It’s time. Your home value is at a good place. You’ve determined you’re ready for a change and want to sell your house. You’ve put yourself in the frame of mind…. “Let’s sell!” Where do you begin?
Selling your house has both emotional and strategic significance. This important life change can be exhilarating but getting started can be overwhelming. If you’ve made that decision, here are some first steps to both emotionally and strategically begin the exciting journey of preparing yourself and your home for the marketplace.
An Open House Should be, well… Open
A decluttered home has an impact on everyone. There is as much psychology as there is practicality to getting ready to sell your house. We recommend getting yourself ready by beginning the decluttering process. You can start even before searching for a realestate agent. We recommend you begin packing up all those non-essential items to get yourself into the home seller’s frame of mind.
Imagine going on a long family vacation. What would you need on that trip? This minimalist mindset will make that step of putting your house on the market a lot less stressful. So, pull up your sleeves and organize those closet and storage spaces, minimize all drawer and cabinet spaces, and clear off as much countertop space in your home as possible. Rent a storage unit if you need to in order to declutter your home effectively. Last but not least, get your yard cleaned up and decluttered as well.
Transform Your Home into your Prospective Buyers Home
Imagine you do take that vacation. You’ve checked into your hotel and upon opening the door, luggage in hand, you find a stranger’s open suitcase sprawled over the bed. A quick peek into the bathroom reveals a wet towel on the floor, dirty clothes, and hygiene products on the counter. Your immediate reaction would be, this is someone “else’s” space.
As you work through the decluttering process to emotionally prepare to sell your house, you want to next strategically depersonalize your home as much as you can short of actually moving out. Like a hotel room, things that make your space feel like a welcoming future home are items like clean dressers, beds, couches and tables. Remove as much off the walls as you can, remove any kitchen decorations, and keep your still lived in space seem as least lived in as possible.
Not sure what to pack or put away? A good realtor will be able to advise you to what extent you’ll need to declutter and depersonalize that best fits your needs and goals.
Find an Expert Home Selling RealEstate Agent
Not all agents are alike. Some specialize in representing home sellers and others in buyers. You’ll want a good selling agent. We encourage you to interview at least 2-3 agents before choosing one.
A good agent will ask you the right questions before ever asking about what your home is worth or what you think it can sell for. A good agent will ask you about your needs, goals, expectations, and timeline.
Where do you want to move? How quickly do you want to sell? Why would you like to sell? You may think these questions are too personal, however, a good agent will ask in order to provide a personalized strategic plan throughout the entire selling process. Check out our “What Makes a Good Real Estate Agent for Home Sellers”.
Address Pre Home Sale Repairs
With an expert selling agent, you can finally begin the process of identifying what needs fixing. It can be a very subjective process that requires a good agent to walk you through. It doesn’t always make sense to pour your hard earned capital into remodeling costs. You won’t always get those costs back. At the same time, in some cases, minor upgrades are worth the time and money before listing your home.
I once took a client through our strategic process of preparing their home for sale. By asking the right questions, our research discovered that their HVAC unit, although in excellent working condition, was near the end of it’s life expectancy. Caught off guard, this red flag could have been raised by an inspector representing a buyer. Talk about stress! Rather than being put into the position of having to reduce the asking price or replacing their unit, we had the seller preemptively purchase an inexpensive warranty on the HVAC system.
Remember, home shoppers can be as emotional about buying as a homeowner is about selling. If a prospective buyer knows that your home is move-in ready with minimal future concerns, you have a winning strategy.
At Hoffman Homes Tucson, our goal is to ask the right questions and put together the right strategy that meets your goals and needs. If you’ve considered taking these first steps to sell your house, contact us today so we can help you reach your goals.
