While the housing market is unprecedented, check out these expert tips for making the home-selling process as easy as possible.
What to Do to Prepare a Home for Sale
If you’re considering selling your home in 2024, you may face a daunting process. Whether it’s your first time selling or you’re a property veteran, some tips can help reduce the stress that comes with offloading your home.
Get to Know the Process
Before you get started, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the home selling process. It’s a much different set of steps than purchasing your house, and depending on the area you’re in, things may heat up fast once you officially list your home for sale.
Interviewing Real Estate Agents
In all markets, finding the right representation is paramount to your success. Real estate agents are there to help you get every dollar your home is worth. They also act as a facilitator between parties to communicate details of the contract, inspections, and more.
Why You Should Use an Agent
Real estate agents statistically sell homes at higher prices than homeowners who sell their homes themselves. That’s why the experts recommend shelling out the extra cash for a talented agent to represent you.
Consider Home Improvements
Before you list your home, take stock of any improvements you can make that might increase your home’s value. If you can add square footage by finishing a basement or attic space, you could see a great return that way.
Kitchen Updates
Upgrading kitchens and bathrooms can also bring in more cash, but don’t go overboard. Replacing outdated appliances, countertops, and cabinets can go a long way in refreshing the space.
Reviewing Curb Appeal
Take a look at your home from the sidewalk or street. What do you see? Something as simple as fixing a rotten shutter, sprucing up the landscaping, or painting your front door could make potential buyers take a second look at your house.
Sending a Message from the Outside In
If the place looks run down from the outside, buyers are more likely to assume the inside will match. Spending a little extra time and capital on curb appeal won’t hurt, and it could make a difference in your bottom line.
The Power of Home Inspections
When you sell, there’s a good chance your buyer will conduct a home inspection. A licensed inspector will visit your home and note any issues that need to be addressed. You can get ahead of the game by hiring an inspector yourself.
How to Make Inspections Work for You
With an inspection report, you’ll have a checklist of everything that needs fixing around your home. Some of those items may improve your home’s value, but all of them have the potential to increase its salability.
The Right Photographs
When you’re shopping for a home, there’s nothing worse than finding a house listed online that seems perfect but has grainy, blurry photos to show off the place.
There’s an easy solution: hire a professional real estate photographer.
Hire a Professional Photographer, and Don’t Skimp
It may be tempting to ask someone you know with a camera to take photos for you, but your best bet is to find a pro with an extensive real estate portfolio.
They’ll know how to capture the right light and show off your home’s most attractive features.
Help Your Buyer Paint a Picture
While you want to show that your house is well-loved, keeping personal items to a minimum is best. Buyers who tour your home want to be able to imagine their own family photos on the walls.
Let Buyers Imagine Themselves In Your Space
If there’s too much of your personal clutter around, buyers might have a hard time visualizing the space as their own.
Skip Professional Staging
Professional staging is an option, but it isn’t necessary. That’s one expense you can spare yourself.
Since you’re preparing to move out anyway, consider renting a storage unit to have a place to stash your belongings during the transition.
Start Packing Early
That way, you can leave the necessities and help buyers better visualize themselves in your home. Plus, you’ll get a head start on packing—it’s a win-win!
Be Ready to Move Fast
Once you list your home, you need to be prepared for the ball to start rolling. In this competitive market, where bidding wars are common and cash offers roll in often, there’s a chance you could receive an offer, accept it, and close on the sale all within a couple of weeks.
Don’t Leave Your Buyers Hanging
Be ready, responsive, and prepared to move. Plan to have your new home lined up if you can manage it. Things can move quickly, and you don’t want to lose a great offer because they want to close sooner than you’re ready.
Sell Your Home With Minimal Stress
These tips can help you get top dollar and reduce the stress of selling your home, but the bottom line is to work with professionals who can easily guide you through the process.
The more effort you put in on the front end, the more it will pay off at closing.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Halfpoint.
The content of this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute or replace professional advice.
The images used are for illustrative purposes only and may not represent the actual people or places mentioned in the article.
For transparency, this content was partly developed with AI assistance and carefully curated by an experienced editor to be informative and ensure accuracy.
