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If you’re getting ready to sell your home or maybe just thinking about it make sure you do your homework before you get started. Moving from a buyer to a seller brings different set of responsibilities and challenges. But if you’re prepared, you’ll know what to expect along the way, what to avoid, and tips to sell your home quickly.

Selling your home requires a good amount of research and preparation. There may be home improvements to make, real estate agents to find, a move to plan, and many other key steps in between. We’ve broken the selling process into three key sections

Determine your financial situation

    This could be tricky especial in a downward cycle. If you find that you owe more than your house is worth selling at the current time might not be an option. If you have determined that you have equity now you can start preparing on what’s your next step.

Review market conditions

    Finding a Real Estate Professional will better enable you to determine what type of property you’ll be moving on to. If you can determine a “fair market value” for your property now you can better determine what you can move up or down to.

How am I going to sell?

    Some people feel they can sell a house by themselves or without the help of a Licensed Realtor. I tell those people, Good Luck! There is so much that goes into selling a house that not leaving it to a professional is an absolute waste of your time & money. My suggestion is you find a local, knowledgeable broker that is tech savvy and your house WILL sell quickly and without the stress of DIY!

Preparing your home

    Go through your home and inspect what may need attention inside and out. This could be repairs that may need to be done, cosmetic and maintenance that has been neglected.  It’s highly suggested that before you put in a new kitchen or remodel you figure out what the cost is and what your potential return is. Some people just would rather fix up the kitchen the way they want it. Just because you put 30K into the house doesn’t mean you’ll get that money back. 

    Clean up and get rid of clutter! Some customers can’t see past a mess, it’s just the way it is. Even if a place needs work but is clean the house will show much better to potential customers. Put away your family pictures and personal items. Sounds silly but, people have trouble seeing themselves living somewhere when they see pictures of others in the home.  

Have a plan!

    Most Real Estate Professionals will present a marketing plan. If they don’t have a detailed on-line marketing strategy and an extensive knowledge of social media marketing you may want to run! No, the company they work for can’t do it themselves. Its something your agent needs to do and have a great understand on how to reach the younger clients that are conducting business this way. 

Ready, Start, SHOW!

    Its game time! When you are ready to take the field with getting your house on the market get ready to vacate the house when you get the call.  Texting is a great way to communicate showing times.  If you don’t want showings in the morning or at dinner for example, make sure you communicate this with your agent. Some agent’s that want to show your house get upset if there isn’t a clear note on scheduling times.   Make sure the house is clean and you put personal valuables away. Having a broker open house is another great idea and something your agent could set up.   Providing food tends to draw a crowd! “If you feed them (Realtors) they WILL come! 

We have an offer

    Now the fun begins! Getting an offer is a great thing, congrats! However, some sellers get blindsided when they get a low-ball offer. It’s a start! It might not be where you want to end up but, it’s a beginning. Making a solid counter offer is a show in good faith that you want to work with them. Sometimes sellers make a mistake of not countering. That is burning a bridge and it is better to counter anything even if it’s no change.

The Contract

    Review your contract carefully! Don’t miss any of the terms or conditions a buyer maybe asking for. The biggest mistake in Real Estate is that if it’s “not in writing”, it’s not an enforceable contract! So get it in writing! Keep in mind there are dates that need to be kept on both parties. If the buyer and seller can’t agree on contingencies from the home inspection or iron out details to purchase within 10 days of a signed offer, that offer is voidable. Also remember that if an appraised value isn’t met or financing falls through the buyer can walk without losing their deposits. However, if they pass the dates the deposit can be in jeopardy.

Its time to close!

    In Massachusetts, an attorney must close and record the new deed at the registry before title can be passed to the new owner. Once the new owner is on record and the lien (is applicable is attached) the seller gets their money and the buyer can move in! Some other state only require a title company to perform these tasks, each state may differ. Congratulations you’ve sold your home!