will Be Tax Implications to Consider
As you think about selling your house, keep in mind that the taxman will be after you. However, you will not owe taxes on the sale of your primary home. That means that if you have owned and lived in the home for at least two years before selling, you will not be taxed for profits of up to $250,000. If you are selling the house as a married couple, you can exclude up to $500,000 from your taxes. If you have profits greater than $250,000 or $500,000 for couples, then you will have to file a capital gain report on your tax return.
A Clean House Fetches More
It is necessary to clean your house if you want to get a higher price for it. First, you need the home to be clean for the photo-shoot. Honestly, you cannot take pictures of a dirty home and expect potential buyers to be attracted by that. It is simply unacceptable. Cleaning also eliminates any unpleasant odors, so you can be sure that prospective buyers who come to view your house will not have to deal with that. You also want to keep in mind that a clean home looks more attractive and allows buyers to visualize it as their own. You certainly need that when selling your home.
Your Valuables Should be Hidden
Whatever you consider valuable should be concealed when potential buyers come to view your house. Whether it is jewelry or art, ensure that it is stored off-site or locked in a secure area. This is mainly because not everybody that comes to your house has clean intentions. You could be showing the house to a potential buyer one minute and the next, your valuables are missing. The worst part is that there is nothing much you can do to recover your stuff when that happens. So, before you hire a moving company to take you to your new house, find a secure place for your valuables.
Your Clients Don’t Need to Know that you Have Pets or Kids
One of the biggest lessons you will learn as you sell your house is that it needs to look appealing to everyone and not some people. Therefore, while some people love kids and pets, you want to get rid of anything that shows that your house has one or both. An otherwise perfect house will lose potential buyers simply because it smells of cat droppings or there are toys strewn all over by your kids. Get rid of pet litter and anything else that lets buyers know that you have kids and pets.
Staging Could Be of Help
Home stagers are experts in the real estate market, so they are in a better position to tell you how you can sell your home fast. Do not take it as an offense. Therefore, if they recommend huge changes like wood floor repairs. It will be worth your while in the end. Stagers know the real estate market, and what sells, so it’s important to take their advice and not take offense when they make big changes. Their job is to help drum up interest from potential buyers, which is always good news to the seller.
If you are looking to sell a house, you want to keep in mind that there are things that will make it sell faster and at a good price. Therefore, you want to do everything that you can to guarantee that, including getting an electrical company to make your home energy-efficient. All the tips mentioned here will help you achieve the same.
