How To Sell Your House
Whether you've been in your home for a few years or a few decades, as long as you know the basics and understand the process then hopefully selling your house will be a pain-free and enjoyable experience. Understanding how to correctly sell your house can lead to less complications and a smoother home selling experience for all parties involved. By keeping the following topics in mind you should be able address any questions you may have.
Staging Your Home
Staging your home is the first step in how you present your residence to the buying public. Staging is more than just cleaning the backyard and sweeping the floors which is considered day-to-day household maintenance. Proper home staging includes removing all displays of personal items such as family pictures and drawings on the refrigerator. This is because you want prospective buyers to envision themselves living in the home. It may also entail removing pieces of furniture to make rooms look less cluttered which could prevent a home buyer from appreciating the size of a room or the flow of the house.
Online Exposure
The Internet can be a great means of selling a house and even if you decide to go with a realtor it still can provide a wealth of information. There are many websites dedicated to providing ideas for staging as well as various tips and tricks for doing minor repairs or remodeling to separate your home from all the rest. Online research can also provide a better insight to what the fair market value of your home should be to ensure it is not overpriced and therefore priced out of the market.
Pricing It Correctly
Correct pricing of a home for sale is considered the number one most important aspect when selling your house. This is because regardless any other aspects, an incorrectly priced home can sit on the market for a year or more. A home might be a beautiful mansion but it's priced more than the fair market value it probably won't sell. Likewise a home could be in a serious state of disrepair with garbage in the backyard and it could still sell within a week if it's priced to correctly. The key to selling your house is to zero in on that price which maximizes profit and minimizes leaving money on the table while still incentivizing prospective buyers to inquire about and possibly purchase your house.
Realtors Make the Difference
A quality realtor could be a determining factor on whether or not you sell your house in a timely fashion. A bad realtor may be just as clueless about how to price your home as anyone else so if you understand how your home should be priced then that could help in selecting a realtor. The reason why a quality realtor is so important is because they are the buffer between the home seller and the rest of the home buying public. They will also be able to provide valuable insight based on their own experience of effective staging strategies and marketing techniques. A house priced to move can be sold by anyone but if you're looking to maximize your profit than there is no substitute for a quality realtor.
For Sale By Owner
Many prospective home sellers will consider going the "For Sale By Owner" route due to the significant savings which can be realized from eliminating the 6% commission from working with realtors. Being an FSBO property is not for the faint of heart. You will essentially be doing the work of an experienced and licensed realtor and must legally fulfill all proper disclosure requirements and offer documentation. You will also be responsible for marketing the property and since you will not be a licensed realtor you may not be able to create a listing on the MLS or Multiple Listing Service. Most home buyers will have their own agents which will use the MLS in their initial property searches. You will also be lacking valuable insight which could help your home sell faster and make more profit.
Summary
There are a few ways how to sell your house whether using a realtor for doing a "For Sale By Owner" but the key is to understanding the process is select the option which is best for you. To sell your house in an efficient and timely manner requires an understanding of staging, pricing and marketing all working in concert to ensure your house sells faster than your neighbors. Being prepared and thoroughly researching the current housing market is necessary to making your house look its best so potential home buyers will be compelled to sign on the dotted line.
