Preparing to sell your house requires a plan. Before you put your home on the market for sale, take a tour and try to see it through a buyer's eyes. Remove your personal attachment to the property and think of the sale as a business transaction. Your mindset must change from selling your home to selling a house you happen to own. Do what it takes to make it stand out in the market, so you can sell your house fast and at the price you want.
Assuming you have owned your home for a couple years, you most likely have a general idea of housing prices in your neighborhood and local economic conditions. It is still a good idea to do some additional homework and research housing sales activity in your area.
Set a Reasonable Asking Price
Pricing your home correctly from the start is extremely important. Avoid making emotional decisions or anchoring your listing price to your home’s previous value. A good REALTOR® will help you with this decision.
If you live in a high demand market, where there are more buyers than sellers, prices are likely being driven up by that demand. You can often price your house more aggressively as long as you stay within reasonable price limits. The flipside of the market is low demand — buyers tend to be more selective and pricing usually needs to be at or slightly below market value to attract an offer to sell your house fast.
Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal
When it comes to buying a home, first impressions have a significant impact. While landscaping updates aren’t likely to play a major factor in a buyer’s decision-making process, it does help to avoid anything that could detract from that positive first impression.
Clean up your yard, trim bushes, and by all means plant flowers or have pots of seasonal flowers or simple decorations around the entrance of your house to improve curb appeal.
Organize the Inside to Feel Clean and Spacious
Do a deep clean of your entire home and make any small upgrades that will boost first impressions and price.
Get rid of excess furniture and other items that are not being used on a daily basis to make your living area feel more spacious. Clearing bookshelves, tabletops, and china cabinets will also help to make the space feel bigger. Begin at your front door and go through the entire house tossing, donating and packing up everything to make the house feel less cluttered. This includes the basement, attic and garage.
Organize the closets and kitchen cabinets and make sure dishware is neatly stacked and everything appears in its place. You want to create an environment that will help potential buyers to see how your house can be their home. Removing as many personal items and photos keeps potential buyers focused on seeing themselves in your home. This is critical…it’s also important for your safety.
When preparing to sell your house give yourself a month to cover over any walls that are long overdue for new paint.
Gather Legal Documents
Get all related legal papers together, from deed to tax documents, to process the sale. It is a big part of preparing to sell your house and you don’t want to hold up closing because the legal papers are not readily available or in order.
At ChoiceOne Bank our mortgage professionals are ready to help you when it’s time to move. We can pre-approve you for your next home loan within 20 minutes and help you close in less than 28 days. Follow these tips to selling your home and you’ll be on your way to a new home soon!
20-Minute Pre-Approvals and 28-Day Closings
All pre-approvals and mortgage loans are subject to approval of credit. Final loan approval is contingent on property appraisal, clearance of title and confirmation of current loan application information. A 28-day mortgage loan closing timeline is not applicable to government insured loans such as VA, FHA, USDA or MSHDA. Timeline calculations are based on completed application and is not a guarantee. Equal Housing Lender.