First-Time Home Sellers: 5 Tips To Keep In Mind

Stepping into new territory can be stressful for anyone, and this can be especially true when you are selling your first home. It may be a new experience for you, but there are others who have been there before who can offer some first-time home selling tips.

1. If It’s Broke, Fix It

The saying “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” is true to some extent. Even if there are no major repairs to do, you may still want to upgrade some areas of your home before putting it on the market. On the other hand, new cupboards could be an option, but it is imperative to replace warped wood and missing floor tiles. Replacing or repairing anything currently in disrepair or that will need attention soon are a priority before listing your home.

2. Pricing is Important

Look to your Realtor for guidance in pricing your home. Do some research and find out what similar homes in your neighborhood are selling for. Find out if there have been trends as far as times of the year when the market has been better than others. Decide how much you can compromise in order to get what you need to from the sale of your home.

3. Staging Can Make a Difference

A fairly recent trend in selling homes has been staging. This usually entails having a professional come into your home and removing furniture and other items, and possibly adding all new furniture, to make the home look enticing to potential buyers. Try not to be offended if the person staging completely redoes your décor. They most likely are basing their work on what will most encourage lookers to become buyers.

4. Remind Yourself of Why You’re Selling

You loved your home when you moved in. Perhaps your family has grown, and you need more room. Maybe you are downsizing due to finances or empty nesting and you’re looking for something smaller. Whatever your reason for selling, keep that in mind when the selling process seems daunting. You probably didn’t leap into this situation without a reason, so try to keep that reason in mind.

5. Prepare an Exit Strategy

Know ahead of time where you will be going once your home sells and Escrow closes. Having your new home all ready for you to move in would be great, but that is not always how it goes. You may need to have a temporary home lined up while you continue the search for your new home. You might need to wait until you have funds from the sale of your first home in order to purchase your next one.

Have some money set aside for the costs of moving from one residence to the other. Even if you are moving directly from your old home to your new one, you will need movers and a truck, possible time off from work, and switching utilities which could require deposits. You may also want to purchase new furniture for your new digs, which means more money to be spent before all is said and done.

Selling your first home may seem difficult before you do it, but once it’s done, you’ll be proud of yourself. Even in the best-case scenario, buying and selling homes is stressful and full of unknowns. Once you’ve done it, though, you will feel more confident in your future real estate endeavors.