It can be quite nerve-wracking to sell a home for the first time. After all, completely uprooting your life can be a huge adjustment, and there are a ton of variables that play a role in how smoothly the process goes. Furthermore, the transition is often a mystery to first-time sellers.
From the costs involved in selling your home to the closing process, here’s everything you need to know to be a successful first-time seller:
Do you need an agent?
Especially now, it’s tempting to look on the internet for tips and tricks on how to sell and then just do it yourself. However, there are some things that the internet can’t teach you, which is where the expertise of a professional comes in. It’s important to hire an agent who has experience and can ensure you’re making the right choices around such a large investment.
Make sure that your agent is keeping you educated. It’s critical to be attuned to the market and other comparable homes on sale in the area.
What are the costs?
Ask your agent about all that’s involved in closing costs and exactly how much will be deducted from the agreed-upon selling price. It’s important to know what to expect before any offers are actually on the table.
What’s your plan?
Selling a home is only the first step. Make sure you know what you’re doing after closing day. Where will you move to? Are you buying or renting? How will you time construction on your new home with when you need to move?
How do you show off your home?
In this day and age, you need to utilize all the tools at your disposal. This means that people should first see your home online and then see it in person.
When you start in-person showings, it’s essential to remain flexible. Buyers will come when it’s convenient to them and may not show up when they say they are going to. Though this can be challenging, it’s best to roll with the punches. The more amenable you are, the more people will want to see your home.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to predict how many of these showings you’ll have to go through before your home is sold. However, you can move the process along by asking for feedback after your house has been shown.
What’s realistic?
Don’t be deceived by the number of potential sellers who come through your home. This does not necessarily correlate to the number of offers you can expect to field. Don’t assume buyers will make amazing offers because they see that other people are interested; in fact, offers are generally comparable to one another.
Try to be flexible when you do get a viable offer. Playing “hard to get” might make buyers walk away.
What’s involved in closing?
Don’t forget about those repairs you promised! You’ll have to get them done, and you’ll probably be reminded of this by the home inspector.
Before you move out, you must have the house professionally cleaned. Furthermore, no garbage can be left behind.
Source: inman