Have you meant to sell your house, but you don’t know where to start? If the answer is yes, you’re not alone. The average person interested in selling their home spends seven months pondering before taking action, according to a 2018 housing report conducted by Zillow. Keep on reading if you’re ready to take the plunge and sell your home.
Identify Your Motivation for Selling
Perhaps you’re ready to sell your home because your kids have left the nest, and you want to downsize, or maybe you need a bigger space to master your hobby. Spend time identifying your reasons for selling because you don’t want to waste money if you end up changing your mind. Selling a home is arduous and expensive, so be sure you and your family are ready for the big sale before you get too far into the process.
When you sell your home, you have to be honest with yourself and address your finances. Contact your current loan provider to discuss your remaining mortgage balance. Ask questions about your equity to help you budget for improvements you’ll need to make before listing your property. Understanding this figure will also help you plan out your future home purchase.
Additionally, you’ll need to make a list of non-negotiables to help you set boundaries when you meet with prospective buyers. Write down your must-haves and deal-breakers. Set a budget for pre-listing home improvements.
When are you planning on moving to your new house? What will you say when a prospective buyer makes an offer lower than your asking price? Rehearsing your responses to conversations that will come up will help you stand your ground if they make unreasonable requests.
Stage Your House
Staging your home is one of the fastest ways to sell it. Staging is the process of arranging furniture and décor to showcase your home for sale. When it comes to staging, you’ll need to arrange your furniture, organize your rooms, and decorate in a universally appealing way. Forty-seven percent of people reported seeing a staged home pushed them to make an offer, according to Zillow.
Declutter, clean, and depersonalize your home. Too much stuff in one room can make your space feel crowded and small; this will scare off any claustrophobic buyers. Put away your family photos in a box because keeping them out will make it difficult for buyers to picture your house as theirs.
Take care of pet damage by removing stains on your carpet or replacing chewed up rugs. Stash away your pet’s toys because nothing is more off-putting to a buyer than a chewed-up bone left behind.
Lastly, make sure your staging plan fits your needs. There are multiple levels of home staging to choose from, and they’re based on budget and the popularity of home staging in your city. Depending on your budget, hire a professional stager or go for DIY staging.
Contact Local Home Buyers
Preparing your home for the big sale can be rewarding, but it’s also time-consuming. You’re better off selling your property to a house buying company. If you live in Huntsville, Alabama, sell your home to Local Home Buyers for a quick, all-cash offer. We buy houses in any condition, so contact us today.