No matter how you go about selling your home, there’s always some level of forethought and preparation involved. After all, your home is often your largest financial asset, so preparing to sell requires a thoughtful timeline and due diligence. Most sellers spend up to six month thinking about selling their home before they actually make a decision to take action. Regardless how far ahead you’re planning, let’s start with a checklist for six months out:
Pick your ideal listing date
Data shows that the best time of year to list your home to maximize profit and minimize time on market is the first half of May. The most popular day of the week to list your home for sale is Saturday. However, this can vary somewhat based on where you live and the individual circumstances such as climate, job market and more. Planning ahead can make it easier on you but there’s no guarantee that your home will sell as quickly as the average.
Research the market
Learn what homes similar to yours are selling for so you can get a better sense of what your home is worth. Although you’ll probably make some adjustments as you get closer to your listing date, it doesn’t hurt to run the comps early. If you’re looking at comps now, remember that home prices can change drastically depending on the season.
Assess property condition
Understanding the condition of your home will help you match it to comparable properties in your area. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to fix known issues before listing. Here’s an example. If your basement flooded recently, you may have to disclose that to buyers at some point in the sale process, depending on disclosure laws in your state. It might be worth fixing it now so you don’t have to disclose.
If you’re unsure of what needs fixing in your home, get a pre-listing home inspection. It allows you to discover potential issues and address them, instead of the buyer finding them and calling off the deal.
Work with your agent Micah Branch
I will help guide you through the selling process and manage most of the pre-listing, marketing, showing and negotiation tasks.
Ask for feedback
If you’ve lived in your home for many years, you may be desensitized to its less desirable features. Ask friends, family members or neighbors for their honest opinions on your home. Ask me too. What needs work? Are there any major defects worth addressing before selling?
While major renovations might not give you a great ROI, minor repairs and simple cosmetic changes like paint and new hardware can go a long way toward making your home appealing to today’s buyers.