Waiting to Sell After the Holidays? 10 Steps to Take Before You List
If you’re thinking of listing your home after the holidays, you can take some steps now to get ready. Feel free to reach out, if we can help in any of these steps along the way.
1. Clear away clutter. You don’t want your home to look cramped with too many personal items. Buyers like to see more of a clean slate. Start today with paring down your belongings. Donate, sell, throw away items you no longer need. For those items you want to keep, consider boxing them up and finding a place or purchasing a storage unit to store them, including any furniture, until your home is sold.
2. Make it as move-in ready as possible. Today’s buyers are not crazy about doing repairs and replacements. They do not want an immediate to-do list. We can discuss whether you should leave something “as is” or replace it. An older roof, stained carpet, or a warped fence can bring down the price or your home. Determine what is best for your sale financially, and then determine if professionals are available to work on any of these projects. Now is the time to get bids from outside contractors on any projects and to also get a sense of the timeframe for completion. We are available if you have questions about which improvements will make the biggest impact.
3. Appeal to a buyer’s emotions. Not only do you need to appeal to a buyer’s mind and wallet, but you also need to make their heart skip a beat. How do you do that? The answer depends on your particular home and your most likely buyer. You want buyers to envision themselves living in your home, so think about how your rooms are used and how they can be set up to create these positive emotions.
4. Curb appeal and the “wow” factor can sway buyers. It’s like a beauty contest when buyers drive up. As you get closer to listing, schedule some landscaping work to make your yard look its best. This spruce-up is even important for online photos.
5. Online photos can sell your home. Buyers spend lots of time viewing online listings to get an idea of what homes they want to visit. Your photos need to have “curb appeal” in every single shot! Schedule pictures when your yard looks its best no matter the time of year and keep them on file. But, remember, this takes pre-planning! Our photographers have the correct lens to make sure you home looks large and bright.
6. Go with the flow of the market. Knowing how the real estate market works throughout the year will keep your expectations realistic and also help you understand why different marketing approaches will need to be used depending on the time of year.
7. Focus on the “business” of selling. You love your home and feel a surge of protectiveness to it at times. However, it’s more important than ever to think of selling your home as a “business transaction.” It can be hard to do, but try to distance yourself and view it as a financial opportunity for the next phase of your life. You need to stay focused on getting your home sold, so you can buy your next one.
8. Study sold prices, not just the asking prices in your particular neighborhood. The true market is based on what buyers are willing to pay when you list your home. Basically, buyers will only pay what they deem your house is worth in current market conditions. Remember that the market evolves and we’ll adapt and make sure to price your home accordingly. We monitor the market daily, so we can send you regular updates about your area.
9. Be willing to price your home competitively from the get-go. Once you decide to list your home, take advantage of the first two weeks of showings that bring the most traffic to your home.
10. Make Your Home Shine Once you have made your repairs, our professional cleaning team can do the hard work to make your home sparkle when those first buyers arrive. They will clean windows, floors, ceiling fans, cabinets, blinds, kitchen appliances, and more to make sure every area looks its best.
Let’s Come Up with a Plan As you can see, selling your home is a “project” that takes work and planning. We are here to help you, so you can start planning today for your future move … whatever your timeframe!
We have great contractors that can help you get started with your projects right away. Reach out anytime by calling or texting 334-703-4340, and we can get the process started.
