If you are preparing to sell your home, you’ve likely been reading about the recent flurry of activity in the real estate market. There’s something about a long, cold winter indoors that makes homeowners crave a change when the ground thaws and the trees bloom. If you are one of the many sellers preparing to put your home on the market this spring, here are just a few tips to keep in mind as you enter the home-selling process.
1. Find the Right Agent
This step is undoubtedly the most important and should be one you are thinking about long before the time comes to list your home. The perfect agent for you should possess a number of traits including: honesty, credibility, patience and a strong knowledge and an understanding of your search requirements. Your agent should help you with the following 4 steps (including pricing and marketing your home of course!). Don’t know where to begin with finding an agent? Here are a few tips for finding the right agent for you.
2. Scout the Competition
What people often don’t realize is that the viability of their home sale tends to have more to do with what else is currently offered on the market than what they feel their home is worth. Buyers and their agents will be quick to compare your home and its price against homes of similar size, age, and location to determine a ‘fair’ buying price. Your agent will have the comparables and should be aware of all the other recent solds in your neighbourhood. Being able to highlight your home’s advantages in comparison to the rest of the homes out there will give you an edge in negotiations.
3. Prepare Your Property
Do not underestimate the value of a new coat of paint, a spotless garage, or an entirely staged home. A buyer’s vision tends to be limited when it comes to seeing themselves in your home, and even small details like smell, decor, or light could put them off right away. Work with your agent or a staging company to place your home in its best light, feeling bright, fresh, and free of clutter.
4. Don’t Lurk
The home-selling process can, at times, be intrusive to your daily schedule. Buyers will want to come back for a first, second, or third look at a moment’s notice and you may find it bothersome to rearrange your plans to accommodate them. Although it may seem reasonable to want to hang around your home during an open house or a showing, do your best to leave your home during this time. Go over to a neighbour’s place or grab a cup of coffee down the street. Buyers will feel less pressure and more freedom to look in closets, ask questions, and really get a feel for the place without a lurking homeowner.
5. Don’t Get Emotional
Buying and selling real estate is unlike any other business transaction in that it can be highly emotional. Your home is your retreat from the world outside, where you’ve shared happy memories with friends and family so it makes sense that you see it in a more romantic light. It’s tough not to place a heightened value on your home, but it’s important not to take negotiations personally or to sneer at any incoming offers.
Feature image courtesy of Country Real Estate Lawyers Article sourced from the Chestnut Park Blog
