Prepare Your Home for Sale
Prepare Your Home for Sale
Well before you’re ready to plant that “For Sale” sign in your front yard, there is work to be done to prepare your home for sale. Remember how keen your eye was to every small detail and defect in the houses you saw as a buyer? Now that door to your bedroom that never quite closed properly or that leaky faucet that you never got around to fixing will be seen by a potential buyer with that same keen eye. Start making the obvious repairs today – even if you don’t plan to sell until a year from now. These repairs can cost money and take time. Plus fixing it now will allow you to enjoy the results before it’s time to move out
If you plan on doing some improvements before the sale, the best place to start is where the buyers start: at your curb. Potential buyers base a large part of their decision on a property’s “curb appeal,” so make yours say something positive. That means a tidy front yard, a house with well-painted trim, a clean and neat driveway and a clear, welcoming front walkway Inside, the biggest return on your investment continues to be improvements to the kitchen, followed closely by improvements to the master bedroom.
If you’re making these improvements shortly before selling the house, consider painting and decorating the rooms in neutral colors, the most appealing choice to the greatest number of potential buyers. However, don't go for major renovations at this time because you won't recoup your outlay. If your kitchen is very outdated, if your carpet is old and truly needs replacing, you can offer "credits" to potential buyers. Inside and outside, start reducing the clutter. When it comes time to show your home, less will mean more. Potential buyers don’t want to see how your closets overflow with clothes, how every room feels cramped with furniture, or how the yard is difficult to maneuver with that rusty swing set in the way. So downsize your "stuff" now; it not only will make the preparation for showing your home easier, it also will make packing for your move faster
Price Your Home for Sale
Price Your Home for Sale
There are a number of factors that will affect the success of your home sale. These include: location of the home, interest rates, economic conditions, time of year, condition of the home, marketing the home, terms of the sale and accessibility to the home. Some of these are not within your control, such as the location of your home, interest rates and economic conditions. Other factors are those you'll discuss with your real estate agent to determine what would most benefit the sale of your home.
And pricing the home properly can make a huge difference in whether a house is purchased relatively quickly or languishes on the market for months on end. To price a home properly, you and I will study the local market statistics, research comparable properties and consider current market conditions. This is where the “comparative marketing analysis” you requested will come in handy as a place to start.
Now check around your neighborhood and surrounding area for the following:
- Your competition: Are there many properties just like yours for sale in your area right now?
- Listing prices: What are other properties like yours listing for?
- Selling prices: What prices did homes similar to yours recently sell for?
Prepare Your Home for Showing
Prepare Your Home for Showing
Once we've decided on the market price and how we will market your home the next step is to get your house ready for visitors. Give your home a thorough cleaning. Clean the drapes, the carpets, the furniture. If you haven't already done so, toss the clutter. Remove the small items and bric-a-brac. Try as much as possible to have your home look like a model home, as if "no one lives there." You also may want to hire a home stager. These professionals work with what you have to make your home as appealing as possible to potential buyers.
They can help your rooms "flow" better and are excellent at deciding which items in your home stay on your shelves and walls and which should be stored out of sight. Outside: Keep your lawn trimmed, the rose bushes pruned and the weeds tamed. Put away the garden hose and the tools. Make sure the bulbs in your home’s exterior lighting fixtures are all in working order. Be vigilant about removing flyers, handouts and newspapers left on your front doorstep or driveway. Inside: Brighten the rooms by opening the drapes, turning on the lights, cleaning the windows
Clear the clutter on the kitchen counter, bathroom sink, coffee table and couches. Make all the beds. Clean all your bathroom and kitchen fixtures. Do a quick vacuuming of the entire house, being sure to catch any cobwebs in the corners along the ceiling. Finally, take out the garbage. If you have pets, find a safe place to keep them during a house showing: in the garage, in the basement or at a friend’s house. Aim to be away from home during a showing or open house, but if you happen to be home when the potential buyers arrive, greet them at the door then politely excuse yourself. Make yourself scarce or go take a walk. It’s easier for a buyer to picture himself or herself living in the house when you’re not there. This is your home’s time to shine.
Respond to an Offer
Respond to an Offer
Depending on market conditions, you may receive one or more offers for your property from interested buyers. Each offer will include the proposed offer price, proposed closing date, proposed move-in date, financing, and contingencies that may include an appraisal or sale of the buyers’ current home. I will help you sort through the variables to determine whether you should accept, counter-offer or reject the offer.
If there are multiple offers, each offer will be presented to you in the order registered. You don’t need to decide anything until after you’ve seen all the offers. If you do accept or counter more than one offer, you are required to establish an order of precedence noting which is the primary offer, followed by the backups in order. This will help you avoid selling the house to more than one buyer.
Complete the Settlement
Complete the Settlement
Once you have accepted an offer to buy your house, expect to make your house available to a housing inspector, a termite inspector, an appraiser and other inspectors. After seeing the results of the inspections, the buyer may request that additional work be completed before purchase, such as repairing a damaged roof or fixing a leaky faucet. You and I will discuss whether to comply with the buyer’s request or risk losing this offer. During this flurry of activity, try to keep your home in show condition. The deal has not closed and still may fall through, which may mean showing your home to more potential buyers. In the meantime, the buyer is working with a lender to secure a loan for the purchase. When the buyer has written loan approval, a closing date can be set.
There will be a final walk-through before all signatures are collected and the deal considered done. The buyer will go room by room to check that everything is in working condition and, if you had agreed to do so, any additional work requested after inspection is completed. Now you can prepare for your own move, notify your utility companies of the date to transfer your account to a new address and start packing. Congratulations, you’ve sold your home!