You often see lots of tips for first-time home buyers; in fact, we’ve had quite a few blog posts on that topic here. For the first-time home seller, it can be hard to recall what you were looking for as a buyer, and the emotional attachment to your home and all you’ve put into it can cloud your mindset into thinking any buyer would love to have your home as is! Selling a home, however, should be less emotion and more practical focus on maximizing your profit potential. A few tips here —
- Get a great real estate agent! This is the first step in maximizing profit while minimizing time on the market. See our wonderful agents at www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com to get started!
- Price – your agent should analyze comparable home sales and prepare an estimate of value for you. An experienced, educated agent should be able to give you an accurate opinion of value.
- Prepare your home! Most homes show best with about half a typical’s home furniture removed. Consider home staging — see our post about this – http://www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com/blog/making-sure-your…is-ready-to-show/ to boost your selling power and appeal. Painting is the single most effective, and likely least costly, improvement you can make.
- Choose the best day to list your home. Depending on weather, time of year, and other factors, your agent should be able to determine the best day of any season to sell your home.
- Be flexible with showings. Consider going away the first weekend your home is on the market. Leave the house when a buyer’s agent and their clients show up. The best way to sell your home is to let the buyer and their agent tour the home and imagine it as their home, not yours.
- Insist on professional photography — if you’ve hired a good agent, this should go without saying. It’s not just about angles, but lighting and perspective as well. Preview photos before they are published. And for goodness sake, do NOT leave a toilet lid open in bathroom photos!!!
- Review your listing online — Look at the listing on not only the agent’s site, but others as well. Even the best agent doesn’t know your home as well as you do; make sure features and specs are accurate and complete.
- Respond promptly to a purchase offer. Don’t force a buyer to wait to see whether you accept or are going to counter.
- Line up the movers early! May is typically the busiest month for most moving companies. You can start packing before your home even hits the market, which helps reduce clutter anyway, see #3 above and our post about moving here http://www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com/blog/ten-more-tips-fo…-into-a-new-home/
- Trust the process – if you price your home correctly and work with an experienced, reputable agent, you should be able to sell your home in a timely and profit-maximizing manner.