4 Things You Need to Know Before Selling Your House

Selling your home takes more than just planting a for sale sign on the front lawn. Any family member friend or colleague who has sold their house before would tell you that it’s not easy. It requires a lot of work, patience and plenty of know-how.  

Selling a house, especially if you haven’t done it before, can be an inconvenience and create stress and anxiety. 

Here are 4 things you need to know before selling your house. 

Price it right 

When selling your house, the price can be one of its most attractive and unattractive features. If you want to get the most attention from potential buyers when it first hits the market, then you must pick the absolute right price tag based on how much your house is worth. 

Go too high and you risk turning off buyers. Of course, you can always lower the price later on, but you’re going to lose the freshness of the home’s appeal after two weeks of showing. 

Review comparables of recently sold homes to get the price right. If you are working with a real estate agent, he/she can provide you with a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), which will help you determine the current market value of a property. 

Timing is key when selling your house

Conventional wisdom tells us that spring and summer months are your best options for listing your home for sale. After all, this is the busiest time of the year for the real estate market - school is out and families are looking to move to their new house before the school year starts. 

While it’s true that most home sales happen in spring and summer, you also need to factor in your own family’s needs. The best time to sell is when you are ready for it. 

Find a good real estate agent 

With so much information readily available online, some sellers decide to just sell their house on their own. Plus, forgoing the agent means you can pocket that 6% commission. Sounds like a great idea, right? Not necessarily. 

Real estate agents take on several roles during the home selling process - marketer, stager, analyst, negotiator, copywriter etc. They’ll help you set the selling price, market your home, handle volumes of paperwork, negotiate with them, and show your home to potential buyers. Do yourself a favor and hire a good real estate agent. 

Staging 

If you want to sell your house fast and for top dollar, then make sure that it looks the part. 

Potential buyers aren’t just looking for a house to live in. Rather, they are looking for a place where they can create meaningful memories with their loved ones. This is where staging comes in handy. 

Staging involves re-arranging the furnitures and decorating the house to make sure it looks its best. Spruce up the yard, repaint the walls, accessorize, and get the house sparkling clean.