Our official home seller’s guide is here!
In times like these, you could likely list your house without doing many pre-sale repairs. If you’re willing to hustle for a few weeks, however, you could make even more on the property.
Never mind a Klondike Bar. What would you do for an extra $100,000?
How do you go from deciding to sell to closing the deal—and getting top dollar for your home—in 30 days? Is it even possible? Our eBook lays out a roadmap that will guide you from “What is my house worth?” to “Show me the money!” in 30 days.
Create a Plan
Every significant venture begins with a plan. You should start the selling process by outlining your timeline and options. First, pick a desired sell-by date.
Now, no later than two months before you list, research the local market. About six weeks before you list, team up with a real estate expert. Also, start getting your house ready for the sale.
One month before listing, start moving out. Get everything packed up for the move or ready for storage.
Two to three weeks before you list your home, check on your finances. For instance, find out how much money you need to pay off your mortgage. You’ll need this information to figure out your sale proceeds. Meanwhile, keep cleaning and de-cluttering.
About a week before the listing, you should have your home looking its best. It’s time to take pictures. Now, you can start marketing your home online.
Spic and Span
You must keep your home continually clean for visits from potential buyers from here on out. By keeping your home in top shape, you’ll attract more interest. For instance, simple fixes like landscaping and clearing clutter will make a huge difference—more on sprucing up your home in a moment.
If you’re unsure of how to make a solid plan for both moving out of your current home and into the new, an experienced real estate agent can help.
Creating a Decision Matrix
It’s essential to know your needs and wants for your new home. With this in mind, you should create a simple decision matrix to help with your search.
Often, buyers make the mistake of weighing pros and cons in their heads with no regard for amenities, size, or price. In reality, however, there’s always give-and-take in a real estate transaction.
For instance, you or your spouse may want a beautiful view. Meanwhile, the other half would enjoy all-new interiors. With your matrix, your biggest task is finding out what things are the most important for your new home.
Remember, you don’t have to figure out everything by yourself. An experienced real estate agent can help you sort through priorities for your decision matrix.
Get the Lay of the Land
You must check the value of your current home and the value of homes in your new desired neighborhood. Luckily, if you’re sell- ing, home prices have risen considerably. There are three kinds of home valuations, including:
- Appraised Value
- Assessed Value
- Fair Market Value
A licensed appraiser considers your home’s size, location, and condition to develop an appraised value. They’ll also consider any relevant renovations.
More on Home Value
The city tax assessor assigns the assessed value of your home. They might use your home’s fair market and appraised values for this process.
The fair market value of your home includes how prospective buyers might evaluate your home. They’ll compare your house to others in the area.
Many factors will impact the value of your home. For example, the local market and demand will affect its value. Likewise, the size and condition of your property will affect the value of your home.
With this in mind, you’ll need a general idea of comparable properties in your neighbor- hood. These homes’ values will help you establish a realistic listing price for your home. The same research in your new community will help you develop a viable offer.
However, you can’t randomly choose a nearby house. You must find homes that share similar characteristics. In this way, you can make the best possible assessment and adjust your expectations accordingly.
Here’s where a real estate agent’s experience truly comes in handy. They can ensure you receive the best valuation for your home.
Look For Profit Opportunities
Now, it’s time to make an honest assessment of your home. Consider what parts of your home are new—and not so new. You should keep an eye out for things that need work.
It helps to know which upgrades to make to increase the value of your home. For instance, today’s homebuyers covet home offices and plenty of comfortable out- door space.
You could also consider finishing your basement. Otherwise, you may consider opening up your floor plan. You could also consider adding a stone veneer to the front exterior of your home.
Another nice exterior touch that provides a good return on investment is a steel entry door. You may also consider replacing your worn or outdated garage door if needed.
You may also want to touch up or repaint your home’s exterior. Sometimes, there’s no need to paint your entire home to give it a new look. You may simply need to touch up chipped or flaking paint.
Also, don’t forget the small things. For instance, you can update your mailbox and house numbers.
These kinds of small details leave a great impression on potential buyers.
It can prove challenging to figure out which improvements to make. A veteran real estate company can help you choose the right improvements to maximize your home’s resale value.
Work With an Expert
If you’re selling your home, work with a real estate agent. You may already have someone in mind. If not, consider working with Marketplace Homes. We can get you multiple offers quickly. As real estate experts, we bring considerable value to the transaction.
Some people bypass working with a real estate professional. In the end, however, they don’t save money. In many instances, they end up costing themselves more. Their homes wind up selling for less. By working with a real estate expert, you’ll get greater exposure for your home. In turn, you’ll get more offers.
