6 Steps to Selling Your Home

Let’s talk about one of the Top 5 Most Stressful things you can do!

Moving isn’t easy on anyone. First you have to take stock of what you have and decide what’s coming with you. Then you have to start packing, making sure you take special care of your glassware, family heirlooms and antique furniture.  And once you get to the new place, you have to unpack, redecorate, and probably even buy new stuff just to fit the new spaces. That alone is stressful, and that’s just the physical side of things.

Let’s combine all that tension with the fact that the place you’re moving from is a house you own. That brings with it an entirely new set of pressures. Will I make good on my investment? How do we make sure the house actually sells? For goodness’ sake, where do I start? Questions like that are probably what pulled you into this article, and we help people answer them every day. Here are the 6 Steps to Selling Your House.

1. The Consultation

I’ve taken the liberty of assuming that you’re going to be working with a real estate agent. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 87% of buyers purchased their home with the help of a real estate agent, and 89% of sellers sold their home with the help of a real estate agent. Since that’s the case, I think it’s very important that you speak with 2-3 real estate professionals about selling your home. This consultation is called a listing appointment in our world.

At the listing appointment, you and the agent will walk through the house. If the agent is a local expert, they’re probably fairly familiar with the neighborhood and different floor plans offered, but they probably don’t know about the 2015 kitchen remodel you did, or the square footage that was added when you took in some of the attic for your teenager’s “man cave.”

After the quick tour, the agent should be prepared to show you a market analysis and a price range where your home is likely to sell, explain his or her marketing strategy, and let you know what they’re going to do to get your home sold. You’ll also discuss your goals and challenges, timelines and motivation. This goal isn’t always to sell the house for the most money in the shortest amount of time; therefore, it’s important to meet with your real estate advisor to make sure your working styles and goals are aligned. That’s why Step 1 of the home selling process is the Consultation.

2. Listing Preparation

At this point, you’ve met with 2-3 real estate agents and decided with whom you’d like to work. Some paperwork has been signed and you’re ready to get the sign in the yard. A lot of times, it’s as simple as that. More often, though, there are a few things that need to be done prior to putting the home on the market.

Your real estate agent knows what is expected of homes in a certain area and at a certain price point. In some cases, that will mean a full remodel of the master bathroom, and in others it will mean shoring up the landscaping and exterior of the home.  Either way, it’s invaluable to have these things done before you hit the market so that your home is the most desirable among the competition (the prettiest girl at the dance, I like to say).

A good real estate agent is going to be able to refer trustworthy professionals to help you with this process.

3. Staging

So now you’ve repaired that leaky faucet, replaced some rotted wood near the garage and trimmed back your crepe myrtles, but it’s not quite time to take those pictures. Staging can mean different things in different situations, but it’s always a good idea to have the home staged prior to having it photographed.

For vacant homes, it may be a benefit to bring in some outside furniture. Yes, it can make the home feel like a modeled apartment, but sometimes it helps define space usage.

If you’re still living in the home while it’s on the market, then you’re definitely going to want to enlist the help of a stager. This person will walk with you room by room and explain how each space should be showcased.

How a home lives and how a home sells are two different things, and a stager will help you get it sold.

4. Marketing

Remember from Step 1 that you’ve already discussed a marketing strategy with your real estate agent. Now it’s time to shine!

You’ve done the dirty work of prepping the house, you’ve listened to your stager and re-organized the living room built-ins, and now it’s time for the world to see your hard work.

Let’s get the home on the MLS, update your Facebook status with a link to Zillow, and will someone please put a sign in the yard?!

5. Contract Negotiation

A real estate agent’s job isn’t just to refer you to a handyman, give your number to a home stager and put your listing on the MLS. Those things count, but a large portion of a real estate agent’s job is to help you make sense of the paperwork.

With each purchase offer, there are multiple points of negotiation that won’t be so obvious if you don’t sell houses every day. A good real estate agent will take you past the sales price and make sure you get the value you deserve at all points of contention.

6. Closing

Just because a contract is signed doesn’t mean it’s time to move. Most buyers are going to have the house looked at by a home inspector. A lot of them are going to need to qualify for financing. All of them are going to need to get the keys to their new house at some point.

Your real estate agent will help you through the inspection process, coordinate with mortgage lenders to make sure the loan closes on time, and help you choose a closing attorney to process the paperwork and transfer of title.

Make sure you work with an agent who is going to get the contract from signatures to closing.

I know you’re probably reading this article because you’re thinking about selling your home. Make no mistake; each one of these steps is easier said than done.

As I said before, we’re helping people through this life event every day. We have more than 50 years of combined experience, knowledge, and resources to get your home sold. Give us a call today, and let’s get started with Step 1 - the Consultation.