1. Work with a local real estate agent.
With a realtor by your side, it will be much easier to navigate the ins and outs of the selling process. They also have the know-how when it comes to staging, marketing, reviewing offers, handling negotiations, explaining the complicated terms in legal documents, and more. Before deciding to sell your home, make sure you connect with a local and experienced real estate agent.
Likewise, there are other factors to consider as well to maximize your profit. For example, is the sale of your home going to conflict with other life events like relocating to a new job, retirement, or other family milestones? If that is the case, even if it’s already the peak selling season, you might want to consider before listing especially if there will be a negative financial impact. Other factors to consider are whether you have built enough equity in your home to offset buying, closing, and moving costs, as well as the current condition of your home, from which you can decide how much time and effort it will take to prepare it for sale.
This is why it’s crucial to set a fair but competitive price right from the start. And this can only be achieved by enlisting the help of a real estate professional. Your agent will perform a complete comparative market analysis (CMA), which will show you what similar properties in the area have sold for recently and for how much. This will give you an understanding of the price that’s appropriate for your neighborhood while also considering the current condition and value of your home. Setting a realistic initial asking price will attract more buyers that will help you sell quickly, maximizing your return.
Don’t forget to do a deep clean on both your property’s interior and exterior to give it that much-needed refresh. A fresh coat of paint, preferably on neutral colors, can also give it an instant facelift. Fix minor issues like leaky faucets and cracked windows, or replace any loose hardware like cabinet pulls and doorknobs. Improve your home’s curb appeal by trimming the hedges and trees, pressure-washing the driveway, cleaning and repainting the mailbox, etc. Doing even just some of these budget-friendly projects depending on what your home needs can help make a good first impression when it’s time to list it for sale.
There are other things to evaluate in an offer aside from the asking price to make sure you get the best deal, such as contingencies—clauses or set of terms in the contract that allow the buyer to cancel the agreement if those terms aren’t met, target closing schedule, seller concessions, financing, etc. With the help of your agent, you can negotiate to limit the contingencies to what you feel comfortable with or choose only from offers that match your target closing date. Just remember to review those things carefully and understand that the most important figure is your net proceeds, which tells you how much you’ll walk away with from your home sale after paying your expenses.
