Attempting to put your first home up for sale can be a frantic experience. There are so many questions in your mind, so much paperwork to take care of, and so many possible mistakes that could derail the entire thing. In this guide, we’re going to help you make sense of the entire process of selling your home so you can move to your next one as quickly and smoothly possible.
1. Start with a Plan
Like any major undertaking, a detailed plan can be the difference between a frustrating home sale and a pain-free one. A plan will help you control the home selling process and should contain the following information:
- Hiring a listing agent or going DIY
- When to list your home
- Your target price
- What to include in the sale and what to take with you
- Staging
2. Aim for Perfect Timing
Know when to sell your home can make a huge difference in both the financial and emotional aspect of selling a property. If you sell in a down market, you’re going to have to settle for a price lower than your expectations—possibly even less than the price you paid for the property. Selling at the right moment also makes you feel more at ease and emotionally invested in closing a sale.
3. Set a Realistic Price
Buyer interest in your home will be at its highest immediately after listing it, so it’s important to price it just right from the very beginning. Price too low, and you could end up losing thousands of dollars that could have been in your pockets. Price too high, and you could turn off buyers, causing your home to sit on the market for weeks, if not months. When that happens, people are going to think something is wrong with it, further exacerbating the problem.
This is where an agent’s experience and knowledge of the local market will prove most useful, helping you set a competitive price in one try.
4. Put Yourself in Your Buyers’ Shoes
Many first-time home sellers make the mistake of thinking of their home and all the memories they have in it, assuming that buyers are going to feel the same way. You need to check these emotions at the door and prepare yourself to make tough, practical decisions based on what your buyers—not you—want.
Think of how you felt the first time you saw your home and walked through its halls and rooms, imagining you and your family living in it. You want buyers to have that same experience. This brings us to our next point.
5. Be Smart About Staging
The less “you” you have in the home when staging it, the easier it will be for buyers to imagine themselves living in it. This can mean removing pictures of you and your family, taking down quirky artwork with sentimental value to you, or even applying a new coat of “neutral” paint on walls with an unconventional color.
If you don’t have time for these tricks, however, you can still sell your home to an investor like Blue Hen Homebuyers. As a home investor, we buy all kinds of homes, regardless of their age or condition. Call our offices today at 910-802-2222 to learn more about how we can help you.