Buying a home can be a huge ordeal. Unfortunately, selling one can be an even bigger pain from certain points of view. Mistakes made while selling a home can certainly hurt you and your family in regards to finances and other matters. It’s always good to enter into the ordeal of putting your home on the market with some knowledge about the process and common pitfalls to avoid. Below are five real estate tips that can help you as a first time home seller.
1. Sell Your House at the Right Time
One of the biggest mistakes many people make is selling at the wrong time. While it’s fine to try to sell your home when it’s most convenient for you, this can cause some problems in regards to the kinds of bids you will receive or whether you will receive any at all. According to many, the best time to sell a house is in the earlier part of spring when you are likely to receive 13.4 percent more for your home. You also have to keep in mind the state of the home market overall. It’s either a buyer’s or a seller’s market. A buyer’s market occurs in the home market when there are more homes on the market than home buyers. A seller’s market is the opposite with more buyers than sellers. Obviously, homes will sell for more during a seller’s market.
2. Stage Your Home for Sale
When potential buyers tour a home for sale, they prefer to see empty rooms. While you may not want to remove your couches, it may be good to start moving your other possessions into storage. Removing that clutter from your home will make it more appealing. Home buyers are put off by homes that have the “lived in” feeling and are cluttered with other people’s possessions. Instead, they want to imagine putting their own possessions in the empty and unused space in a well staged home.
3. Obtain a Pre-Listing Inspection
In most cases, you think of a home inspection as something being ordered by home buyers and not the sellers. However, doing it the other way actually has significant benefits you should consider. First of all, not all house shoppers are as ignorant as you may think. They may notice flaws in your home’s construction and systems and may be warded off from buying. Second, it removes the threat of having to pay to fix issues discovered after a buyer’s home inspection.
While you will still end up paying for the fixes, you won’t have to do so at an inopportune time for you. Homes that pass buyer inspections without issue also tend to be sold immediately. It will speed up the process for you. If you live in the Fresno and Clovis area, look for home inspectors in Clovis to find a good deal on your home inspection.
4. Pay for Professionally Photographed Listing Photos
The listing photos you put online and in publications matter a great deal. While you may think you’re a great photographer with excellent framing, you are probably still not as talented as a professional photographer. Some stunning photos of your home’s exterior and interior can drive buyers to your home. Attracting attention is always the first step to successfully selling your house. You’ll attract more buyers and be able to choose from higher bids as well. Hire the photographer after you’ve moved out your clutter and staged the home.
5. Create Curb Appeal
The strange truth is how the home looks on the outside almost matters as much as how a home looks on the inside. Curb appeal is a huge deal in real estate. It can certainly sell homes faster and drive up the selling price as well. Do not ignore its importance. Instead, get to work on your lawn. Make sure its well manicured. All your trees, shrubs, flowers and foliage must be excellently maintained as well. In fact, start addressing the curb appeal issue months or years before you sell. Planting things like flower beds and hedge lines can go a long way with buyers.
Closing Thoughts
While selling a home can be a stressful experience, there are things you can do to make the process go much smoother. Doing things like selling your house at the right time, working on your curb appeal, performing an inspection, staging your home and obtaining professionally shot listing photos can do a lot to help ensure your home sells quickly for a good price. Overall, selling your home requires doing a bit of work. However, it will be worth it in the end.
