Getting your home read for sale is very important. There are various steps you need to take to make sure it isn’t stressful or complicated. You want to make sure you can get the home sold for a good price and you also want it to be sold as quickly as you can.
Deciding to Sell
Don’t rush into a decision to sell your home. Take all the time you need to really think about it. What are your reasons for selling? Do you want to buy a home in another location? Perhaps the home is too small or too large now for your family. If you can’t keep up with your payments, selling may be a better choice than foreclosure or allowing the financial stress to continue growing.
Regardless of the reason for selling, it is important to make sure you are 100% behind the idea. If you are still emotionally attached to your home, it is going to be hard to leave it. Getting your home ready after you have made that decision isn’t hard but it is going to take some time and direction.
Appraisal
How much is your home really worth? That is important to find out if you plan to sell it. An appraisal by a professional is a good idea so that you aren’t faced with surprises. The appraisal will also help you to decide on your asking price for the home. In many areas, homes are worth more than when they were purchased. However, there can be other factors such as a second mortgage that will affect how much equity you have.
Inspection
This is also a very good time to have a professional inspection of the home done. If there are items that won’t pass inspection, you are better off learning about them now. You don’t want them to come up and prevent the home from being sold after a potential buyer has already made an offer that you accepted.
Selecting a Winnipeg Real Estate Agent
It is fine to begin selecting a real estate agent while you are getting the appraisal and inspection set up. If you aren’t sure where to go for those needs, then you may be better off to get your agent in place first. They likely have very good resources that they can tell you about for getting those services completed successfully.
Take your time to find an agent that can help you to sell your home. Don’t be hesitant to ask them questions. Find out about their licensing, how long they have been in the business, and what they love the most about it. Ask them what they can do to help you get your home noticed and sold.
You need someone with the expertise and creativity to get results. You also want a real estate agent that treats you well. They should take the time to see you in person, to return emails, and to return phone calls. Avoid working with someone that has too much on their plate as that reduces the amount of time they have to focus on helping you.
Communication is a key element when it comes to a great real estate agent. You need to make sure the person you work with is someone you are comfortable around. How do other people respond to them? It is a good idea to consult with different real estate agents before you make your final decision.
Pricing
There are plenty of variables that play a role in the pricing of your home. The neighborhood where it is located is a big one. If that area has grown in recent years, the property value is likely to have gone up. The proximity to various amenities can also be a huge factor being getting the best price.
The size of the home and the amenities that it offers are important factors too. Of course it all comes down to the potential buyer looking for that amount of space in that given location. They are going to be looking for the best price too. Don’t price your home too high or it will drive away buyers. Don’t price it too low though either!
Your real estate agent can help you to determine what your home is worth based on location, the appraisal, the inspection, and other factors. It is very important that you obtain information about how much you still owe on the home if it isn’t paid off. You want to get enough out of your home to pay what you still owe on it. You also want to get enough to cover the commission that the real estate agent will charge you when that sell is complete.
Clearing out your Home
Your home needs to look amazing when people come to see it. You want potential buyers to see the home clean and clutter free. They are going to look in closets, drawers, and more. Clean each room top to bottom and remove what you don’t need from there. You can donate items you no longer use and throw away or recycle items that aren’t in the best condition. By making your home spacious, comfortable, and clean it will sell in less time.
Make sure you clean up the garage and the yard too. Don’t pile everything in the garage or a storage shed on the property. Box up items you don’t need but that you plan to take with you to your next home. When possible, store them in one room of the home or rent a storage facility in town.
Repairs
It is going to increase the value of your home and increase the chances of being sold if you take care of repairs. This includes those that are outside and those that are inside. If the home could use a new paint job outside, get it done. This will make people want to come inside and look at the rest of the home. Don’t ignore leaking faucets or other problems that could make your home less than attractive in the eyes of potential buyers.
Since you see things day to day in your home, it is easy to overlook a problem that you have grown accustomed too. Yet that could stick out like a sore thumb to a potential buyer. The inspection can point out any such areas where attention is needed. Your real estate agent can also come into the home and do a complete walk through and point out what should be improved.
Marketing
Get the word out all you can about your home being for sale. Post pictures of it online, tell people at work, and place signs in your yard. Most of the marketing for your home for sale will be done by the real estate agent. They should be taking photos and making videos that can be posted online. They should be scheduling an open house too so that people can come in an see the home without an appointment on a certain day.
Flexibility
Try to be flexible when it comes to people seeing your home. They may ask to come see it in the evening or on a weekend. If you can do so, leave the home so that they can look it over with the real estate agent. Nothing is more intimidating than trying to talk about a home while the seller is still there. To get them to stay in the home longer, put out snacks and drinks!