Selling a home is a lot of work. No really. Even if you’re working with a professional Realtor, you must prepare to do a lot of work to get a home ready to sell. There’s decluttering and cleaning as well as necessary repairs and upgrades. The entire preparation process can quickly become very overwhelming.
From understanding the costs to taking an all-purpose cleaner to every nook and cranny, we know selling your home might feel like a burden. To help, we compiled a quick go-to guide on what you must do to prepare your home to sell.
Step 1: Determine Whether You’re Ready
When you prepare to sell your home, you must ensure you’re financially and emotionally ready. It can be stressful to sell your home, mainly if you’ve lived there for a long enough time to develop memories and attachment to the property. Therefore, please do your due diligence and run through our two top posts on whether you’re in the right place to sell.
Double-checking whether you’ve lived in your home long enough to have equity is also a good idea. Selling a home is much less stressful if you know you’ll, at the very least, break even after all is said and done.
Step 2: Choose the Right Professionals
Just like when you bought your first home, selling requires researching to have the right professionals on your team. Knowing how much each of these hires will cost you as the seller, you’re setting yourself up for success rather than being shocked at the final price tag.
After all, you don’t have to worry about real estate commissions when you buy, but as a seller, that’s your responsibility. So, hiring someone you trust is vital. Most sellers will pay anywhere from 5% to 7% in commission fees. But remember: this is to cover the buyer’s agent as well.
Step 3: Get Ready For Showings
Do your part to declutter, remove too much personalization within the home and tidy as much as you need to keep your home clean for multiple buyers and showings.
You don’t want to scare any potential offers away by forgetting to dust a bookshelf or because you forgot to empty the garbage and there is a lingering smell. It’s never a bad idea to hire a professional cleaning service to keep on top of things while your home is on the market.
Step 4: Consider Repairs and Renovations
Not every home requires significant repairs or home improvements. But you should still evaluate your home and make a list of repairs and renovations to complete before listing. As you prepare to sell your home, be mindful of whether your property is out of date and whether or not a small renovation (like repainting) might increase your resale value. Many home renovations don’t offer as big of a return on investment as we might think, so always discuss these changes with a real estate professional you trust beforehand.
On the other hand, you should be sure to complete minor repairs regardless of the cost. Tasks like fixing a leaky faucet will go a long way in getting your home sold quickly.
Step 5: Prepare to Sell and Close
Selling your home and getting the price right comes down to negotiating and closing. If you’re unsure what you, as a seller, need to do during a negotiation, read on to ensure you’re getting the best possible price.
Once you’ve accepted an offer that makes you happy, it’s time to prepare for closing day. If you’re a first-time seller, things are a bit different than when you bought your home, so check out our full breakdown of what you can expect linked below.
How to Effectively Stage Your Home For Sale
Now that you know how to prepare to sell your home, it’s time to focus on staging the place for showings. If each step sounds and feels overwhelming, narrow your focus. The key to finding potential buyers is to take care of these five factors that can make or break the sale:
- Focus on curb appeal
- Remove personal items and family photos from the property
- Deep clean before showings
- Paint and stage the home with neutral colours
- Complete any improvements or renovations to help the home inspection go smoothly
Once you’ve done all you need to do to prepare your home for sale effectively, all that’s left is pricing it right, getting the listing up, and starting to accept offers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average cost to sell your home?
Typically, you can expect most of your closing costs, such as lawyer fees, commission fees and maintenance costs, to add up to around 10% or more of the final sale price.
What are the top three things to fix before you sell your home?
If you’re wondering how to prepare your home for sale, don’t forget to focus on home improvements. You should fix plumbing problems, tune up your HVAC and consider a roof upgrade. These will all be attractive additions to potential buyers.
When is the best time to sell your home?
One of the best times to sell your home is in spring when most buyers are active. It’s also when people feel their best financially, as they’ve just finished their taxes and are motivated to make money moves.
Final Thoughts
At the end of your selling experience, it’s time to say goodbye to your previous home and move on to a fresh start. Knowing what steps to take can make this moment feel relaxing and relieving. So, do your part to prepare as best you can before you stick the for sale sign out front and share your listing with the world.
