Tips for selling your home!
How to sell a House
It is surprisingly emotional and time-consuming to sell your house, especially if you have never done it before.
At times you may feel like strangers are invading your privacy by entering the house. Opening up your closet and cabinets, and poking around.
They will criticize your home, which is probably more to you than a house and roof, and, on top of it all. Will offer you less money than you expect it is worth. With no experience and a complicated, emotional transaction on their hands, first-time home sellers are likely to make lots of mistakes.
However, it’s possible to avoid many of these pitfalls by knowing how to sell your house while getting the best price and a reasonable timeframe.
Get Emotional
When selling your house, it’s easy to become emotional. You searched for the perfect home, saved money for a down payment and furniture, and made many memories. People struggle to control their emotions when it’s time to say goodbye.
Selling your home isn’t impossible. Once you decide to do so, you’ll have to think of yourself as a salesperson and not just a homeowner. Forget all about being the homeowner. The financial aspect of the transaction can help you distance yourself from the emotional aspects of selling the property.
It is also important to try to recall how you felt when you were shopping for the house.
Buyers are also often emotionally charged. Whenever you consider that you are selling a piece of property as well as an image and a lifestyle, you’ll be more likely to put in the extra effort of staging and making some minor improvements so that you get the highest possible price for your home. You will not only improve the selling price but also create emotional distance by changing the appearance of your home.
Read also its is Better to Buy or Rent?
THE KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR SELL YOURS HOUSE
Keeping emotions under control while selling your home will help you stay focused.
While professional agents may charge a higher commission, they can eliminate much of the guesswork involved in selling.
It’s important not to undercut the competition and to keep the time of year in mind when deciding on a sale price.
Prepare your listing for sale, include attractive visuals, and disclose any problems with the property.
Select your agent wisely
Select an agent to represent you by asking trusted friends and relatives who have been through the process. Consider your particular needs. If you need staging help, find an agent with experience in that field. If you’re selling a fixer-upper, find an agent with experience in that.
Whether or not to hire an agent
Although real estate agents charge hefty commissions – usually between 5% and 6% of the sale price – it’s probably not a good idea to try to sell your home on your own with no experience.1 Those “for sale by owner” signs can be tempting.
Does it make sense to hire an agent?
My first thought when I see a home on the market with obvious detractors, such as Eid lights still on display in mid-March or an unkempt lawn, is to recommend they hire a better agent.
The realtor you choose should be highly experienced in real estate, which means someone who can help you improve your home, not just someone who will stick a lockbox on the door and coordinate showings.
Good agents generally have your best interests at heart. They will help you set a competitive selling price, increasing your chances of achieving a quick sale.
A real estate agent can also help to tone down emotions in the process by engaging with prospective buyers and weeding out tire kickers who are just interested in viewing your property but have no intention of making an offer.
Your agent will be more familiar with home sales negotiations, so he or she can help you get more money than you’d be able to on your own. If any problems arise during the process and they often do-an an experienced professional will handle them on your behalf. Furthermore, agents are knowledgeable about all the paperwork and pitfalls that may arise during a real estate transaction and can help ensure the process goes smoothly. Therefore, there will be no glitches or delays in the deal.
You are the one who has to decide if you should hire an agent after reading all this.
Timely market entry is key
In the housing market, there’s a fairly predictable cycle throughout the year. In November or December, it’s not impossible to sell your house, but you’re more likely to succeed in the spring when more buyers are out looking. It’s best to list your home no earlier than late February if you want to capitalize on the high level of activity.
Get professional pictures taken
In real estate photo shoots, the very first thing a buyer sees is your home, and it can determine whether they schedule a showing or not. By taking the best possible pictures, good real estate photos immediately draw the buyer into your home. The task may sound easy, but it’s not something that should be trusted by just anyone.
My photographer scheduled our shoot to coincide with a sunny day to take advantage of the great natural light in our home. I asked him to clear counters, reduce clutter, and stage our home for pictures in the same way we would for showings. Your photos are the most important part of your listing, so make sure they’re done right. If not, you’ll get fewer customers through the door.
Make sure the price is right
People want to make as much money as possible from their home sale, but it’s important to be realistic. Particularly if your goal is to sell fast, what you paid for the home matters less than what the current market dictates. If you want your house to sell quickly, you shouldn’t underprice it, but we advise you to price it smartly. Work with your realtor to come up with a starting price that makes sense based on the market and your objectives. And then use a home estimate tool to get a sense of the range you’re looking at.
Declutter your home
Get started clearing out the clutter as soon as you decide to sell your home (and take before pictures). Box up everything you won’t need in the near future and rent a storage unit or share some extra space with a family member. Out-of-season clothing, books, and most of your décor are all items you can donate when they’re no longer useful. The fewer items cluttering your home, the more buyers will be able to see the space itself, rather than the items that clog it up.
Don’t personal while selling your house
If potential buyers are looking at your family photos, they won’t be able to visualize themselves in the property. As soon as you remove any items that personalize the home – photos, mail, personal papers, etc. The better you will be able to present a blank slate to the buyers.
Staging your home
Selling your house can be challenging, especially when buyers schedule showings and you have to leave the house. But it could be worse… no buyers come through at all! While we were selling our house, we said yes to every single showing request, even the one where we were in the middle of lunch and had to leave in 15 minutes, with our two pets. It is best to rearrange your schedule around the buyer’s schedule, not your schedule. If you suggest a new time, the buyer or their agent may not be able to make it work and may just pass on viewing the property.
Set yourself apart from the rest
The staging process involves decluttering and depersonalizing, but not all of it. For your home to sell quickly, you need to decorate it in a way that emphasizes its best features; that can mean anything from rearranging your furniture (and removing furniture that’s bulky or unnecessary) to painting your walls with neutral colors, to fixing obvious defects. Additionally, make sure you get rid of anything that dates your house; like holiday decorations or a snow shovel leaning against the garage. If you follow these staging tips. You’ll ensure that your space will appeal to buyers and show them that they won’t have to do a lot of work when they move in.
Please be accommodating
It was so simple. But we got a lot of positive feedback about putting cookies on the counter for the buyers to help themselves. I felt like it was a little gesture, but I think it made them feel warm and welcome. This little extra step helps buyers remember your property, and also puts them in a good mood. If you don’t want to set out baked goods, offer water bottles or a basket of fruit instead. Whatever you choose to do, putting in the extra effort will help you stand out from the competition.
Request feedback
Buyer’s agents contact some realtors after showings in order to offer feedback on the property, but most don’t. To find out exactly what you’re doing right and wrong. It’s important to get clear feedback from every agent who walks through your door. Your real estate agent must always follow up with the buyer’s agent to get their opinion on the property. And see what the buyers liked or disliked about it. Use that feedback to make necessary changes.
Home sales typically take between 65-70 days. But if you go the extra mile to optimize every aspect of the process, it is possible to sell your house faster than that.
Although you can’t make a buyer materialize out of thin air. You can do everything you can to ensure that when the right buyer does come along. They know immediately that they’ve found their perfect match.