Are you getting ready to sell your house? Selling a home isn’t a walk in the park. There are a lot of things you should do before listing your house for sale.
You should roll up your sleeves and bring your work boots, as selling a house is more than just placing a “for sale” sign on your home’s front lawn. Hence, before uploading those beautiful pictures of your home online, you should go through our ultimate checklist for selling a house below:
Hire the Right Real Estate Agent
It’s very tempting to sell your own home and avoid using a real estate agent and pocket the money. This is especially tempting in a hot market. However, experts advise against taking this step.
Handling your own home sale is not only time-consuming but also a waste of money. This is why the first step you should take before listing your home for sale is to hire a reputable real estate agent. Don’t just blindly hire someone without doing some research.
Look for an agent knowledgeable about the type of house you’re selling and your specific market. Remember also to interview the real estate agent to ensure that they are a good fit.
You should feel comfortable working with the real estate agent you choose and trust that they will sell your house for the best possible price. Don’t be afraid to interview a few agents and settle on the one that’s best for you.
Check Your Curb Appeal
Selling a house is all about first impressions. Whether it’s a seller’s or buyer’s market, all potential buyers will judge a book by its cover. Therefore, you should ensure that their first impression of your house is a good one and inspire them to schedule a tour to see more of your home.
You don’t need to invest thousands of dollars upgrading your home’s exterior and interior space. Some little effort, such as repainting the window frames and the doors or planting beautiful flowers outside the house, will likely attract many potential buyers.
If you’re unsure what you need to improve your property’s curb appeal, you can ask your real estate agent. They have likely dealt with many properties just like yours and know off-hand what potential buyers are looking for. Your real estate agent will help you improve your exterior before listing your home or posting it online.
Declutter Your Living Space
When you’re showing your house for sale, less is always more. Do a clean-up of the tables, windowsills, counters, and all other areas visible to visitors. Then start tackling and decluttering behind closed doors such as drawers, cupboards, and closets because virtually, no space in your home is off-limits for interested buyers.
If your home is cluttered and disorganized, interested buyers will not want to buy it. It will be challenging for them to imagine their belongings in the house. A cluttered house also looks small without the needed space.
No one wants to buy a home that looks small; you wouldn’t sign up for a mortgage if you also expect to rent a storage space for your belongings. You should donate, sell, throw out or store all your excess stuff away from the house.
Hide All Your Valuable Items
Once you put your property on the market, you should keep all your valuables hidden. These include expensive art pieces to jewelry. Keep everything you treasure out of sight to avoid them being stolen.
Not everyone who walks through your doors is trustworthy, especially when you’re selling it. In most cases, valuable things are stolen during open houses, and there is little to nothing you can do to get them back. Remember to hide all your valuable items by storing them in a safe or a location away from your house.
Keep the House Clean
You can’t sell a house if it’s dirty and undesirable. Even if your property is on the market for a few months, you have to ensure that it’s always clean. Keep in mind that buyers may pop in at any moment, and you would want them to find your property looking spotless.
Look at it from the buyer’s point; they saw photos of your home online looking spotless and well organized, but it’s dirty, disorganized, and cluttered when they visit the actual property. They will probably get a negative first impression if they pop in and find your home dirty.
If you’re too busy to keep the house clean all the time, consider hiring a professional cleaning service for assistance. They are better equipped to help you ensure your home smells and looks fantastic.
Gather All Required Documents
When you’re selling a property, you want to ensure that all the necessary documents are in an accessible and safe place. For example, disorganization may result in some bills being left unpaid or other legal issues with the new property buyer. You may also forget about important issues such as house taxes.
Remember also to have all the closing documents such as the purchase contract, addendums, seller disclosures, home inspection proof, and purchase contract. The escrow officer or your closing agent will likely share with you all these documents when closing on the property.
However, you shouldn’t just trust them blindly. Ensure you have all the documents named above when closing the house to avoid any legal problems.
Follow Our Above Checklist for Selling a House
Have you decided to sell your investment property or home? Many things go into selling a home. If this is your first time, ensure you follow the above checklist for selling a house.
If you’re looking to sell your home for cash, call or text us today and we will buy your home for cash ASAP. We will help you avoid the many loopholes attached to traditional home selling processes.
Our home buying process involves minimal paperwork. It’s well designed to ensure your home sale moves as quickly as possible.
