Is it time for a new home? Whether you’ve thought about selling your home for several years or several minutes, there are a lot of details to consider. In this article, we cover the top five questions to ask yourself before you decide to list your home. When you take the time to go over these 5 things, listing—or even deciding to list—becomes a simple process, bringing you one step closer to accomplishing your real estate goals.
Understand the Market
Is now the right time to sell? Before you list, take some time to understand your local housing market and begin talking to listing agents to decide if now is the right time to sell. Remember, even in a seller’s market, once you sell, you will become the buyer. If you aren’t prepared to buy in this current market (or you don’t have a plan for temporary housing while you search for a new home) then now may not be the right time to list your home.
However, knowing what your home is worth and what you stand to gain from selling will help you make the best decision for your future. With current trends such as all-time low interest rates, now could be a great time to sell and buy, since your budget for purchasing will stretch further with lower interest rates.
Ultimately, knowing if it is the right time to sell or the right time to refinance and renovate comes down to your current needs and home value. Knowing what the local housing market is doing and how that impacts you will help set you up for success.
Find a Listing Agent
Do I need a listing agent? This is a common question among homeowners looking to sell. While it is possible to sell your home without an agent (listing it as For Sale By Owner), there are several ways a listing agent can benefit your real estate journey.
- Providing real-time market data, helping you determine the best list price for your home.
- Suggestions on how to increase your home’s value on a budget.
- Tips for home staging and connections to local vendors for updates, staging, painting, and more.
- Advocacy to ensure you get the highest offers possible on your home.
- Support and expertise during every step of the listing and selling process.
Listing agents serve as your advocate in the home selling process, working to negotiate with buyers and buyers’ agents to make your sale as smooth and lucrative as possible. Every recommendation a listing agent makes is to benefit you and the final sale price of your home.
Enhance Your Home’s Curb Appeal
Do I Need to Improve My Home’s Curb Appeal? If possible, yes! This is one of the first things an agent will likely recommend prior to listing your home. Curb appeal plays a huge role in a buyer’s initial opinion of your home. Remember, photos of your home will be shared across the internet, and the more attractive your home appears, the more interested people will be!
Enhancing your curb appeal doesn’t need to be a huge endeavor. Sometimes tasks as simple as mowing, weeding, and trimming hedges will help make your home appear tidier. Other ways to update your curb appeal include power washing your sidewalks, patio, or siding; adding a fresh coat of paint to any faded or chipping surfaces; and making needed repairs to outward-facing parts of your home, including fences, windows, and trim.
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Make Small Upgrades
Are there ways to update my home on a budget? This is also a common question we encounter. There are tons of ways to improve your home’s value without breaking the bank. In fact, we even wrote an article about it.
Making small updates to your home can have a big impact on how buyers experience it. For example, swap outdated light fixtures for more modern models and switch out your bulbs for energy-efficient options. If you painted parts of your house with bold colors that you love, now is the time to bring those walls back to neutral. Neutral colors are more popular among a wider range of buyers and allow interested parties to better envision themselves in your space.
If your budget doesn’t allow you to upgrade your kitchen, there are still small things that make a difference. Instead of buying all new appliances, just make sure they match (all stainless steel, or all one color, for example). Add new hardware and paint to old cupboards to give them a fresh new look.
Start to Declutter
Do I need to stage my home before I list it? While staging isn’t necessary for every home (although highly recommended) removing excess furniture and “stuff” from your home will go a long way in making the space list-ready. Decluttering is a process you’ll go through when you begin to pack your things, anyway, so why not start now?
If you do decide to have your home professionally staged—an option that can bring in more competitive offers and help your house sell faster—the stager will ask you to declutter and even store some of your unneeded furnishings. By starting this process now, even as you’re considering selling your home, you can save yourself a lot of time and effort down the road.
Decluttering doesn’t have to be difficult. Consider it an opportunity to store away all those items you don’t use on a daily basis. This is your chance to live a little lighter as you get your home ready for photos, tours, and open houses.
Talk to a Listing Agent Today!
Wondering if it’s a good time to list your home? Give us a call or contact us via email! We would love to answer your home-selling questions and get you started toward your real estate goals.
