Are you thinking about selling your house? Whether you're leaving your neighborhood, city or state, moving presents many challenges especially if you need to sell your home first.
There are steps you can take before listing your home that will help make the process smoother for you. Here is a short list of simple things you can do now as you prepare your home for listing.
Preparing your home
As many of us 'get ready' before going out with friends, we must also consider that our house needs to 'be ready' for new people to see it - and hopefully buy it. These three easy steps will go a long way to improving how your house shows for other people:
Organize - Have your books gone topsy turvy? Arrange them in a consistent manner. Make sure 'families' of things that belong together are grouped together. If it belongs in a drawer, return it to the drawer. Open space will make your home look more open and appealing.
Clean - Has it been a while since you cleaned the windows? Is dust and pet hair collecting on your floorboards? Does the air smell fresh? When we go to hotels we would be very put off by dingy windows, dust and hair collecting everywhere and stale air. People feel similarly when they enter your home so taking steps to clean goes a long way.
Declutter - You might be accustomed to the golf clubs in the dining room, but it is a good idea to remove items that don't really belong. It makes the space look larger and really allows it to shine, especially if you have architecturally interesting details that might be obscured by objects.
Market research
Homeowners want to get a fair price for their homes and the first thing they tend to think is, 'Should I sell it myself? Should I go with an agent?' In today's modern era, homeowners can get a wealth of information about the real estate market online. However, due to the dynamic nature of the housing market we recommend seeking professional help. Even if you do a lot of research on your own, there are many nuances that happen day-to-day in real estate that don't make it into online blogs and editorials but could affect the sale of your house. Leveraging the experience of a real estate brokerage could save you time, money, and some serious headaches.
Setting the price
Setting the price of your home is more important than you may think. If you set it too high, you will have trouble attracting buyers, whereas if you set the price too low, home buyers would likely be suspicious and shy away thinking there is something wrong with the home.
A general rule of thumb when it comes to pricing is current market value. If you paid $350,000 for your home and it is valued at $400,000 now, listing it at $400,000 would make sense. However, if the market value is only $300,000 you should list it at $300,000. Tools like zillow.com can help you get a ballpark estimate for the current market value of your home. This isn't a magic bullet however, and many other factors could affect your asking price. Your real estate agent will be better equipped to evaluate details like the condition of the market, comparable homes, neighborhood characteristics and more that will undoubtedly affect your home price.
Got questions about your home's resale value? Ask me now.
Written by Rebecca Parnianchi
Looking to sell real estate in the Sacramento, Placerville, or Yolo area? We're here to answer any questions you may have. Drop us a note today!
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