We’ll also help you navigate the transaction. There’s no replacing experience in the real estate market. You immediately gain access to our extensive market knowledge by working with us. We understand the historical sales in your area, and we can also conduct a detailed analysis of comparable homes.
Moreover, when working with Marketplace Homes, you get a skilled negotiator working in your best interest. You’ll also save yourself considerable difficulties.
The Game Plan: The Path to Listing
It’s essential to consider the mindset of the current real estate market. Today’s buyers may not want to take on a project. Furthermore, the right improvements provide you with a high return on investment.
At the least, you should fix anything that’s worn out or broken. Also, think about any potential low-cost improvements. These things might include:
- Cleaning
- Curb Appeal
- Light Fixtures
- Paint
- Repairs
- Updates
- Windows
Sometimes, a seller will fix things that buyers will never notice. Before making repairs, you should also observe the condition of nearby competing area homes for sale. Now, you have a benchmark to measure potential buyers’ expectations. Also, a real estate agent can point you toward the repairs that matter for your unique circumstances.
Preparing to List
You can do several things to make your home irresistible to buyers. For example, you could:
- De-clutter.
- Deep clean.
- Stage your home.
- Take great pictures.
If you have stacks of magazines around your home or junk on your countertops, get rid of them.
Also, remove bulky items that make your home look smaller. You should de-clutter your home mercilessly. Potential buyers love space. Go through each living area and do your best to create a minimalist design.
A real estate agent can also help you prepare your home for listing. They’ll ensure you’ve taken all the right steps to showcase your home in a way that entices buyers.
Listing Best Practices
Now, let’s talk about timing. It’s challenging to figure out the best day to list your house. Here, you must consider your market, location, and buyer expectations. You should think about when buyers will likely have the most availability. You’ll probably do well to list your house on the weekend.
You could even list your house close to a weekend rather than earlier in the week and yield better results. If you list your home for sale on a Thursday, weeknight shoppers can peek in on your listing.
The buyer might then make an offer on Friday. However, you don’t have to answer until after the weekend.
In this way, you give more people a chance to view your home. Now, you’ve increased your chances of receiving multiple offers. In turn, you may make more when you finally sell your home.
Also, think about the small details that will make your home more attractive to buyers. Rearrange your interior for the camera rather than everyday living. For instance, look for errors in symmetry, lighting, and cleanliness.
In addition, things get wrinkled in the real world. However, when you list your home, it’s on stage. Make sure to steam, iron, or replace things like sheets, pillows, or shower curtains. You should keep your home as picture-perfect as possible. Furthermore, light up your home. Make sure it’s well-lit in real life and in photographs.
Speaking of photographs, you must also think outside your home when choosing pictures. Once your home is perfect, take note of the viewing angles outside the windows. Ensure what’s showing through your windows presents your home in the best way possible. A real estate agent can help you with all the right marketing tactics to get your home sold
What’s Next in Our Home Seller’s Guide?
It might take around 30 to 45 days to close a home sale. Also, the closing day will probably take one to two hours if all goes well. Still, have you considered that there’s another alternative? You can turn your home equity into cash but stay in your home as a renter.
With Marketplace Homes “Sell & Stay”, you can lease your home as long as desired. You can also arrange to repurchase it at any time.
Our experts can help you prepare your home for listing in either case. We’ll also help you create a digital marketing plan and negotiate offers on your home. We’ll also help you run comps. Most importantly, we’ll help you get top dollar for your home.
Use This Home Selling Guide to Your Advantage
With Marketplace Homes, you can also access our backup selling option. For example, your home may not sell as you wait to complete your new construction home. If so, Marketplace Homes will buy your existing home. Based on our market analysis, we’ll guarantee the sale at a previously agreed-upon price.
Contact Marketplace Homes today at (800) 331-0646 or connect with us online to learn more about your options for going from zero to close in 30 days.
Contact Us
team@marketplacehomes.com
800-331-0646
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Alicia Persson is a Content Strategist SEO writer at Marketplace Homes, utilizing previous years of experience on real estate teams that specialized in investments and property management. Before she joined Marketplace Homes, she was also a freelance writer for 7 years, leading to a specialization in real estate and home living content for boutique digital marketing agencies. During her writing years, she learned the basics of SEO and gained experience writing for many different clients, making her versatile at creating diverse content.
She is a proud University of Virginia master’s graduate and enjoyed her undergraduate years at the University of Mary Washington. When Alicia is not writing, she plays keytar and sings in a local 90’s rock cover band, or she spends time with her amazing family.