You may have found yourself recently hearing the stories of neighbors, friends and family talk about their house-selling journey. Their experiences may have perked your ears a little and now you find yourself wondering if it’s time for you to follow suit. If you are thinking of selling your house, let’s look at a Seller’s checklist to get your gears turning.
Gauge Your Need to Sell - This is the absolute first step. Start asking yourself questions such as “do I need to sell my house” or “do I want to sell my house?” Based on how you answer your questions, this should be the first step and what determines whether or not you should list your home or not.
Calculate the Cost - Sure, the money sounds great when you think about what you have in equity and what you could sell your house for. But do you fully understand closing costs and how much those equate to? You may not capitalize as much as you had initially thought. It’s best to speak with a professional that can calculate that for you.
Set Your Asking Price - Cue in the professional. As a realtor, we have access to an abundance of information that can help you set the price for your home just right. If you ask too much, you risk losing out on potential buyers. If you list too low, you could start a bidding war or some may even wonder what’s wrong with it. It’s best to work closely with a realtor who knows and can give you insight to a good listing price for your home.
Prepare and Stage Your Home - At this point, it’s time to take the feelings out of this transaction. It’s best to have a clean, de-cluttered look in your home for optimal selling performance. Buyers need to be able to envision what their style and belongings would look like in the house. Take personal pictures down, add some greenery and de-clutter!
Itemize Your Fixtures - Fixtures are items in a house that are considered “real estate” when selling a home that you cannot take with you unless you specify otherwise. Most commonly seller’s forget to list TV mounts, curtains or curtain rods, your heirloom chandelier, your smart thermostat, your refrigerator or your security doorbell. All of these items are considered real estate and stay with the property UNLESS you specifically ask for them to be excluded. If you get your home sold and take those items without specifying, you could be walking into some issues.
Review Offers and Negotiate - Great news! You are starting to receive offers on your house. Always remember that it is a realtor’s job to present you with all offers that are received on your house, even if they don’t think that you’d accept them. If you’re not happy with the offers you’ve received, don’t forget that your realtor can negotiate on your behalf, hopefully getting you to a number that you’re more satisfied with.
Negotiate Repairs - There’s nothing more frustrating than to be hit with a laundry list of to-dos from your buyer. Always be sure to prioritize safety, structure and systems.
Sold! - Congrats! You’ve sold your home. Make sure that you leave your garage door openers and keys behind.
I hope that this list has shed some light on some steps to follow when selling your home. And as always, if you have any questions, would like a home valuation or are ready to sell, I would be honored to be a resource for you and help you along your journey!
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