Buying a home for the first time can be a mix of exciting, scary, confusing, and fulfilling. You likely started out unsure of the process, but excited to look at homes and envision your future. Then came move-in day, and soon you were settled in your new space, and it felt like home.
Now, it’s time to say goodbye to that home and move on. Maybe your family is expanding and you need a larger home. Or perhaps you’re retiring and downsizing. Whatever your reason for selling, you’ll now be managing both selling your home and finding a new place to live.
At Landed, we can help you through the entire home selling process. But it’s also smart to start preparing to sell, and here are five things that should be at the top of your to-do list:
- Choose the right agent. This is the most important decision you will make. Your choice of agent will impact your experience and the amount of money you’ll make from the sale. Listing agents should have a proven track record with selling and top-notch marketing skills to ensure your home gets noticed. Buyers will see your home for the first time through your agent’s marketing, and they will make a decision whether to look at your home or skip it based on what they see. And for the record, over 90% of customers who have used a Landed partner agent say they would recommend their agent to family and friends.
- Get needed paperwork together. You’ll want paperwork about the home’s title, mortgage, and improvements readily available. Perhaps your mortgage company sold your loan to another company. Make sure you have that notice available. If a contractor did work, make sure that you have a paid-in-full letter, and have updated local authorities (usually the tax assessor) as to any new square footage added to your home through permitted work. The buyer will want warranties and manuals for appliances and major systems. Put all home sale paperwork in one place.
- Declutter. It’s amazing how quickly stuff accumulates, and before long we don’t see the closet bulging with clothes or the piles in the garage. Pack items you won’t immediately need into boxes; this will help the home look more spacious. It is common to use the garage for storage during the listing process. But consider placing boxes in a storage unit to keep your garage accessible and attractive. The garage can be the deciding factor for some buyers (it was a major factor in my home purchase!), so renting storage space for boxes and clutter can be a smart call.
- Neutralize your home. Help buyers visualize themselves living in your home by removing personal items like family photos. (Removing photos also helps to protect the privacy of your family). Money spent on a fresh coat of paint can be well worth it, too. If a buyer sees purple walls, they may see work cut out for them. Paint the walls a neutral color (neutral doesn’t have to mean boring, but stay away from bold, shocking colors) if you want the home to appeal to more buyers.
- Get handy. A home that has the appearance of being well-maintained usually brings a higher offer than a home with obvious issues. If a buyer can see that repairs need to be done, they may wonder about hidden problems and come in with a lower offer, even in a hot market. Taking some time to make needed repairs upfront (instead of planning on negotiating them during the inspection process or selling the home “as is”), will make your home more attractive to most buyers.
While selling a home is a lot of work, I hope you’ll also have fun during the process. Yes, it can be scary to sell. Selling is a new experience and surprises can come up along the way. But it can also be interesting, joy-filled, and fun. Landed is here to support you through the whole process, too, just let us know how we can help.
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