Checklist for Those Looking to Sell Their Homes Next Spring
If you are serious about selling your home next spring, you should begin preparing it right now. You have to make some significant decisions so your home looks as good as possible without spending too much money. One of the most important things you can do is make a checklist of the things you need to get done and a timeline for doing them. That checklist should include the following things:
Research The Local Housing Market
To price your house to sell while making a profit, you have to know how many homes similar to the one you have are commanding in the marketplace. To find out how much your home is worth, determine how many homes similar in size to yours sold recently and for how much. You can then decide on a good price to charge for your home. Bear in mind that depending on the season, home prices can sometimes change dramatically. That means you may have to adjust your price to get your home to sell quickly. So you have to be flexible. It also helps if you can consult local real estate professionals for help.
Assess The Condition Of Your Property
Have a professional do a pre-listing home inspection. This will help you to identify potential issues with your home and have them fixed. Knowing the condition your home is in enables you to match it with comparable properties close to your area. It also gives you the chance to fix known issues that could prevent your home from selling before you put it up for sale.
Have Your Home Thoroughly Cleaned
Make sure to clean the windows and screens, have all carpets professionally cleaned, polish the kitchen appliances and disinfect the bathrooms. Consider doing an online search for ‘professional home cleaning services near me‘ to find a qualified expert to thoroughly clean the home before putting it up for sale. While you may do your regular weekly cleaning, make sure to have the professional cleaners come in again just before your house goes on the market to make sure it looks great when you are doing showings.
Pick The Best Listing Date
Sales data has shown the beginning of May is the best time of the year to list your home if you want to maximize profit and limit the amount of time it spends on the market. Saturday is the best day to list your home generally. This can vary somewhat based on where you live, so do some research on your local market. The broader housing market trends, the job market, and the climate can also impact the best listing date. Therefore, being flexible is very important.
Think About Working With An Agent
Even if your plan is to sell your home ‘For Sale By Owner,’ there are so many complex tasks involved with preparing, listing, staging, showing, and marketing your home, it may be in your best interest to think about working with an experienced real estate agent. Having a trustworthy local professional to help guide you through selling your home can make a world of difference. They can provide valuable insight and make the process faster, easier, much more manageable, and potentially more profitable.
Solicit Feedback From Family And Friends
Ask family and friends for honest opinions on what things need work in your home to make it more appealing to potential buyers. What major defects do they see? Are there minor repairs or any simple cosmetic changes that would make it more attractive? While making significant renovations might not be cost-effective, sometimes just painting your home and sprucing up the landscaping can dramatically improve its curb appeal and property value. Adding new doorknobs and other inexpensive hardware can sometimes make a big difference in your home’s appearance and make it more desirable to buyers.
Paint
About a month before you list your home, have it painted. When it goes on the market, the walls will still have that freshly painted look. Painting the interior of a home is among the most common seller’s pre-listing tasks. Choose warm beige, light gray, and other earthy colors and neutral tones. Painting is among the easiest and least expensive ways for homeowners to improve the appearance of a house before selling it.
