Planning to sell your home this year? There are some very good reasons to get started early preparing your home to get the highest possible price when it’s time to sell. Supply chain issues are still causing serious home supply shortages and increased prices. Good contractors and tradespeople are busy, and it may take some time to get on their schedule.
Why wait until just before your home goes on the market to prepare it? There are plenty of things you can do right now that will cut down on the time, expense, and effort you’ll need to spend before selling.
Have Your Home Inspected
One of the most common reasons a home sale is delayed or falls apart is the buyer learning about defects or problems during the home inspection that were unknown to the owner. Even in a hot seller’s market, price negotiations can reopen, and if the problems are beyond the buyer’s budget, they may just walk away from the deal.
If you have your home inspected early, you will not only avoid unpleasant surprises in the middle of the transaction, but you’ll have more time to get any needed repair projects out of the way. Chip away at these projects steadily and by the time you’re ready to sell, your home will be in great shape!
The pre-listing home inspection isn’t a must, but if you’re concerned about any problems the home might be hiding, it’s best to bring them to light early and have plenty of time to address them.
Do Some Research
Find out what’s selling in the market and your neighborhood. There are many ways to find out what’s hot and what’s not. Start watching listings in your neighborhood to see which homes are selling or not selling and why. Go to open houses to see what trends are in and what’s not working.
Have a Realtor walk through your home with you to provide feedback. They can help you determine what’s necessary and what’s nice to do as well as help you build a priority list. Realtor’s are also a good resource for inspector and contractor referrals. This walk through is a great opportunity to “interview” Realtors for your future listing if you don’t already have a Realtor in mind.
Invest In Buyers’ Favorite Features
If you’re willing and able to renovate or add some nice touches to the interior and exterior of your home, be sure to spend your time and money wisely. Take some time to educate yourself and understand what today’s home buyers are looking for.
The National Association of Home Builders surveyed prospective home buyers and learned that the two most desired features in a home are a laundry room and exterior lighting. You can review the study findings HERE to see other top features as well as lists by area such as kitchen, outdoor, and green/energy efficiency.
Get Started!!
House prep may be less appealing than starting your new replacement home search or cramming in all of your Hawaii bucket list items before relocating but doing some legwork now will help to ensure that your home will be the star of the market when it’s listed. That will help you sell your home for the highest price possible, in the shortest amount of time, with the least amount of hassle!
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