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If you've never had the experience of selling your home, you should know that many factors can influence the closing price, the number of concessions made during the price negotiation phase, and ultimately the date of handing over the keys to the new owner. Unfortunately, the primary motivating factor that influences home sellers is the need to move -- due to work-related issues, upgrading your quality life, and/or accommodating the needs of a growing family. This generally involves buying another house, which can take up the bulk of your decision-making.
It's for these reasons and more than taking advice from those who've been through the process, like consulting a real estate lawyer ct. or veteran real estate agent, can a crucial difference in how complicated or uncomplicated your first time as a home seller goes. Selling your house should never be a rushed affair or taken as an afterthought. Therefore, we'll cover many factors to consider for first-time home sellers, including:
• Accurately price your home with an experienced real estate agent
• Staging your home boosts your home’s selling power
• Be flexible with home showings
• Consider hosting an open house
• Use professional photography (and other media)
• Review your online listing
• Respond to all purchase offers asap
• Schedule movers early
• Consult a real estate lawyer ct.
Pricing your home correctly is probably the most critical factor to make your home sellable and to get the most for your property. You may want to do some of your due diligence, looking up similar properties on popular real estate websites like Zillow (using its feature, Zestimate), but there is no better method than working reputable listing agent. Busy, in-demand agents with a large amount of experience can save you thousands of dollars if you undervalue your home or time wasted for overpricing it. Their primary method is by researching comparable sales and preparing an estimate known as a "CMA," or comparative market analysis. Experienced agents know the trends of homebuyers in your area and common problems that ward off potential buyers.
Consider home staging to boost your home's selling power and appeal. Most homes show better with about half of the furniture removed and the remaining pieces arranged functionally. Essentially, you want to show a mockup of what a lived-in home could potentially resemble, while also implying the function of each room. Make sure that the interior has a fresh coat of paint and that any signs of wear are minimized, which may reflect poorly on your home's deferred maintenance.
Once your home is staged, it's important to be flexible with showings. While it can feel intrusive to allow strangers to walk through your home and check out your belongings, a buyer's agent will help steer visitors to your home in the most practical way. You may want to leave your house for the first week that your home is on the market to accommodate eager buyers or rearrange your schedule for every buyer—which can potentially cause problems while you're still in your old home.
If you want to show your home in the most efficient manner, you may want to consider an open house. Not every home is a viable candidate for an open house. However, if your home is located in an area close to heavy traffic or intersections, you can pull in a wide variety of visitors to get as many eyes interested in your home. This, of course, should be coupled with official advertisements online and in print to broaden your audience, as well.
While most top-notch agents take decent professional-quality pictures, make sure to get as many pictures as possible for curious homebuyers. It would help if you asked to approve photos before they're officially posted online to showcase your home's best attributes in an enticing presentation. There are also virtual tours, which can be made with 360 degrees cameras that can help accurately capture your home's exact dimensions to give an in-depth look into how your home looks before buyers even take a step inside. Last, ask your real estate agent if they can provide photo tours and video tours to immerse viewers into details before they are physically in the space.
Remember to look at your home listing on various websites to ensure that the information conveyed is accurate and in the best light. While agents typically do their best to provide accuracy, you should contact your agent immediately if you find that your property is misrepresented.
Once you've received a purchase offer, it's imperative that you respond promptly to it. The reason is that many offers from buyers contain a date when the expires—which may not be subject to renegotiation in the future. For buyers, it can be frustrating if they are forced to wait for sellers their offer is acceptable or whether you want to negotiate with a counteroffer.
Unless you have moved all of your belongings to your new home, make sure to line up your movers early (particularly in the spring, which is a busy season for moving companies). Not having the ability to remove your belongings at the last minute can mess up move-in dates and frustrate buyers, who may demand a discount for not being able to occupy their new home officially. Also, make sure to start packing before your home hits the market, which gives you an appropriate head start on the process and peace of mind. After all, selling a home is stressful enough even if everything goes right.
To guide the process of selling your home for the first time, you'll want to enlist the services of a real estate lawyer ct. to ensure that you're acting in accordance with the law and to verify contracts. Real estate lawyers understand the common snags that can jeopardize leverage in negotiating deals, while also advising you on the best course of action. They may also give you advice for where to find motivated buyers in your area, which can save you money and time in the long run.