So, you’ve assessed your financial situation, considered your lifestyle, and decided to sell your property. Whatever the reason, you’re ready to sell. Maybe you’ve chosen to downsize, or maybe you’re moving out of the big city so you can work from home, or maybe you just want to move somewhere with a warmer climate.
Selling a property may be a stressful process with so many factors to consider, such as home inspections and staging. Fortunately, we’ve put up a detailed guide on how to sell your property in 2022 just for you.
Whether you’re a first-time home seller or an experienced professional, this step-by-step guide will walk you through the process of selling your property this year.
Hire The Services Of A House Inspector
Although this is the obligation of the buyer, it is best to have the house inspected by a home inspector. A home inspector will help you determine which needs to be fixed before your jump into an agreement.
In addition, if you uncover problems that would take weeks to complete, you could lose that buyer. A home inspection is a proactive way to prepare your house for sale. A pre-listing home inspection may help you determine the exact state of your property, as well as what concerns and repairs need to be handled prior to listing, so you can remedy them and move on to the next step in the process of selling your house easily.
Being aware of your property’s condition can also help you during the negotiating phase with possible buyers. As you may be aware, buyers frequently use their home inspection as a bargaining chip with sellers, such as requesting you to lower your list price. It’s less likely that anything new will surface and affect your negotiation if you’ve already handled these repairs.
Make Minor Repairs And Improvements To Your Home.
After you’ve received a detailed list of recommended repairs, it’s time to either do the work yourself or hire someone to do it for you. This might also be a good opportunity to make minor improvements that can increase the value of your house.
With the trend to work remotely, some home amenities, such as a home office, have become important for homeowners. Even if your house doesn’t have a specific office space, a smaller bedroom or the space beneath the stairwell may be readily transformed into one. Staging the area with elegant accessories such as plants and a bookshelf might help potential buyers imagine themselves in the space.
Furthermore, recessed lighting, a new kitchen, and a quartz countertop have made it to the top of the list of the top four most valuable house trends among homebuyers.
This is unsurprising, given that many individuals will take up cooking or baking as a new interest in 2022 and would need a room in their new house to accommodate them. With this in mind, simple changes like new appliances and upgraded countertops may go a long way toward increasing the appeal of your house to potential buyers.
Prepare Your Home For Sale By Decluttering And Prepping It
Make decluttering and preparing your home a priority while deciding how to sell your house. Renting storage lockers to tidy one’s home before selling it is becoming increasingly common. The aim is to keep the amount of stuff in your area to a minimum so that future owners may see themselves (and their belongings) in it.
Even eliminating personal photos allows potential buyers to consider what they would place on those walls. Bring in a professional organizer or set up a remote session if you need something done quickly. They can assist you with decluttering your home while also preparing you for a stress-free relocation.
Hire A Real Estate Agent
Hiring a real estate agent is simple; however, finding an excellent real estate agent may be difficult. Obtaining recommendations and reading internet reviews are excellent ways to begin narrowing your choices. When it comes to selecting a real estate agent to represent your best interests, you’ll want to know what you’re looking for. Here are a few questions to ask each possible candidate:
- This year, how many clients have you served?
- Have you ever had a client file a complaint against you?
- What is the cost of your services?
- What services do you provide in addition to escrow and negotiations?
- What tools and resources do you have at your disposal?
After you’ve hired a real estate agent, you and your agent should develop a plan for selling your home. It should contain a timeframe for everything from pricing your home to getting it posted on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) through personal showings. A plan of action will guarantee that you and your agent are on the same page at all times.
Price Your Home To Sell
Now is the moment to choose how much you should list your house for. You might begin by using online tools to estimate the value of your home. You should never, however, set your goals on a single number and expect it to materialize. Market circumstances and customer behavior are always changing.
Another option is to perform an evaluation. Home appraisers are qualified specialists who will determine the worth of your home based on its condition and the broader housing market conditions. They will consider the size of your property, the inside and exterior conditions of your home, any renovations, additions, or home improvements you’ve made, and the local market circumstances to determine the value of your home.
Sell Your House By Staging It
If you don’t consider yourself a design expert, try hiring a professional home stager to assist you. Many stagers provide a variety of options to meet your needs, ranging from in-person consultations to virtual consultations. Regardless of whether you hire a professional or do the staging yourself.
Get Professional Photographs Of Your Home Taken.
Professional photography sells a home quicker than anything else. This is especially true now when many prospective buyers begin their home-buying process online. Put yourself in the shoes of the buyer.
They search online, looking at every house that comes up for sale within their filtered preferences as soon as it’s listed. If your home is represented online by poor-quality pictures, your listing will most likely receive minimal attention. Not to add that properties with professionally taken photographs sell for more money on average than other listings.
List Your Home To Sell
Your real estate agent will put your house on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) so that it appears on real estate websites for possible buyers. Also, don’t restrict your home’s marketing to your real estate agent and an online search.
You must market your home yourself. Please spread the news to your relatives and friends. Share your listing on social media and in emails, and urge others to share it with others. Also, make sure you know when the optimal time is to sell a property.
Make A Contingency Plan In Case Your House Does Not Sell Quickly Enough
You and your real estate agent should have discussed this ahead of time, but not every property sells quickly. There are other elements at play, and depending on the health of the housing market in your region, your real estate agent may need to employ additional techniques to sell your home. If it’s decreasing the price of your property or having additional tours, you’ll want to talk to your agent about it and agree on the next steps if your house isn’t getting any offers.
Negotiate The Selling Price Of Your House
One thing to keep in mind is that the buyer is attempting to obtain the lowest possible price, while you are trying to sell your home for the highest possible price. As each house sold or acquired is unique, there will be several aspects to consider. For example, if it’s a buyer’s market, the buyer has the upper hand because there are several listings with fewer offers. However, this does not always imply that you must make significant sacrifices in order to sell your home.
This is when your agent truly shines. They will help you in navigating the negotiating process and will advise you on how to respond when offers are made. Fortunately, you interviewed and picked the proper agent, so you know they are looking out for your best interests.
