Five Steps to Selling Your Home

Published by julia | Filed under Buyer / Seller Tips, Listings, Real Estate

Selling a home is like being given a gift of change. When a home is placed on the market, many times the real estate agent does the majority of the ground work for the listing. The home owner can gain a little knowledge into the process of preparing a home for sale with these five steps.

Step 1 – What is your home’s condition?  The condition of the home is a crucial part of the sale. If the home is in new condition, there will be very little changes that need to be made on the home before listing it for sale. If the home is older, the condition could require some areas be repaired before it can pass the home inspection needed to finalize a sale.

Step 2 – How much will your home sell for?  The comparable homes sales in an area will give the real estate agent and the home owner a guide for pricing the home. A comparable, or comp, home is one that is very similar in size and condition as the home being prepared for listing. The price of the home should also take into consideration any upgrades made to the home over and above those available in the comp home.

Step 3 – How will the home be advertised?  Many homes today are placed on the Internet for sale as they are waiting for a print listing to be published. The Internet is a great place to give a home the face time it needs to eventually sell. Some agents will choose to sell homes exclusively through an Internet listing, while others use that listing as a reinforcement for the print listing.

Step 4 – Will you use an agent? Just because these are the steps used by real estate agents to sell a home does not mean the home owner will need to employ that agent. It is, however, highly advised to choose a real estate agent to sell a home. They have the connections needed for advertising, listing and contractual paperwork that needs to be completed during the sale process. Many home owners choose to sell their home without an agent and then pick up an agent later to fix the problems that have occurred in the sale process.

Selling a home should be fun. That is Step 5 – Have Fun! The sale of a home is a huge change in life that can be scary and exhilarating at the same time.