In a perfect world, buying or selling a house would be as easy as subscribing to a Cox cable plan. You pick what you like, pay the bill and it’s a done deal! But, things are not that simple when it comes to selling a house. A lot of planning is required before listing your house on a home selling site.
Every seller wants to make the most money they can get for their property. However, the chances of that could become thin if you end up making costly home selling mistakes. Not sure where to start? Navigate through these home selling tips for a confident home sale:
1: Set Your Expectations Right
First things first, it’s important to know how long it typically takes to sell a property. Research says that the average number of days a house spends on the market is 68 days. This depends on the availability of buyers, location, price, condition of the house, and some other factors. In other words, if you want top dollar for your house, you better wait.
2: Sell to a Wholesaler
Did you know that almost 40 percent of real estate transactions happen using all cash? This means no bank is involved. However, if you are selling to a wholesaler, they play the role of a middle man. When a wholesaler is involved, don’t expect a top-dollar price for your house. You can expect to get a fair amount though.
Wholesalers have a bunch of cash buyers lined up who might be interested in buying your house. They can help you have your house sold faster. The wholesaler’s only job is to place your house under contract and then sell it to a cash buyer. Involving a wholesaler is a lot faster than trying to sell the house through a typical agent.
3: Find a Top Real Estate Agent
There is no harm in getting in touch with a real estate agent when it comes to selling your house. Most agents have good intentions. They want to sell your home faster for top dollar.
Working with a real estate agent has many benefits. They market your home, prepare the paperwork, and communicate with your agent, and support you in finding and closing on a home. Many sellers prefer to engage with an agent because they can advise them on price, incentives, and market expectations in their area.
4: Time to Price the House
Overpriced homes often end up being sold less than the market value. Therefore, you would want to price your house just right.
A good approach is to conduct a market analysis and look into the homes that are already on the market. You can also work with a professional appraisal company to help you set an unbiased price for your house.
5: Prepare the House for Sale
In this step, I would recommend slowly walking through the entire house and view it through the buyer’s eyes. What is it that you don’t like about the house?
Don’t just focus on the flaws because a potential buyer isn’t always looking for flaws in the property. They are also looking at the general appearance of the house. Therefore, the house needs to have a good curb appeal.
Here are some minor improvements you would want to make to your property:
- Make sure electrical switches, lights, loose door handles, and leaky faucets are fixed.
- If there is a garage door opener, it should work flawlessly
- Have the rooms in the house touched and repainted
- Declutter the home. Minimize the number of furnishing in each room so that the potential buyer can walk around properly.
- Make sure your home smells fresh and clean
6: Show Your Home to Interested Parties
The importance of showing your house to the interested parties in the selling process cannot be overstated. The more people come to see the house, the more probable it is that you will receive an offer. The timing can be inconvenient at times, you will have to allow buyers to come through.
Keep the house spotless, tidy on the fly, and leave the premises so potential buyers can tour it without interruption.
7: Consider Transferring your Mortgage
If you are in a real hurry, the last way to sell your home faster is to transfer your mortgage to someone else. You will have to read the mortgage papers to determine if your mortgage is assumable. This might require a bit more legwork though.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that your property is a highly valuable asset. And you have earned the right to get the most bang for your buck. However, knowing how to sell your own house takes time.
Be patient, wait for the right offers and follow up with your real estate agent. When you don’t understand something, ask questions. The realtor should be able to help you with anything that you need.